Porn and Pinochet - Looking for Greater Intimacy

The synopsis for this play is "A story of a Chilean growing up in Canada and a Canadian growing up in Chile". The person doing the growing up is Andy Canete in Canada or Andreas Cañete in Chile. As Canete begins his journey he tells us about moving to Canada and the anglicization of his last name. The next 45 minutes are spent recounting his childhood and youth with specific events.

Some of the stories work, some don't. The story of the porn in the title is by far the funniest of them all. Recounting how his parents hit him and had different names for different types of blows just made me feel uncomfortable. Sharing how his favourite soccer team finally won after years of loses, while it brought tears to Canete's eyes, fell flat.

Canete is an actor and stand up comedian. His stand up work was evident in the way he chose to stand on stage with no specific lighting or props and holding the mic in his hand just like in the comedy clubs. I wonder if perhaps some staging with a bit of movement, gestures, lighting and perhaps sitting on a stool or chair for some of the stories would have brought greater intimacy to the occasion.

Near the end as he spoke about some life lessons learned I had a hard time feeling it. I did enjoy the glimpse into someone who has grown up in two cultures and there are definitely some good anecdotes along the way.