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Intrigue in Eldritch

ae Wilson’s murderous plot
ie OK

By Cody Klyne, Arts Editor

hether you’ve had the
experience of living in a
small town yourself, or

have had idealized visions of what
it might be like to know all 50 of
your neighbors, the “simple life” is
not always that. Small town charm
isn’t always enough to overcome big
city problems like crime, scandal
and generally immoral behavior,
and can’t be taken for granted as
being the defining characteristic
of this microcosmic way of life.
Hardships and the complexities of
living have a way of manifesting
regardless the situation, even inside
a vacuum, and have the power to
hold those involved captive. Intrigue
and speculation poison the mind and
at unexpected times in incalculable
ways, lead people to act out in
response with one thing in mind:
themselves.

Self-motivation, though as valid
a motivator as any, has the capacity
to route those who once were logical
believe the unbelievable, lose
control—or gain control—and shrug
responsibility all for the sake of self-
preservation. It is in this capability
for civilized people, in this cased
civilized, “God-fearing” people, to

produce a vicious result in the search -
_for answers that playwright Lanford
-. Wilson’s The Rimers of Eldritch —

looks to explore and address.

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Nove a= 12-20

Directed by John Cooper

Set design by Omanie Elias
Mie mee meen Rites
Costume design by Danica West

A man has been murdered in the
small mid-western town of Eldritch
and it’s up to the citizens of the
community to, one way or another,
solve the case. Who was this man,
who murdered him, and why? Rimers
of Eldritch inspects mid-century,
Bible-Belt America on a base level,
unraveling the fabric of life at the
time over the course of a dark and
brooding story of murder and the
effects it has on “normal” life.

Directed by John Cooper,
presented by The Departments of
Theatre and Stagecraft & Event
Technology, Wilson’s The Rimers of
Eldritch comes to life this November
in a big way at Douglas College.

Tackling issues the likes of ostracism,

hypocrisy, truth and hearsay, as well
as responsibility and the effects

of fear, The Rimers of Eldritch

is a potent glimpse of humanity
during a turbulent time. With a cast
numbering in the high-teens, aside

' from expecting the unexpected, :
anticipate walking away at the end of

the night unable to shake one or more
of the many dynamic and intriguing
characters from your mind.

The Rimers of Eldritch runs from
November 12 — November 20 in the
New West campus Muir Performing
Arts Theatre. Tickets are $10.00 for
students with valid ID ($15:00-for
general) and will be available at the
door or through the Massey Ticket
Centre online or at 604-521-5050. .

 

They were such a normal family

Denmark at Douglas addresses the price of revenge

By Cody Klyne, Arts Editor

tepping into Douglas College’s
S Studio Theatre, the tone of the

night was set before a word
had been spoken. Soft coloured-
light and ambient, lulling, downright
seductive music filled the space
occupied by an imperfect circle of
chairs that had been setup to encase a
house, ingeniously constructed out of
plastic sheeting, that would inevitably
play the role of centre stage to the
season’s first theatre production:
Denmark.

An experimental, contemporary
take on Shakespeare’s Hamlet,
DenmarK takes the classic drama of
madness and revenge a handful of
noticeably distinctive and progressive
steps forward in an effort to push it
into the modern era. To that point,
thanks to the brilliant sound and stage
direction combined with the efforts
of a professional and polished cast,
Denmark succeeds without breaking
the mould or disregarding the source.

The story begins with Hamlet,
Josh Ackermann, lashing out in
response to his situation: his father’s
death and his mother’s decision to
marry his uncle. From start to finish,
Ackermann embraces his role as the
night’s lead and focus and calls forth
a primal, yet ultimately believable,
anger that suits the character and
situation like a glove. While one
could simply describe Ackermann’s
portrayal of Hamlet as “youth
enraged” there exists a palpable
confusion—derived out of what can
only be the raw heartache as the result
of the loss of his father—hiding just
below the:surface of the youth actor’s
performance. Restricted, for better
or for. worse, by the very nature of
Shakespeare, Ackermann utilizes a
natural ability to communicate with

| the audience through motion—the

constant and jarring back-and-forth
and pacing of someone experiencing
great unease—and expression to seal

the deal and affirm his position as

the catalyst, and one to watch, of the

night’s drama. That said, I shouldn’t
_| give the impression that DenmarK
| is a one-man show. Ackermann is

 

not alone in deserving praise or
recognition.

The immovable object to
Ackermann’s unstoppable force,
David Quast’s Claudius was in fine
form. Working in precisely the right
amount of malicious playfulness into
the fabric of his role as Hamlet’s
murderous uncle, Quast brings the
character to life under the guise of
relation and love to manipulate the
situation to great effect.

Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother,
played by Andrea Ashton, is possibly
the most tragic character of the
bunch. While Hamlet is defined by
rage, Ashton’s Gertrude seems to be
defined by self-imposed ignorance in
an effort to cope with the situation.
Acting as the embodiment and
believable semblance of the human
desire for companionship, Ashton’s
Gertrude in particular among the
cast, seems to be a character of the
here and now. Further complimented
by an endearing, if misguided and
ultimately mistrusted Ophelia, played
by Julia Mauro, and rounded off by a

mystifying ghostly visitor (Hamlet’s

father) played by Mike Bortolin, the
quality of DenmarK shines through
as the result of its genuine and varied
cast.

With a handful of intense,
gleefully shocking moments at the
heart of what makes this poignant
adaptation tick, Denmark is a modern
take on a Shakespeare classic that
should not be missed.