Director: Helen Houghton
Cast: Andrew Watson, Julian Schiebe, Robyn Pete, Langley Kirkwood
Stephanie Samuelson
Venue: Arena Theatre, Artscape till Saturday
Andrew Watson, who plays the lead role in the play Death By Pots And Pans, takes the audience on an emotional rollercoaster ride through one man's train wreck of a life in nine scenes that, in total, run for one hour and 20 minutes.
Off to a slow start with a long silence that features Watson (Realm) pacing around the stage reading to himself, the story fleshes itself out with the use of an on-stage video screen.
The interaction between on-stage dialogue and the video screen, which displays flashbacks of key moments in young Realm's (Julian Schiebe) life, give a deeper insight into the main character that would have been difficult to achieve through the stage alone.
His story is one that has been done over and over again. Realm grew up in a demented family and is now a very disturbed adult, but the story's ending sets it apart from other dysfunctional family stories.
The video footage is framed well in black-and-white film, but the footage it presents is graphic and can be disturbing. Young children beware.
The plot is well-timed between these two mediums. Just when Watson's performance becomes overwhelming, the video cuts in and flashes to another moment in young Realm's life.
On-stage, Watson takes us through Realm's transformations with a string of uninterrupted dialogue.
The dialogue is directed at four other stationary characters on the set: an imaginary friend, a portrait of Realm's father, a picture of God and a few plants.
Watson plays off of these stationary characters in a spiralling frenzy that is captivating to watch in the intimate Artscape Arena Theatre.
But not all of it is shouting and melodrama. Watson manages to throw in a few comedic lines - like when he offers a lollipop to his imaginary friend and then steals it back - that break up the intensity of his performance.
Watson and the director, Helen Houghton, say that each person in the audience has a very different connection with the main character and so responds very differently to the outcome of the play.
But the intense performance left me emotionally and physically drained.