Thus, I Curse Love! - Kudos to this Ambitious Company

It's a beautiful evening, sunny and warm, rippling water and boats (yachts) in the background,  there is a slight breeze and we are full of anticipation as the play begins. We are outside in the shipyard on Granville Island and because of the surroundings and bustle of activity we are forced to listen very closely. Not solely because of the venue but the play itself demands one to actively listen and engage as it is a complex story with lofty characters and you can easily get left behind. This is not a laid back observational experience, this is environmental theatre, you are on your feet, you have to move as the actors move around you. 

This was a mammoth undertaking, and you have to give writer, the director and the company credit for taking on the challenges of a piece such as this. The source material for this play is the first of series of four Opera's titled the "Ring Cycle" written by Richard Wagner.

Of course this is exactly what the Fringe is all about, to do work for which the presenting company is passionate, do their very best and learn everything they possibly can in the process. I can honestly say that this is what this company Not The Mermaid Theatre seems to have done. 

Have they lived up to the story present in the source material, no, I am sure Mr. Wagner had different production values and treatment of the story in mind, thus he composed an Opera. So what did they bring to the story? Well they synthesized a complex story, traditionally a full-length Opera, with a very large cast, into a 50-minute piece, with three characters and five props (if you include the mallet and the cane). Just producing that in itself would be a learning experience, never mind the added issues that come with an outdoor venue and that set of unpredictable variables, all challenges that they could not possibly have predicted. 

Kudos to this company for taking on an ambitious project,  bringing it to the Fringe, and in spite of all the obstacles, held our attention,  made sense of the story with the talent and abilities of an enthusiastic acting company.