High Flying Bird: never takes off
High Flying Bird doesn't ever really get off the ground. It's educational, inclusive and community oriented like all of Vancouver Moving Theatre's projects, but the story is pedestrian, and shot through with faux-teen pop colloquialisms and broad stereotypes. The Sleazy Talent Agent. The Overprotective Grandfather. The Rebellious Teenager. Big Mama. The Reverend. If it was pantomime it would be right on the money, but here I'm afraid it comes across as ambitious community theatre: all heart and not much substance.
In this "workshop" production the performers all have scripts in hand, so some dropped notes and in-process dialogue are to be expected. The performers are doing their best to make the material live and inhabit it, but the material just isn't strong enough to take them where they want to go, and some of the singers are plagued by weak voices and are badly off key. No question that there are some great actors in this show: Jay Brazeau brings his signature humour to "Gramps," Tom Pickett, Daren Herbert and Candus Churchill (among others) lend their spectacular voices to the songs. But good actors and good singers are not enough to save a play whose main character has to end the first act by sitting on the edge of the stage emoting the line "My life sucks!" before swallowing a magic glowing pill that takes her further into her skateboard-collision-induced-
I have faith in both the Firehall's Donna Spencer and Vancouver Moving Theatre's Savannah Walling, if there's a way to massage this production they'll find it. I for one would recommend waiting for the finished product.