Culture

 

Augustine (Big Hysteria)

At the
Roundhouse
Community
Centre Theatre

Running to
February 21

-Jones

Being a parent, I've seen some
amazing tantrums, but
nothing like the sustained
contortionisms displayed by
former dancer Kirsten Robek
in the title role of Augustine.
Well, almost nothing. Kids,
like adults in a nasty situa-
tion, can be pretty alarmingly
flexible. Which was one of the
thought provoking aspects
raised in this account of
psychosis and the weird ways
in which it used to be
treated.

Actually, a big ol’ slew
of issues were touched on in
this production, some of
which were used too often for
over-expository head bashing
(the sexual abuse background
was evident from the start, so

The Other Sister

Jen Swanston

After years of living in the
closeted environment of a
special education school,
Clara Tate (Juliette Lewis) is
ready to face the real world.
Unfortunately, her mother
(Diane Keaton) is not ready
to let her baby go. The movie
that follows is a funny,
touching at times, sad
tableau of life.

Juliette Lewis plays the

uliette
ewis

The Other Sister os Zo ;

Wall TENS a DW ATIN TSI YR
be SPOUT ee ermex LON SMART eno APR HEAL

  
 
 

Cr ee eae NGH xan
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there was no real point in
continuing the ‘revelations’
with no sense of suspense
behind them), while others,
like the public expoitation of
the insane, and the parasitic
relationship between doctor
and patient, were a little
fresher.

Tim Matheson’s slide
projections of Robek in
multiple bizarre (and highly
self-aware) poses pushed the
conscious performance aspect
of physician Jean Martin
Charcot’s young poster child
for La Grande Hysterie at the
Salpetriere hospital in the
late 1880s. Combined with
the flashbulb cueing ‘n’
wooing, and the giggle
inducing musical back
tattoos, the ‘playing of the
patient/performing monkey’
analogy was exceedingly loud
and clear. Luckily, the show
visually trafiscends the, ah,
lack of subtlety elsewhere. Or
perhaps I should say the
lights, set, and projections
were so big, bold, and beauti-
ful that I didn’t mind the
repetitive rants all that much
after all. Who can be grumpy

in a puzzle piece forest?

Lee Taylor's Professor
Charcot was perfectly pomp-
ous, a delightfully overbear-
ing P.T. Barnum, orating away
in the grand old style for the
amusement, and possibly
even the enlightenment, of
the Parisian medical estab-
lishment. Christopher
Weddell, as Freud, played his
tole of the nervous fledgling
analyst comparatively qui-
etly, and almost faded behind
Taylor's bluster and Robek’s
gymnastic dynamism. Not to
worry, though. Freud's a
sticky character, not to be
ousted by a mere ego, much
less a wounded sexuality, and
he insinuated himself quite
smoothly into the proceed-
ings.

Like I said, subtle this
play isn’t. But then again, the
true story Augustine is based
on isn’t much on the shy and
retiring side either. Head on
down to the Roundhouse and
see for yourself. The rose
coloured glasses should
probably stay at home, but
you may want to keep your
tongue in your cheek.

 

| have to work with these guys?

 

STUDENT SAVER
THURSDAYS

     

 

 

     
   

mildly retarded girl perfectly roles. Though the story
as she discovers life through seemed to drag a bit in the
a child-like wonderment. beginning, it picked up about
From the triumphs and two thirds of the way ; ) COVER TH
pitfalls of going to a “regu-... through and kept up the pace
lar” school, shopping and until the credits rolled at the
falling in love, Lewis givesa _ end.
wonderful performance, as The Other Sister will be
does Giovanni Ribisi, a fellow open nation-wide on Friday
student at Clara's te+chnical February 26, but if you want
school, he too is mildly so see a sneak preview stop
mentally retarded. by the Other Press office EE THURSDAY
The whole cast seems to (room1020) and pick up a
fit together perfectly in their double pass for Thursday
February 25. Gorn: TOIILYS
BAR & GRILL RIDGE
2922 QUSHEE HWY MAPLE IPSS,
“PPR T ORG OT eed TEARS DS
“ saree vais
Diane Tom | Giovanni
Keaton Skerritt Ribisi

A love story
for the
romantically

challenged.

ime
Opening February "26

For a pass to a special sneak preview,

Press, room 1020

 

 

Pesto ASS

Opening February 26
drop by the Other For a pass to a special sneak preview,
drop by the Other Press, room 1020

the Other Press February 17 1999