MR. BURNS, A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY by Anne Washburn (Outside the March). At Aztec Theatre (1035 Gerrard East). To June 7. $30-$60. 1-877-435-9849, mrburns.ca. See listing. Rating: NNNN
In the genre of post-apocalyptic fiction, the focus is often on mutant humans. This immersive tour de force uses The Simpsons to explore how entertainment culture rather than people might mutate following the demise of the power grid and the collapse of society.
The plays three acts (spanning nearly a century) show how one band of survivors use their shared knowledge of The Simpsons to forge a new sense of community. In the confusion and terror of the immediate aftermath, remembering classic episodes (including the season-five Sideshow Bob classic Cape Feare) serves as vital escapism.
Act Two flashes forward seven years to find the group working as a troupe of travelling actors performing a repertoire of cobbled-together episodes with elaborate improvised sets, costumes and props still without plug-in tech.
Finally, a glimpse 75 years into the future shows the broken telephone of cultural transmission has produced a religion based on The Simpsons, using distorted characters and episode snippets to remember and understand the cataclysm.
Directors Mitchell Cushman and Simon Bloom deliver a mesmerizing site-specific meditation on technology. Emulating the limitations of their characters, no plug-in technology is used in the show the giant movie theatre space normally Big Picture Cinemas is eerily lit by battery powered flashlights, and in the third act by trippy black lights.
The directors expertly tease out thematic reflections in Anne Washburns script of the origins of religion and myth, and the politics and culture of early modern theatre. This is best captured in the second act, in the travelling troupes squabble during a rehearsal over which episodes to include, how to acquire new content for more episodes and their competition with other groups.
Despite the long run time (nearly three hours with two intermissions) the show is consistently thought-provoking, visually interesting, funny and packed with tension and drama. The cast is strong across dead-serious moments, funny Simpsons bits and choreographed musical numbers. A pop medley of chart hits in the second half is hilarious, and puts a macabre new spin on tunes by Britney Spears, Ricky Martin, Drake and others.
Simpsons aficionados will certainly get a kick out of all the creative rearrangements, but this show is much more than a fan tribute.