“Love Bomb” sounds like the name of a fizzy bath product, but a quick Wikipedia search of the term will reveal a tumultuous and contradictory history of use. In essence, to love bomb is to use affection and attention as means to manipulate another. And it’s this sort of love bombing that Vancouver playwright Meghan Gardiner explores in her new play, which is titled after the phrase. Fresh out of rehearsal, Gardiner gives me insight into the production that is part rock musical, part mystery, with heaps of social awareness and feminism in between.
“Love bombing, ultimately is about the power of love,” says Gardiner over the phone, “which sounds so super cheesy, but on a secondary level…we have to think about how powerful love is as a tool and as a weapon and as a way of…coercing people into doing things they wouldn’t do otherwise. It truly is a power and it can be used for…damaging purposes.”
The play itself is set in a small music venue, where the performer, Justine, is confronted by an unexpected guest. The events unravel before the audience is let in to see Justine perform. “The clues and the hints and the story [are] told through the songs, so it’s kind of a rock concert,” explains Gardiner, who worked with composer Steve Charles to create an indie rock score for the production. This was Gardiner’s first time writing lyrics rather than singing them. A veteran of musical theater acting herself, Gardiner was an obvious choice for Shameless Hussy Productions––who also put on a run of her first play, Dissolve––for the commission of a musical centered around women and controversy.
“I shaped the story around the issue I wanted to address,” says Gardiner. As a playwright, she is inspired by women’s stories and social justice issues, she says “I know I need to write something when I hear things in the media or hear things in the news that make me furious…I [will] feel so strongly about an issue that’s happening in society, and that’s when the script comes together.” Gardiner is no stranger to writing about hard-hitting feminist topics: Dissolve is a one woman show that discusses drink spiking and sexual assault. It was largely based on Gardiner’s personal experiences.
“I want to engage and I want to enrage my audience,” Gardiner says of her vision for the production. “I want my audiences to feel something, first, and then I want them to have to think. Then, hopefully after having seen the pieces…I kind of want them to change. I want people to learn something and perhaps be made aware of something that they weren’t aware of.” Gardiner’s approach to engaging her audiences comes from a place of creating solid entertainment and a deep love of writing compelling mystery. She says, “I think every single thing I’ve ever created has been a mystery, it’s just the way I like to write. I just love those very slow reveals, I love dropping clues, I love laying out the groundwork and having people piece it together.”
Gardiner tells me, abashed, that the music is so good that she’s been listening to it on her own iPod. Love Bomb promises to be a provocative, genre-crossing affair, using it’s entertainment value to address social issues that have been very present in and around Vancouver. Despite the heavy themes––which are an integral part of the mystery to be solved in the play––Gardiner assures me, with a confident laugh, that “It’s going to be good, solid entertainment.”
Love Bomb will run from September 26 – October 10 at The Firehall Arts Center. Look out for our review of the final production next week.