Feb. 13, 2013 - Issue #904: The Sugar Trade
The Missionary Position
Assuming the Position / Ed Ellis
Some actors seem to be born for certain roles, but much rarer is a script that's written expressly for a specific actor—let alone one written for a dozen particular people. The Missionary Position is the culmination of two years of work by University of Alberta's Lee Playwright in Residence, Greg MacArthur. MacArthur tailored each role specifically to the actor that would play it, and the end result is truly impressive.
Unapologetically dark, The Missionary Position makes a strong case against western involvement in the affairs of third-world nations, even in cases of catastrophic natural disaster. Inspired by a specific story that arose after the devastating Haitian earthquake in 2010, the play tells the story of a group of Christian missionaries traveling to an unnamed Latin American country in order to set up an orphanage for children affected by the tragedy. Though it sounds like a noble task, it becomes quickly apparent that the reality of their actions is, in fact, appalling.
The script intersperses each characters' journey to their present situation in jail, faced with nine charges of human trafficking. It's hard to feel sympathy for any of them, as their motivations are almost wholly selfish and deeply misguided. The characters are either painfully naïve or willingly blind, and their hypocrisy is enough to foster more than a few snorts of derision amongst the audience.
And yet it's fascinating to watch this play out: the chemistry between the performers crackles with vitality and it's clear each one is as comfortable in the skins of their alter egos as they are in their own. Particularly notable performances were delivered by Ben Gorodetsky as the crooked Canadian embassy rep, Mat Simpson as the smooth-talking felon, and Lianna Makuch as the hypocritical Christian ringleader, though every single cast member had their own engaging moments.
The phrase "We are white monsters" is projected across the stage at the outset of the play, making it immediately clear that the script is not out to mince words. But it's not overly pedantic or heavy-handed either—a fine balance is struck between the various aspects of the play's strong politics on the inter-relationship between religion, foreign aid and cultural imperialism. Backed by a solid performance by each cast member, The Missionary Position serves as a shining testament to what can, and should, be accomplished through the Playwright in Residence program.
Until Sat, Feb 16 (7:30 pm)
Directed by Jan Selman
Timms Centre for the Arts, $11 – $22 vueweekly.com comments: powered by Disqus
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