Allergic to Water

Postcard Review by Caroline Russell-King

Show – Allergic to Water

Playwright -- Created by Jacqueline Russell, music by Jeremy Gignoux

Production Company/Theatre space – (Paid community) Inside Out Theatre and Wee Witches, Victor Mitchell Theatre, Pumphouse Theatre.

Length – 1 Act (90 minutes)

Genre – Semi-improvised, adult fantasy, comi-drama, clown show with music, puppets, and audience participation.

Premise – An unwell 300-year-old mermaid, distraught when Starbucks alters their logo by cutting off her two tails, tries for 12 years to find a diagnosis to make her whole again.

Why this play? Why now? – Corporate malfeasance coupled with inadequacies in the medical establishment are relevant issues delivered in an alternate way.

Curiosities – This two person show was supported with funding from the Canada Council, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, The Calgary Arts Development Authority, Alberta Lottery Fund, and the Department of Canadian Heritage to pay for 18 artists, with is great, (artists should be fairly compensated) but am I the only one who thinks the ratio of resources to a 90 minute show is out of balance? With the further supporters listed, I wondered about the nearly 50 people involved in this ostensible one woman show. This is a mighty village to support one project!

Notable Moment – The ending was visually satisfying.

Notable writing – I think this show was created rather than penned. The poster says that she is the most famous mermaid but, in the story, she is jealous of her more famous sister mermaid Ariel. Ariel has been immortalized and this green eyed (haired?) jealousy seems to propel the sister to want equal fame. The mermaid also wants a diagnosis for her vague but varied symptoms. We see her journey of frustration with doctors and phone lines. It seemed like two tales and metaphorically it was two tails…

Notable performances – Russell is magnetic to watch (even if I didn’t understand the fishing for spoons with a magnet and throwing them back bits). I felt her power to indoctrinate us into her cult - she’s charismatic that way. Gignoux, the talented multi-instrumentalist, plays the musical albatross and three non-speaking doctors. The night I attended three audience members shared secrets including theft and loving their cat more than their husband of 40 years. They were asked to improvise with cups of water, one guy drank with his beard and rubbed it on his stomach, one got down on all fours and lapped it up and the third dumped it all over her head. If these aren’t plants, this is impressive.

Notable design/Production – Dave Smith’s set design was just what the doctor ordered. 10/10 Costume and Mask Designer Hannah Fisher did some lovely work which made the childlike drawn faces-on-paper cups puppets by Puppet Builder Ali DeRegt seem lame in comparison.

Notable direction – Co-directors often don’t result in a cohesive production, and this was the case with Jessica Buchanan and Christine Lesiak- too much extraneous business that detracted.

One reason to see this show – It’s a trip!