Enough Rope Not Worthy Of Summerworks

I consider myself a fair reviewer, so I received a lot of questions about my scathing comment about Enough Rope on the TMTM Facebook page/@tmtmshow twitter profile. This performance lists itself as an exploration of "artistic isolation" with the setting being a "musty tent.” Before my friend and I entered the Studio space at the Lower Ossington Theatre, someone should have warned us that the tent we were to be housed in for the duration was a stinky (no metaphor, after all) burlap cocoon with loose straw on the floor and limited seating. There were no allergy alerts posted, nor were we informed that some audience members would have to sit on crocus bags scattered on the floor. So, with first impressions not being good, I went to my happy place so that I wouldn't prejudge the performance based on my stuffy nose and the tight, crowded seating. I soothed myself with the sight of the slightly mad-looking ballerina with the smeared make-up and the ill-fitting tutu (I love a psycho ballerina!). Unfortunately, what unfolded in the four segments presented, was a mish-mash of absurd rather than absurdist commentary on life as an artist. Because the theme was underdeveloped, the piece lacked the necessary bite and humour needed to draw the audience into the nightmarish world the four actors were trying to create. It’s a shame that the strong talents of the actors, and their passionate commitment to their roles are undermined by their own collaborative effort on the script as well as the direction. Perhaps they were too close to their material to see that, although, they communicating amongst each other, they were never connecting with any of us. I couldn't help but think that they were hoisted by their own petard. The ending arrived with a baffling silence that signified nothing, and evoked nothing. nbsp;

SUMMERWORKS
August 8-18
www.summerworks.ca