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Gifted mime artists fill stage with life
At last, Toronto’s Graphic Mime Theatre has produced soled evidence of
mime’s power to soar beyond the cloying schtick of those insufferable,
smirking, white-faced clones of Marcel Marceau who insist on cavorting in
parks and sidewalks.
Graphic Mime has dispensed with smiley make-up, rubber noses, cliché
poses and even silence (short bursts of dialogue punctuate the action) in a
new pair of one-act plays, Thru a Glass Darkly and One Time Too Late.
What this group does is use delicate, suggestive mannerisms and subtle
precision of movement to force us to see non-existent props invisible sets
and, finally, an entire panorama of life that could not normally be squeezed
on to a regular stage.
Individual scenes often seem like a kind of theatrical poetry, as a full
spectrum of emotion is distilled and expressed through understated gestures
with a fluidity approaching dance.
Far from mime’s usual, jaunty themes, Thru a Glass Darkly offers a
glimpse into the tortured mind of an alcoholic and incidents that led up to
his addiction.
Particularly effective is a framing sequence in which the staggering
drunk (David Langlois) is torn between conflicting urges and can neither
drop the bottle from his trembling hands, nor bring himself to drink when
the glass brushes his lips.
Equally gripping is director Stephen La Frenie’s staging of a haunting
moment when the alcoholic sailor sneaks a drink while piloting a ship at
night, only to be caught by the menacing captain (La Frenie) lurking in the
shadows.
Seamless interplay is also the key to One Time Too Late, a depiction of
generational strains. In an opening fishing sequence, it takes only seconds
for Langlois to establish his character as a well-intentioned but strict
father who casts his line with intensity and deliberation. Meanwhile, La
Frenie , his impatient but emotionally hungry son, loses his catch almost as
an act of defiance.
Weekend Arts/ The courier-Mail (Brisbane Australia)
Masks help students discover inner selves
Who is that masked man? Canadian mime artist Stephen La Frenie is giving
students in Brisbane the chance to discover who the really are through a
series of mask, mime and physical theatre workshops.
Yesterday he visited the Ferny Grove State High School to help students
express themselves and gain self confidence through the use of his own
unique brand of theatre.
"The masks can help people find out who they are," he said.
"By hiding behind them, the students cease to be what they know and it
helps to free them from the inhibitions and constraints they usually gain at
that age.
They respond well because they have so much energy." Mr. La Frenie
is in Brisbane to perform with his partner David Langlois at the Comedy
Bananza.
"I’m looking foreward to the Bananza," he said "But I
get so much satisfaction from teaching."
Mr. La Frenie as well as being an accomplished performer, has taught the
emotional benefits of his theatre throughout Canada. He has used mime as
therapy for mentally and physically challenged students.
"This type of theatre has no barriers," he said. "It can
be done by everyone and be beneficial to everyone.
"The good thing about it is that it is theatre for the shy person—–
for those of us who are not good with words."
The Comedy Bananza will start in Brisbane next Saturday.
Eye Magazine.
(Toronto) Reviewed by KA-S
Despite the fact that much of this play is either in foreign languages or
pure gibberish, this piece of physical/clown theatre remains one of the most
original and entertaining offerings I’ve seen in a while.
Its’ philosophical examination of language and the way we are
manipulated by mysterious powers isn’t all that easy to follow. But what
is never in doubt is the effective combination of acrobatics, clown and
unabashed theatricality to shed light on some complex themes.
Under Mark Wallace’s energetic direction, the godlike clowns
played
by Stefan Bohun, Aleksandra Scerbak and Claudio Herrera work wonders
and are supported by a good cast.
No Direction Home , co-produced by two Toronto groups, Meta-Physical
Theatre and Graphic Mime Theatre, featured Stephen LaFrenie as a young man
who, convinced that a nuclear holocaust is about to occur, runs to the woods
and tries to save himself. He finds, though, that he can’t escape his
internal demons. LaFrenie's intense and physical performance, moving between
paranoid fear and self-assurance at his own cleverness, anchored David
Langlois’ script, which is based on a true event.
Edmonton Sun
(Alberta) Colin
MacLean
TORONTO COMPANY'S LAUGHS GOOD AS
GOLD!!
Fool's Gold - Stage 1 (Five Stars)
I thought the kid was going
to fall off his seat. He was about eight years old and he was
laughing about as hard as an eight-year-old kid can laugh. So was
his mom. And dad. And everyone else. It set me to
thinking, between my own guffaws, of the continuing effect of commedia
dell'arte, a comedic art form that can reach across 400 years and make
some eight-year-old kid laugh in a 21st century Fringe. Perhaps
because it's so basic, so broad, so, well, just plain funny, that it has
never really gone away. You can slap names on its errant children
- call them slapstick or vaudeville- but the lineage is obvious.
