Someone is Going to Come: hiding in plain sight

Someone is Going to Come: bleakly forceful language drives tension between Dwight McFee and Stacie Steadman; photo: Yuri Dojc

The most recent addition to the oeuvre of Toronto’s "One Little Goat Theatre Company":www.onelittlegoat.org is *Someone is Going to Come*, the first work written by Norwegian playwright Jon Fosse. Though Fosse’s minimalism boasts considerable popularity in Europe he is rarely seen in North America.

Director Adam Seelig sought to change this by co-translating *Someone is Going to Come* for its English Canadian debut; a task that could not have been easy, given the inherent lyricism (and lack of punctuation) in Fosse’s original script. In collaboration with University of Guelph professor Harry Lane, Seelig has crafted a script that uses bleakly forceful language to drive home a story of tension, unease and loneliness.

A couple referred to only as He (Dwight McFee) and She (Stacie Steadman) arrive at a remote house they’ve just purchased. They make vague references to a past they’re escaping and we learn that they are searching for privacy with no interruptions. Every word spoken seethes with anxiety over the fragility of their refuge. Steadman wrings her hands over a premonition of their peace being disturbed while McFee attempts to impotently comfort her. Their dialogue consists of certain key phrases, primarily the play’s title, repeated over and over in a circular style that evoked the seaside waves their isolated new home overlooks.

Soon enough Steadman’s fatalism proves true with the arrival of the Man (Michael Blake): a nearby neighbour and the previous owner of the house. Steadman appears with a broad smile and a pleasant disposition, though his cheerfulness is undercut by the loneliness of a man tired of isolation and eager for human comfort. His goodwill is met with open suspicion and hostility from the couple, viewing his mere presence as a gross intrusion and a sign that their dream of privacy is doomed for failure. Although the Man’s tidbits of local history and benign invitations seem innocuous, every word evokes visceral reactions in the pair, hinting at past indiscretions and stoking the embers of latent jealousy.

Upon the Man’s departure McFee explodes with rage, and we realize the peace our heroes were seeking was doomed from the beginning. His paranoia is infectious, and we’re left to wonder if the Man is actually skulking around in their garden, if he does in fact have dark malicious intentions for the couple. Unfortunately McFee’s impotent bombast never quite reaches the fever pitch it promises, and Steadman never shows us either the fear or resentment that would evoke sympathy for her situation. Alone on the stage the two never quite fulfill the full potential of their roles, refusing to fill the blank spaces left by the sparse dialogue. Only with the reappearance of Blake does the stage become three dimensional, possibly because he inhabits the obliviousness of the audience. His desperately boyish charm walks the line between affable and eerie, with dark hints peppering his gentle words, suggesting that his charm is not to be trusted.

Jackie Chau’s set is deceptively minimal, with a handful of old furniture evoking a small, one room home. We learn this not to be the case with a few simple lighting cues, transforming the space into a house of rooms, corners and hiding places, creating a deceptiveness that runs throughout the performance and giving the cast the option of retreating and hiding in plain sight.

The show ends abruptly at the one hour mark, which I found unfortunate; the relationships were only beginning to be explored, although I never suspected resolution to be on the menu. The silver lining of such a short runtime is that the repetitious language does begin to grate rather quickly, especially with the cast delivering their lines with such consistent cadence and emotion. The swift escalation of the tension between the trio of performers at least allows for a riveting hour of theatre, though much seemed left unexplored at curtain.

_Someone is Going to Come, written by Jon Fosse; Presented by One Little Goat Theatre Company; Translated from the Norwegian by Adam Seelig and Harry Lane; Directed by Adam Seelig; Starring Michael Blake, Dwight McFee and Stacie Steadman; Set & Costumes by Jackie Chau; Lights by Kate McKay; Stage Management by Wendy Lee. Playing at the Walmer Centre Theatre from March 13-29, more information_ "here":www.onelittlegoat.org

By Ryan West