… And You’ll Never Believe What Happens Next suggests to an expectant audience that this will be a play about anticipation…
The real question is: did it just leave me hanging or did it have substance? Is this a play that leaves you thinking about the way you live your life?
The answer is, sort of.
Throughout the play, our protagonist, narrator, writer, performer, Graham Isador (yes, ladies, it’s all him) does a good job at stating exactly what he has learned through his years as a writer. It is useful stuff, I took notes. He does this with humour (we are talking mucho metaphors), repetition of his key points, and wait for it… anticipation?
Well, not really. I didn’t find myself anticipating much through the show because, surprise surprise, live theatre is a very different medium than the internet (thank goodness).
I did find myself a bit anxious at the beginning though. The show opens to Graham telling a story over some music; the slightly muted tones of Graham’s performance and the acoustics in the venue made me worried that I would miss details, but as the play goes on, this didn’t continue to be an issue.
As the story of Graham’s journey into the world of online writing continues, Graham’s quiet, slightly awkward storytelling style actually works quite well. As Graham recounts some of the most emotional moments of his life in the second half of the one-hour play, the audience finds itself entranced in the nuance of the performance.
Ultimately, this is a play about relationships, our relationship with ourselves and how we see ourselves, how others see us, our employers, our family… And how stories affect these relationships. I like it.
You can catch …And You’ll Never Believe What Happens Next at The Theatre Centre, BMO Incubator (1115 Queen Street West).
Here are the dates and times:
Saturday August 11th, 2:15pm – 3:15pm
Tuesday August 14th, 7:45pm – 8:45pm
Friday August 17th, 10:00pm – 11:00pm
Saturday August 18th, 9:00pm – 10:00pm
