THE LAST 15 SECONDS by Trevor Copp, Anne-Marie Donovan, Nadia Homsi, Gary Kirkham, Pam Patel, Alan K. Sapp and Majdi Bou-Matar (MT Space). At Theatre Passe Muraille (16 Ryerson). To April 16. Pwyc-$35. 416-504-7529. See listing. Rating: NNN
There’s a lot going on in this interdisciplinary show about politics and violence in the Middle East, and while some elements work better than others, the core message is timely and important.
Through a head-spinning collection of dramatic and comedic scenes, monologues, tableaux, movement pieces, operatic singing and video projections, Kitchener-Waterloo’s MT Space imagines what would happen if a suicide bomber met his victim.
Focusing on a specific historical incident – a 2005 bombing in Amman where suicide bomber Rawad Abed (Trevor Copp) killed Syrian-American filmmaker Mustapha Akkad (Alan K. Sapp) – the show unfolds in an ethereal afterlife where the two strangers interact and review each other’s lives. Think It’s A Wonderful Life for the War On Terror generation.
Competing visions and an over-abundance of ideas threaten the show’s focus. For instance, a slow-moving scene featuring movement and song, in which Abed’s female family members carefully don their black burqas, is haunting another scene in which Abed finds himself pitching his suicide bombing plan in Akkad’s world of fickle Hollywood film executives provides an interesting juxtaposition but ultimately fails because of Copp’s overacting.
The ensemble is generally strong, and though their forays into various styles aren’t always successful, the ideas the play raises are significant. The media rarely discuss these violent events so comprehensively. You’ll leave the theatre with plenty to think about.
stage@nowtoronto.com
