Octet

Voice Choice for innovative staging, clever choreography, accomplished direction of lushly delivered vocal arrangements, and a masterclass in focused ensemble work. Glorious. A theatre lover’s dream.

Run to get tickets for Octet; email the box office, or call the number listed below.

Just do it.

Chris Abraham’s innovative staging of a complex script, which intricately weaves together religious texts, scientific debates, internet comment boards, and unconventional poetry, is both fascinating and engaging. Ryan de Souza’s skilled music direction enhances the a cappella chamber choir’s lush vocal arrangements, adding richness and depth to the score. When combined with Cameron Carver’s clever choreography, Octet transforms into a remarkable masterclass. The opening night features a focused eight-member ensemble that beautifully integrates words, music, and movement. It’s a splendid showcase of on-stage talent—a dream come true for theatre lovers.

It’s a rainy night in a drab church basement. We’re at a meeting of Friends of Saul, an internet addiction support group. Before their arrival, Paula (Zorana Sadiq) enters a few minutes before the performance begins. She appears to be in charge and begins to move chairs into a circle. The rest of the group filters in during the pre-show. Some of them break the fourth wall and venture into the audience to engage in conversation with the audience, with Paula being one example.

When the production begins, everyone moves to their appointed chairs, and Paula opens the meeting. She apologizes that Saul, the group’s founder, is not present. His mysterious absence is intriguing. Who is this Saul? What is his importance to this gathering? Have the other members ever met Saul?

Paula lays out the agenda for the meeting – each of the members will share his/her personal experiences about their online and screen addictions. Throughout the group sharing, there will be an interspersal of a few hymns combined with group rituals. Paula then encourages each member to step forward to begin sharing. Each member then steps forward to begin.

Thus begins a journey that becomes truly memorable from an audience perspective. We become witnesses to an incredible story about people addicted to screens and the internet. These eight characters share their issues, sometimes hilariously and at other times sadly and poignantly. Upon entering the Guloien Theatre, there are signs stating that cell phones should be turned off and that this sacred space is a device-free zone.

Please adhere to that rule. As I left the auditorium at the end of the performance, I began to wonder whether I should bring my phone with me every time I go to the theatre. Is it really necessary to be distracted by the internet when I am in a revered communal gathering space of the theatre?

The Guloien becomes a three-quarter theatre-in-the-round setting. Joshua Quinlan meticulously designs a two-level set of a drab church basement. The selection of props effectively conveys this setting, including a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary on top of the piano, a hanging Christmas banner featuring a lit candle surrounded by holly, and various items piled in a corner, reminiscent of a typical basement. The wall clock at the back displays the current time in real time. Imogen Wilson’s lighting beautifully captures the fluorescent, institutional lighting. As the performance progresses, her stunning lighting transforms the atmosphere, allowing the audience to gain a deeper, more dimensional understanding of the story. Nathan Bruce’s video designs (strongly evident during Damien Atkins’ Henry’s revelation of tile-matching of video games focused on candy) serve as impressive visual elements while adding a layer of gritty realism that reflects fascination with screens and the internet. Olivia Wheeler’s precise sound design deserves acknowledgment. The sound of rain outside certainly reinforces the drabness of the setting. Wheeler achieves that subtle and solid balance, allowing the singers to be heard clearly while still making the lyrics audible when necessary.

While Dave Malloy’s remarkable ‘Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812′ magically transported me back in time to Tolstoy’s War and Peace, his Octet serves as a cautionary warning of ‘how nothing vast enters the lives of mortals without a curse.‘ In his Director’s Note, Chris Abraham highlights how this truth has become increasingly evident with the “arrival of the internet and the proliferation of screens in our lives.” This line, which Malloy places at the front of Octet, becomes a stark reminder for all of us not to forget this fact.

Upon further consideration, this fact becomes an alarming prospect.

This masterclass eight-person octet cast effectively conveys the anxiety, danger, loneliness, and human costs associated with excessive screen time. Their performances are filled with humour, heartache, poignancy, and sadness. Thankfully, Malloy’s writing encourages the audience to reflect on their ongoing relationship with this vast “monster,” which serves as a fitting metaphor for the internet and the way screen time can become all-consuming. Memorable moments include Damien Atkins’ portrayal of Henry and his extreme fascination with candy games. Atkins’ musical number is enhanced by Nathan Bruce’s video designs on the floor, as everyone moves purposefully around the stage, truly giving meaning to the term “eye candy.” Ben Carlson’s Marvin rather bizarre encounter with an entity that claims to be God challenges him and his research team to prove its existence. Instead, the team had an existential crisis in their discovery; every miracle the entity performed could be brushed away through hypotheses and theories. Understanding this, Marvin explains away any sense of love in his life.

A quirky and engrossing chamber musical that most certainly begs another viewing, if possible. Octet, as director Abraham describes in his Programme Note, asks audiences to do two things: acknowledge the reckoning of the curse that technology carries, and also appreciate the vast horizon that the internet and screens can open.

That’s a great deal to ask of an audience. Overheard conversations at the end involve people saying and asking if it’s worth wasting so much precious time on our screens and the internet.

Octet is worth seeing and most worthy of discussion immediately following.

Running time: approximately 95 minutes with no intermission.

The production runs until October 19 at the Guloien Theatre in Crow’s Theatre, 345 Carlaw Avenue. For tickets: crowstheatre.com, email the box office: boxoffice@crowstheatre.com or call (647) 341-7390.

CROW’S, SOULPEPPER and MUSICAL STAGE COMPANY present

Octet Music, Lyrics, Book and Vocal Arrangements by Dave Malloy

Directed by Chris Abraham

Music Direction: Ryan de Souza

Choreography: Cameron Carver

Music Team: Rachel O’Brien, Floydd Ricketts

Set Designer: Joshua Quinlan

Lighting Designer: Imogen Wilson

Sound Designer: Olivia Wheeler

Costume Designer: Ming Wong

Video Designer: Nathan Bruce

Stage Manager: Hannah MacMillan