Highgate - Slow Burn
We muse little on the cult of death in 2013. Instead of funerals, everyone is invited to attend a celebration of life. But a funeral is what it is. A memorial service. A remembrance of a soul gone from this earth.
As we enter the theatre, fog is everywhere. A man in a top hat wanders and mutters. There is a printed card on my seat which reads: "All kinds of black fur and seal-skin are worn in deep mourning." Now the man climbs up near the balcony and he keens: "Listen to the little lady!" The little lady turns out to be Cultch Executive Director Heather Redfern who welcomes us to the world premiere of Highgate.
Once the show starts, we learn that Mr. Stone (Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg) is an undertaker from Victorian times. He cheerfully informs us that we all experience Birth! Taxes! And Death. We then meet the Boychild (Justine Chambers), followed by the portentous Mrs. Graves (also played by Friedenberg) and her coterie of three women in black (Susan Elliott, Alison Denham and Bevin Poole). Thus, we are welcomed to the afterlife - and it's definitely gone gothic.
Created by Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg, Highgate is dance-based physical theatre. She thanks internationally renowned choreographer Nigel Charnock for his contribution (he died August 1, 2012 so was not able to complete his contribution to this work as director and mentor). Vancouver-based Anita Rochon joined as director and dramaturg. They are supported by a strong creative team of composer Marc Stewart, lighting designer James Proudfoot and costumes and visual artist Alice Mansell. And kudos to the Cultch Youth IGNITE! Program for the elegant lobby design and installation - I did so appreciate the young women in black wandering about like lost souls.
Although a lot of solid work and thought has gone into this stylish production, the overall effect is lacking. I simply wanted a more in-depth examination of the theme of death and its importance to the denizens of Victorian England. What was life like when you lived to bury three husbands? When you spent years wearing black clothing to mourn loved ones? When it was likely that your children would die before you... or you yourself might die in childbirth. Or from consumption. Or syphilis. The list goes on...
Collectively, the performers are strong but only Mr. Stone and Mrs. Graves have much to say. Certain sounds and images are intriguing - the tick tock of time passing, the black bat created in a woman's skirts. But I cannot say that I was moved by this experience; rather, it left me cold.
If you are tired of zombies but still into the macabre, you may want to consider checking out Highgate. Playing at the Cultch's Historic Theatre until May 4.