The Exclusion Zone - A One-Man Marvel
Martin Dockery’s latest one-man marvel reminded me of why I f**cking love solo theatre.
Have you ever seen YouTube videos of Indian snake charmers? Stop reading this, go to YouTube and google “indian snake charmer with 4 kobras” and then come back.
You’re back! Great.
Dockery is both snake charmer and snake. If that doesn’t sound like a compliment, it is. His strangely magnetic presence makes it impossible to look away from the stage for even a second. And just when you’re wondering where in Sam Hill some tangent is going, he drops a comedic gem in your lap or ramps up the dramatic tension with an anecdote that lures you even further into the wormhole that is this artist’s mind.
In case you’re new to the fringe circuit, let me give you some background noise. Dockery is a bit of a fringe legend. He’s a popular monologist who’s been doing one-man shows for years, all of which are written orally...yes, I know that’s not really a thing, but then again, apparently it is. Despite, or perhaps because of, having a degree in playwriting from Columbia University, he creates his solo shows without ever writing a thing down.
Not having seen any of his previous works, and knowing that “legends” are often made up of one part buzz and one part talent, I was hopeful but cynical when walking into the theatre this evening. Solo theatre is without question my favourite form of theatre. Nothing compares to one human being walking the plank and baring their soul to an audience, and when a solo show is great, it will lift you up in the way that only witnessing true artistic courage can.
That being said, lots of solo shows are self-indulgent garbage.
This one is not.
It’s an absurdist, ironic, poetic, and entirely engaging monologue that asks us to think about who we are, and why we’re here, and what is art, and what really matters. It offers up the meaning of life and then quickly takes it back again. If you’re looking for a linear story with a predictable outcome, don’t go see this. Dockery has gone way beyond the standard hero’s journey of man against the elements or man against other man and into the more subtle realm of man struggling through the furnace of an existential crisis.
Dockery is at his most powerful when he slips into moments of stillness and silence that, while fleeting, allow us to bear witness to his vulnerability, his humanity, and his childlike awkwardness. After a few seconds, we’re whipped back into the warp-speed locomotion of the show, but for those few seconds, we are connected deeply to a stranger on a stage who is letting us see him in a way many of us never ever let ourselves be seen by anyone.
If I haven’t been clear about this yet...go see this show. Even if you don’t like it, you’ll be a better artist and a better person for seeing it.