Shadowlands
Joff Schmidt | CBC News | Posted: July 23, 2017 6:54 PM | Last Updated: July 23, 2017
Disparate storylines come together in this slow-burning and inventively staged piece
Rating: ★★★
Company: Pretentious Productions
Genre: Play - Drama
Venue: 11 — Red River College - Roblin Centre
What do a research scientist, a single cell, a pregnant woman and a lab mouse have in common?
Finding out makes Savanna Harvey's Shadowlands an intriguing exploration of the promise and perils of science, how we distinguish the real from the unreal, and how we cast light on what's in the shadows.
The seemingly disparate storylines do come together in this slow-burning and inventively staged piece. Harvey works without traditional stage lighting, instead using other light sources — a fake candle, glow sticks, a work light, string lights embroidered into a lab coat— to illuminate and throw shadows.
The piece itself has some flaws. The tolling bell between the frequent scene shifts becomes repetitious, its pace is sometimes slow, and though it ties together at the end, the choppy nature of the play's structure makes it challenging for the audience to engage fully at first.
Those looking for a Fringe experience that pushes boundaries in its presentation should consider the trip to Shadowlands. - Joff Schmidt
But patience is rewarded, and those looking for a Fringe experience that pushes boundaries in its presentation should consider the trip to Shadowlands.