Nick and Juanita - Rx for the Broken Hearted
Do you suffer from heartache? Are you currently treating your symptoms with goblets of red wine, tearful texting, repetitive telephone conversations, or reckless ventures into e-dating?
If so, why not fill this prescription instead? RX: Go and see Nick & Juanita — Livin’ in My Dreams – created and performed by Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg.
Friedenberg is revered for her uncanny ability to observe and translate her revelations into a profound, compassionate and satirical melange of theatre and dance. Most amazing is her skill at identifying beliefs, physical tics and personality types, which she then accentuates until they teeter on the lip of absurdity.
That’s why Friendenberg’s characters – whether a teenage headbanger, a mermaid, or (in this show) a smarmy, ponytailed Lothario and an awkward, would-be Cinderella – give audiences a vicarious thrill. Seated comfortably, as we watch preening, posturing and prostrating on stage, viewers gasp, hiss, applaud and (mostly) laugh. What catharsis!
Especially as Friedenberg offers us Nick, a glib, frenetic, ego-driven daytime talkshow host. Nick promises us that “we’re gonna talk about stuff. We’re gonna look at some things.” A deeply conflicted fella’ in a red-velvet jacket, within the space of two minutes, Nick can declare that “the truth doesn’t sell cars” and then describe himself as a “truth trader.” He never once speaks a declarative sentence.
Yet, despite his desperate attempts to keep interviews on his show and with other media on a dizzyingly superficial level, the audience does “look at some things.” We see that Nick’s best relationship is with his monogrammed mic, which attacks the audience like a sniffer dog and also falls limply when he lacks the concentration to ‘keep it up’.
A self-declared “romantic gardener,” who is driven into full seduction plumage by a question about his love life, this practitioner of “Tai Kwonyoga” and “Yogon Do” is lost, desperate and existentially lonely
And so, although I felt contempt for Nick, I also felt sorry for him. Friedenberg’s wit and intelligence ensured that was so.
… At least until Juanita showed up after intermission. That’s because, too often, she’s been the victim of a slick talker like Nick – a man who wields words like weapons.
A perky Latina in a pink party dress, she promises to share “el momento” – her memory – of falling in love with the audience. Plucky, pretty and pragmatic, Juanita declares, “Me and never – we are friends.”
And then, buoyed up by a generous dollop of New Age wisdom concerning Fate and the dances she performs at home with her cat, Juanita proceeds to tell us the truth “because no one ever does.”
If you’ve ever wondered where your brain goes when your heart meets “el guapo” (the handsome one), you’ll never wonder again. Apparently, your mind runs home to watch Law & Order while your heart is stuffed thoughtlessly and precariously into your fella’s back pocket. Ultimately, he carelessly loses your love – usually on public transit.
Frankly, if I met Juanita in a bus station Lost and Found searching for her missing and el guapo-discarded heart, I’d feel privileged. And, just maybe, her resilience would help me continue rummaging to reclaim my own.
Nick & Juanita — Livin’ in My Dreams is launching a national tour after its stay (until September 27) at the Firehall Arts Centre.
I recommend the show to heartbroken and droll friends here and across the country.
Archetypal and sometimes just a soupcon more ridiculous than ourselves, its characters soothe aches and pains.
Surely, there’s nothing better than a good belly laugh to start the healing. Doctor’s orders…
Created and Performed by Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg; Direction and Dramaturgy by Sophie Yendole; Lighting Design by James Proudfoot; Original Music Composition and Sound Design by Marc Stewart
Nick & Juanita — Livin’ in My Dreams is a co-production of The CanDance Network Creation Fund, Dance Victoria, Dancing on the Edge Festival, Live Arts Productions, Now Showing Live Arts, Peterborough New Dance, and supported by the Dance Section of the Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, City of Vancouver, the BC Gaming Commission, and The Banff Centre production residency program.