Jalopies - Lovely Story But Lacks Emotional Impact

Mark Cherniack the playwright/actor is enamoured with the stories and characters he has written about, as is demonstrated by his treatment of each one with great care and sympathy. He worked with these client/patients at the retirement homes, assisted living facilities and nursing homes for over 15 years and is obviously paying homage to their memory every time he steps onto the stage to perform this piece. So he knows the subjects and material of the piece intimately, maybe too intimately.

We would probably all agree that getting old sucks. We see that the elderly are frequently treated as children, less than human and/or disrespectfully. The perception is that they are incompetent and incapable of taking care of themselves, and therefore must be less than a complete adult.  

The stories of each of the patients are interwoven into one delightful tale. Mark brings out their humour, vulnerability and insightfulness, sparking titters of laughter and smiles of recognition from the audience. Though the material is interesting you never quite feel the opportunity to get lost in the characters or their plight. The topic is tricky; we should be empathic given that most of us will someday be in that position too. So although it is commendable that Mark tackles this emotionally charged and complex topic, his performance sometimes slides into wanting us to feel how he does about them (playwright) rather than being in the moment (actor) and letting us feel whatever we feel, even if it’s repulsion.  

His performance of the multiple characters (10+) is strongly supported by a physical stance, voice and/or affectation. When he picks up the pace he is physically flipping from one to another quite flawlessly, but there is something missing and it seems to be a strong emotional connection with each character as he travels through their journey., There are, quite simply, a lot of emotional journeys to connect with, keep clear and cover in 65 mins.