AFTER THE BEEP by Pamela Bethel (Pamela Bethel/Fringe). At Tarragon Extraspace. July 6 at 3 pm, July 7 at 7:45 pm, July 9 at 8:45 pm, July 10 at 6 pm, July 11 at 2:15 pm, July 13 at 6:15 pm. See listing. Rating: NNNNN
During Pamela Bethel‘s high school years in the 1990s, she had the one thing every other teenager coveted: her own phone line. She also had her own analog answering machine, which forms the hilarious basis of her solo show, After The Beep.
Throughout the production, which is directed by Geoffrey Ewert, Bethel rehashes in witty detail the hijinks she got up to as a teenager living in Vancouver, all accompanied by dozens of voice messages on cassettes she’s saved for decades and recently digitized.
There are messages from her mischievous best friend Andrea, various boyfriends and crushes, her loving but never-home father and a slew of wrong numbers. Through these messages, we witness Bethel’s coming of age, whether it’s her short-lived shoplifting phase, partying in the suburbs, working at Blockbuster or applying to university.
Bethel’s performance is casual and conversational, and for most of the show, she’s seated at a table in front of a screen that displays the transcripts of the voicemails and funny pie charts that track who left messages (“1% guy from suburbs, made out a couple times, 18% boyfriends”).
Though more reflection on specific messages would have enriched the show (for example, a string of awkward racist and homophobic messages are unnerving to hear), After The Beep is still an original experience that puts Bethel’s teen years brilliantly on display. Few of us would be so brave.
