Little Orange Man: Worth Seeing Twice
Little Orange Man is a charming and hilarious portrayal of a little girl who is told she has attention deficit disorder. She doesn’t care too much about this label and it isn’t the focus of the show. It is just one of the many, many things she is compelled to tell us about (or in this case burst into song about). She has a vivid imagination and boundless energy and is prone to behaviour that might be disturbing to an uninformed observer. It alienates her from her peers (they call her “freakshow”) and gets her into trouble, but when she lets us into her busy mental life we get the inside scoop on her troubling behaviour.
In the opening scene we see what could be misunderstood as a senseless savagery towards some perfectly good celery sticks and a sandwich. As we are drawn into her hilarious little world we learn that the assault on her lunch is not a tantrum or a destructive act. Instead it is the expression of intensely creative and artistic impulses, and a pure-hearted effort to preserve a connection with her grandfather and her heritage. The obstacles along the way are vilified and celery is just a story-telling casualty.
Ingrid Hansen is so brilliant as Gette (Kit) that I was surprised to realize the actress and the character had different names. I hadn’t thought that Kit was a fictional character exactly. Hansen just knows her so well that I thought maybe it was a dramatization of a remembered childhood, but the program reveals that the show is a created and a directed performance and not a spontaneous monologue. Kathleen Greenfield is director and co-creator, and considering this is a joint effort the project is even more impressive. The character and script feel natural and spontaneous despite being unbelievably funny, and it is hard to believe that not just one but two people could understand this character well enough to bring her so clearly to life.
The show was beautifully produced with simplicity and subtlety. The set consists primarily of a couple of large trunks. Kit is at variously clawing her way out of one, crawling under it, or tipping it on end and climbing up to sit on it (never for very long). Props include celery, several pairs of children’s shoes and a stack of children’s artwork. There is some beautiful, low-tech image projection that is reminiscent of flashlight shadow puppetry. It adds a stunning visual imagery that could represent Kit's vivid imagination. Hansen is also a beautiful singer and, accompanying herself on the guitar she sings variously what seems to be Danish folk music, and Kit's hilarious song about “I’m not tense I have tension deficit”.
The only criticism I can muster is that there are moments when Hansen’s voice isn’t quite loud enough. You should sit as close to the front as you can to make sure you hear every delightful word. This is a truly unique and charming performance. I won't be able to resist seeing it again.