>>PREVIEW
CHEECH
Mob Hit Productions
Written by François Létourneau
Directed by Lawrence Leong
Runs February 3 to 11
Vertigo Studio (Tower Centre)
Cheech, the new Mob Hit production, tells the story of Ron’s escort agency, which is gearing up for a big annual Chrysler convention and the big earnings that could result. We meet the people who work there and those who are affected by it and, in portraying this "seedy underbelly," I have to wonder, is the play sexy?
"Oh yeah," says Lawrence Leong, artistic director of Mob Hit and director of the show. "And sexual – it has to be. But there are some serious moments. The world of prostitution is sexy, mysterious, dark and unfortunate, and I think you get to see the spectrum of that."
Written by François Létourneau, Cheech was brought to Leong’s attention by Ken Cameron, executive director of the Alberta Playwrights’ Network, because of its French-Canadian background. Leong, who is bilingual, is frequently drawn to Québécois work, partly because of the language but also because of its influences, which very much include the art and culture of France, English Canada and the U.S.
"One thing that is prevalent in their work is an appreciation for image as equal to text," says Leong. "So you get a very rich experience, I think, from the stories they’re trying to tell."
Due to the non-linear nature of this play, it is often compared to films that play with timelines and narratives, like Pulp Fiction and Memento. While all of the action takes place in a single day, it is, as the playwright describes, a day in disorder. Audiences may be used to this type of presentation on the big screen or in the pages of a novel, but in theatre it’s still just shy of being revolutionary. As a result, Leong is excited about how people will react.
"One of the things that’s cool is that we’re able to show audiences how we can create this type of story in theatre," he says, "something that you would take for granted if you were sitting in front of an editing workstation in (the computer editing program) Final Cut."
Not only does Cheech apply the language of cinema to the structure of the story, but also to the energy and transitions. With little downtime for audiences to realize where and when they are, scenes often start at their most intense and continue from there. While Leong generally enjoys working things sequentially as a director, he admits that certain discoveries were afforded the cast and crew because of the ostensible narrative anarchy.
"The structure touches on the emotional sense of the piece," he says. "Each one of these characters is trying to find their own order and being able to put these scenes in disorder really amplifies the challenge that can be in a person’s life."
The design elements will most certainly confirm the chaotic energy that exists in the world of Cheech. As with many Mob Hit productions, there will be a strong technical element present, including complicated sound design and projections. This meant a lot of planning and pre-production work to ensure that the right mise-en-scène was established and properly defined for both the director and the performers. Without that vocabulary, the poise between story and spectacle might have been sacrificed. A self-admitted fan of technology, Leong’s aim is to achieve a balance that errs in favour of his actors.
"The theatrical medium really centres on the live performance," he says. "If you disrespect that, you lose something. Finding key moments where you can complement a performance – it’s the great experiment." |
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