TAKE A BITE

ArtPoint Gallery

July 31, 2011

Take a Bite has one of the best-developed stories I’ve seen at the Fringe thus far.  It kept me questioning and wondering from start to finish.

The play opens with two characters – a 33-year-old woman and an 18-year-old male druggie - stuck together in a room that, at first, the guy tentatively identifies as a jail cell.  However, the woman can’t remember how she got there, and she’s sure alcohol isn’t to blame.

Hence, the mystery.  Where are they?  How did they get there?  Who are they?  As the show progresses, the audience gradually finds out more about each character’s life and the struggles they are facing in their respective relationships.

Much of the conversation is “adult” in nature, given that the 18-year-old likes to talk a lot about sex.

The mystery of what’s really going on takes the show’s entire 55 minutes to unfold, and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing.

Actors Liana Shannon and Isaac Andrew have great chemistry on stage.  They develop a convincing and touching relationship, leading to both some very poignant moments and some very funny moments, some of which are a result of their considerable age difference.

This show actually premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2007, so it has had some time to mature.  The package presented here in Calgary has a definite professional finish to it.

Take a Bite runs again today, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.