Review of SuperNova Nina and Road
SweetSista'Shorts Carosel Theatre Granville Island

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SWEET SISTA’ SHORTS
A series of solo shows Carousel Theatre, Granville Island
September 5 - 15, 2002. Thurs-Sun, 8 & 10 pm.
*Show A* Tickets ($10- reserved) & show times: 604-322-7363 Kristina Agosti’s "Chicks up Front": A crazy portrait of the post-modern girls night out (has anything really changed?) and "Get Over It": a poignant monologue of the life of a 7 year old child. with Kaela Aryn‘s "The Price of a Crown": A mother’s struggle to leave her daughter a piece of herself.

*Show B* Tickets ($10- reserved) & show times: Vancouver 604-602-1958
Nancy Baye’s "Supernova Nina": A writer with a wry sense of humor takes us on a musical trip to outer space as she continues her "Adventures in Breast Cancer". Directed by Moneca Stori.
Jenn Griffin’s "Road": The story of the courageous quest of a hard-boiled driving instructor who comes home Friday night after a rough day behind the wheel to find her husband mysteriously missing. Jo Bates, Director.

Well I admit it, normally you'd have to arrest and chain me in handcuffs to make me go to any fringe theatre event and this is 'off fringe', even though it is actually opposite where the Fringe Festival is going on, so more tangental fringe if you see what I mean. Building on my theme that everythng in Vancouver has to be done in a hurry, this festival boasts 700 productions in 11 days and in addition it has the Sweet Sista Shorts at the Carousel Theatre. One thing you can't ever say Vancouver is short of is talent and pluck. The atmosphere down on Granville Island is fun though and the restuarants must be swooning with this late summer business.

So anyway, handcuffed to my chair I watched the dress-reheasal of Supernova Nina by the talented Nancy Baye. (She of the ColdReadingSeries)

Anyone who attempts to combine musical show tunes with a sci-fi drama about breast cancer is going to be taking on a lot, but Nancy is up to the challenge. The show opens with this sort of 'Alien' production of a lone woman left alive on a spaceship drifting towards a supernova. The rest of the crew are dead and she has to find a way to survive. Nancy Baye creates real tension in the cramped room and to tell the truth this was good theatre. The injection of Shirley Bassey showtunes with the words changed to suit invasive cancer are sort of shocking and alarming, the cosy, jokey monologue that follows the songs jarring, before once again we are in space. Chosing this way to deal with breast cancer is risky, but Nancy goes at it with gusto and once you get the idea that the space ship will be invaded by showtunes once in a while, you kind of get used to the idea. The ending is poignant and Nancy Baye is to be congratulated for attempting something so brave with such good spirit. There are a lot of good ideas here, the hologram she creates by mistake to help her which turns out to know nothing more than herself was amusing. I sense there seems to be a bigger production emerging here at a later stage.
Directed by Moneca Stori.

Road by Jenn Griffin is film noir gone mad. Deannie is a hard bitten driving instructor with a husband who somehow has scanned himself into a porn site called College Kittens Cram for Finals. It's a great idea and she has created this funny 'cyber road' movie where she goes into get her Harry and bring him back before those kittens get their claws into him. Jo Bates directed this with a wry eye and it works.

Jenn is great with accents and voices and really brings a whole host of wierd characters to life in this 35 minute stand up drama, complete with slide show to help us through the journey. It is funny, pacy and could definitely get Jenn started on a new career as a radio dramatist. Meet Vadim, a peddler of viruses on the web, cruise the superhighway in a three-wheeled spider, met ex- diamond dealers and wood-lappers, just enjoy the ride. Book now, both these 'shorts' will be popular productions.

The production at the Carousel has just got started and will continue until September 15th but Thursdays to Sundays only. So call the box office for details.

© Editor

Ok you can remove the handcuffs now...hey, about these handcuffs....

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