Rating: NNNNN
the ritual of marriage is pretty dramatic material on its own, so a revival of Jump, Daniel MacIvor’s movement-based 1992 work about the matrimonial bonding of two characters and the folks around them should promise something beyond Tony N’ Tina’s Wedding.Director Mark Lonergan delivers the goods, from a Victorian-era music-hall look — thanks largely to Steve Lucas’s marvellous set, including a new proscenium arch for Theatre Passe Muraille — to a subtle (maybe too subtle) political subtext.
What motors the piece, which includes only a single word of dialogue, are clever observations about life. Getting married is a high-wire act, yes, but so too is the act of breathing. All life is ritual, risk. Performance is everywhere.
The talented troupe of actors sink their teeth into their vaudevillian roles, eliciting many pangs of recognition. Aviva Chernick and Sarah McDonald play a pair of libidinous revellers with eerie glee, while Scott McCord and Severn Thompson make their about-to-take-the-plunge couple instantly familiar.
Best, though, is Clinton Walker’s menacing MC, the fez-wearing bureaucrat who orchestrates the ceremony. Walker’s graceful physical work outshines everyone else’s.
Despite the many pleasures, though, what’s missing is heart. That’s too bad, because everyone likes to tear up at weddings.GLENN SUMIjump by Daniel MacIvor, directed by Mark Lonergan, with Anne Anglin, Aviva Chernick, Sarah McDonald, Scott McCord, Severn Thompson, Clinton Walker and Brendan Wall. Presented by Rat-A-Tat-Tat and Theatre Passe Muraille (16 Ryerson). Runs to January 28, Tuesday-Saturday 8 pm, Sunday 2:30 and 7 pm. $19-$28, matinee pwyc. 416-504-7529. Rating: NNN
Jump mixed joy
