I know we’ve been smothering the site in film reviews and comics this week, but fear not! We’re still theater-lovers with insatiable appetites for local work! Naturally, this brought us to the opening night of Talisman Theatre‘s Coma Unplugged last night, over at the Conersvatory on Henri-Julien.
Photo Credit: Talisman Theatre
Coma Unplugged tells the story of Daniel, a man in a coma who can’t stop thinking. Of course he can’t, he’s in a coma! WHat the hell else is he supposed to do with his time? Daniel’s unconscious persona is repeatedly visited by the people who are haunting his thoughts, mainly his former wife, a childhood friend, and eventually his mother and a Touareg warrior named Ishouad. Yep, a Touareg warrior! Throughout the play, we discover Daniel’s recent past, his ambitions, his successes and failures, and everything that would cross one’s mind when facing a life or death situation. Hey, when you’re stuck in a coma, if you have any control at all, you’ve got to make a choice: Do you fight for your life, or let it slip quietly away? You’ll have to see this one for yourself to see which choice Daniel makes.
From the moment I walked into the room, I loved what I saw. Lyne Paquette did a great job with this set, creating a pseudo-apartment filled with assorted books and other items in a bit of controlled chaos – basically, she re-created my bedroom without knowing it. This space was used incredibly well throughout the play, as characters appeared from every possible spot onstage – from not-yet-unpakced moving boxes, through shelves, from the inside of a fridge, etc. This play is fairly fast-paced, and such a set was required to keep this going without a hitch. Great work! The script itself was pretty solid as well, and I wish I had had the chance to see it performed in its original language, French. P-M Tremblay gets extra points for mentioning Paul Auster (my favourite author, hands down) in the early scenes… sometimes I wonder if people have forgotten about him.
I found Eloi ArchamBaudoin to be exceptional in his portrayal of Daniel, mxiing in some great physical comedy and wonderful expressions with excellent delivery, giving a tremendous performance. Donovan Reiter was also fantastic in his over-the-top performance as Roger, Daniel’s childhood friend turned Knight of the Phallussssssss. His performance was good enough that I forgave him for hitting me in the throat with a baseball. Oh, did I forget to mention that? I got hit in the throat with a baseball during this play, and I still loved it. That’s gotta say something about the quality of the performance, no? I don’t know why I’m going through this cast actor by actor, I really don’t – I loved every last one of ‘em. They put on a great show, brought huge amounts of energy to the room, and made this 95 minute play feel like it took place in about 20.
Coma Unplugged is running until October 29th at the Conservatoire d’art Dramatique et de Musique, which is at 4750 Henri-Julien. Tickets are 25$ and are available here, and they’re definitely worth every penny. This is one of my favourite plays of the year, easily, and I hope you all go see it, then come discuss it in the comments section below.
Enjoy the show!
-Al