Like getting a good custard
pie in the face, commedia is an art and we have all suffered through
efforts at pulling laughs from physical comedy by performers who just
don't get it. I am happy to report that this Toronto-based
company, performing Fool's Gold, not only gets it but is happily
inspired. Bouncing off the audience, the walls and each other with
great glee, they make these silly centuries-old stereotypes as new as
the latest Farrelly brothers movie.
Pantalone (Stephen La Frenie-
displaying the mastery of physical comedy that his years as a mime have
left him) is a wizened old goat who is endeavouring to sell his dewy
young daughter Isabella (Alexis Milligan- who takes what could be a simp
and turns her into a bouncy, animated creature) to the local dirty old
man Count Viagra (a comically overheated David Langlois). He is
first aided, then thwarted, by that favourite of this kind of theatre,
the canny servant Arlecchino (light-on-his-feet Jeff Schwager).
There is also the doctor
whose cures are far worse than the affliction (Langlois again).
The plot has Pantalone and his doc trying to fake an illness so his
daughter will take pity on him and marry the horny but rich old goat,
while she loves the virile young local lout Lelio (Schwager).
This is a company completely
in control of its material and any show that can get Stockwell Day,
Citizen Kane and bubblegum rock into one production has got to have
something going for it. Great moves. Great masks (by Donato and
Amleto Sartori). I could find nothing wrong with this show.
That kid is probably still laughing.
Edmonton review #2
See Magazine Skye
Perry
Fool's Gold (Four Stars)
Meta-Physical Theatre offers this
delightfully frothy bit of summer fare for those looking to leave the
theatre smiling. Isabella's greedy father plans to trick her into
marrying the loathsome-but-rich Duke Viagra. Things look hopeless,
but true love may triumph after all - in spite of the help of a bumbling
servant. The performers are a delight to watch as they bring their
ornate masks to life, with Jeff Schwager's spritely Arlecchino being an
especial treat. This is a classic commedia dell'arte that the
whole family will enjoy.
Edmonton Review #3
Edmonton Journal
Alan Kellogg
Fool's Gold Stage 1 (Arts
Barns) (Four Stars)
Commedia
dell'arte meets the Marx Brothers in this lively, fast-paced
show written and directed by David Langlois and performed by
Toronto's Meta-Physical Theatre.
The Master
Pantalone has sold his beautiful young daughter Isabella-
already in love with a dashing contemporary- to the odious
Count Viagra, a pompous old git. Pantalone's
long-suffering manservant disapproves, but what can he
do? Non-compliance would result in a new job on the
street, "selling memberships to the NDP."
Isabella refuses, and Pantalone and his preposterous doctor
devise a ruse to force Isabella into honouring the
contract. It almost works.
There's plenty
of zany physical comedy here, and some smart, snappy
repartee to boot, well-delivered by a cast of appealing
pros. It's satisfying (and unusual!) to see a Fringe
production with a professional set, lovely costumes and a
series of gorgeous Italian Leather masks, enhancing and
already tight, funny hour of comedy.
Star Phoenix (Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan) Cam Fuller
Fool's Gold. (Three stars)
There's a decided lack of Shakespeare at
this year's Fringe, but those with a taste for the classics might take a
shine to Fool's Gold. It's a full-scale commeia dell'arte play
boiled (yes, boiled is the word) down to under an hour. Hats off
to Meta-Physical Theatre of Toronto for giving it their all at
Saturday's show, acting with real conviction and suffering for their art
in full costumes and masks.
The play is about a greedy old man
(Stephen La Frenie as Pantalone) who tries to sell his daughter Isabella
(Alexis Milligan) to the lecherous Count Viagra (David Langlois).
Isabella's fate rests with the clown Arlecchino (Jeff Schwagert, who
also plays Lelio, the studmuffin Isabella really loves.)
It's a robust production with lots
of well-done slapstick and loads of corny jokes, many of which are
funny. The script is alos endowed with some pretty good word play.
"Are you agreed?" Viagra asks Pantalone. "Ah,
greed," says the old rotter. This is truly an all-ages show.
The New York
Times
Mask Messenger
"These creations tickle some
sort of primal funny bone... deftly walking the line
between adult and children's entertainment so that both
are entertained."
Mask Messenger "...inventive, magical, never
less than completely absorbing."
The
County Weekly
News
The set is simple, the effect dramatic. Twenty
colourful and expressive masks hang on a plain black
background, illuminated by simple stage lights. A
single performer, dressed in black, dons a new personality
with each mask. With many of the masks, no speech is
needed, or even desired. But the presentation is far
from silent. From the laughter of the audience, to the
expressive noises made by the mask characters, the room is
alive with sound.
"The Mask Messenger", a presentation of Faustwork Mask
Theater. More than 100 were fortunate to attend this
brilliant one man show. Performer Stephen La Frenie
held the students spellbound for almost an hour with a
captivating, intelligent, and hilarious combination of mime,
monologue, mask and physical comedy. But the show was
not just about fun. Throughout the show, Stephen La
Frenie managed to teach his audience about the long
tradition of masks in theatre, in a way that entertained as
much as informed.
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