Review
DOWN DANGEROUS PASSES ROAD
Mob Hit Productions
Starring Geoff Woods, Patrick MacEachern, and Nate Prochnau
Written by Michel Marc Bouchard
Translated by Linda Gaboriau
Directed by Amy Lippold
Runs until November 29
Pumphouse Theatres
It is said that both good and bad things come in threes. Three brothers with an unresolved past can be not just bad, but deadly, especially when emotions run high and they decide to travel Down Dangerous Passes Road.
Set in Quebec, Michel Marc Bouchard’s play, now being staged by Mob Hit Productions, tells the story of three brothers who get into an accident en route to the oldest sibling’s fishing cabin on the morning of the youngest one’s wedding day. What follows is a series of confessions, realizations and resolutions – pretty much in that order.
However, don’t let the simplicity of the plot fool you. Bouchard’s script is a complex work that weaves memory and truth into pure poetry. He exploits the power of repetition and perhaps, most importantly, has an interesting story to tell.
The most exciting aspect of this production is Geoff Woods’s performance as the middle brother, Ambrose. He is natural, energetic, textured and subtle as the sibling who doesn’t want to "fit in" with his family. His interactions with the other characters are consistently well-timed and emotional.
As Carl, Patrick MacEachern starts off fairly strong, playing the enthusiasm and insecurities of the younger brother. The first half of the show, in which the interplay is exclusively between Ambrose and Carl, is where MacEachern excels. But once this dynamic shifts, his potentially layered performance succumbs to intensity that is demonstrated only through volume.
Nate Prochnau, on the other hand, is virtually absent in his role as the oldest brother, Victor. Any potential to incorporate this absence into Victor’s characterization simply translates into distance from the actual production, which is unfortunate because Victor is the one responsible for bringing the three brothers into their current situation.
Director Amy Lippold’s decision to incorporate video into the production leaves little to the imagination. Flashback images appear on three separate screens and, while they are a wonderful exercise in style and choreography, these visual echoes are too distracting in a space as intimate as the Pumphouse’s Joyce Doolittle Theatre. The strength of the script is apparent throughout and that is due, in part, to Lippold’s otherwise clean staging.
The set makes use of the space in an interesting way and, despite a curious structure at its apex, provides a balance for levels and action. Other aspects of the production prove adequate and noticeable without being intrusive.
While I left feeling as though more ambiguity would have improved this production, I ultimately think that this is a great opportunity to see the work of Bouchard, one of Quebec’s leading contemporary playwrights. While Mob Hit’s ambition sometimes exceeds its means, the company has an admirable desire to produce and perform great contemporary works and to take a few risks at the same time. |
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