Go for Gold Audrey Pham

Postcard review by Caroline Russell-King

Show – Go for Gold Audrey Pham

Playwright/composer – Camille Pavlenko

Production Company/Theatre space – Lunchbox Theatre, Studio Theatre, Vertigo Theatre.

Length – One act (1 hour, 15 minutes, no intermission.)

Genre/s – sit com

Premise – An athlete competing in ski ballet billets with a cantankerous older woman in her Inglewood shop during the ’88 Winter Olympics.

Why this play? Why now? – Calgary was home to the 1988 Olympics, so this play has resonance here and fond memories for some.

Curiosities – I wondered if in subsequent productions two backstage crew could play the dumbshow robbers, since this was a tricky change for the actors.

Notable moment – The dance on the slopes.

Notable writing – This play has been in development for years. Written with the guidance and help of countless dramaturgs (Trevor Rueger, Shari Wattling), directors, (Samatha McDonald, Jenna Rodgers, Christian Goutsis, Haysam Kadri) playwrights, (Norm Foster, Sharon Pollock), many actors (including Elinor Holt and Make Tan) the play finally made it to the stage. It takes a village. Here Plavlenko’s tenacity pays off in this entertaining laugh out loud comedy. (This would seem axiomatic, but not all plays billed as comedies elicit laughter.)

Notable performances – As in the iconic moment when Carrie Bradshaw is broken up with on a Post-it Note so Audrey Pham’s trainer/mother dumped her in the same way. With this rejection and self-doubt Ali DeRagt has our empathy as the eponymous underdog Audrey Pham. Veteran actor Kira Bradley as Birchwoman is her comic cantankerous counterpoint. They are a winning team.

Notable design/Production – Julia Kim’s adroit set magically turns a secondhand shop into a ski slope in seconds.

Notable direction – While some of the schtick is a little OTT, Bronwyn Steinberg includes a puppetry piece at the climax that is gold.

One reason to see this show – Ski ballet was a demonstration event not a competitive event during the Olympics (and has since been made redundant). Fortunately, Pavlenko gives it a second life on stage and the added bonus is you can watch it in a warm theatre! Dressing in 1980’s fashion is encouraged, so dig out your neon, spandex, leg warmers and scrunchies!