There is magic in the air in the tiny basement theatre that is Studio 58 at Langara College.
It’s a palpable energy in the hallways that leads you to your seat, and it does not stop for the next eighty minutes, so sit back and allow yourself to be transported by their latest venture The Secret in the Wings.
Though there is much that doesn’t add up in Mary Zimmerman’s quirky mashup of fairy tales, director Mike Stack and his design team lead us down ever-shifting eerie paths – from the old curmudgeon next door who wants nothing more than for the young girl he’s babysitting to marry him, to women who blind themselves to save their own lives. Death, sacrifice and the infinite shades between good and evil permeate the piece.
Sure, there are impressive tricks, flashes of light, characters of all shapes and sizes crawling out of every possible corner of Yvan Morissette’s impressive set. But there are also sizeable laughs, notably from Mara Gottler’s overt costume design, which employs codpieces and whimsical crowns, as well as gorgeous simplicity.
The students onstage all deliver impeccable work, and I, for one, am keen to see their names in programs across the city as they near their graduation.
There is danger in here, danger which I wish the playwright would have pushed even further, but this production mines every possible moment the text allows and does it with a professionalism you’d be hard-pressed to match.
The Secret in the Wings
Studio 58
November 18th – December 5th
Tuesdays – Saturdays, 8:00 pm
Saturdays & Sundays, 3:00 pm
Photographs by David Cooper.
I saw this play last week, and at first I didn’t know what to say. David, you highlight a lot of things that deserve credit, such as the sizeable laughs, the rich set and costume design and of course the talented student-professionals over there at Studio 58. However, as you mentioned, I also found the writing confusing and inconsistent. The cast did a lot to animate a strange script but this often included chanting things in unison, which I thought to be a bit below their skill level. On the whole I left slightly disturbed and with a sour look on my face. There are way too many cringe-worthy lolita moments with a final twist that turned creepy into creepier. If the actors wanted a challenge, they certainly got one with this script.
Also, I’m sorry I called you David, instead of Dave. It was an accident – I didn’t mean to sound snooty!