Advertisement

Culture Theatre

Review: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea

TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA by Rick Miller and Craig Francis (KDOONS/WYRD Productions/Panamania). At Ada Slaight Hall, Daniels Spectrum (585 Dundas East). Tuesday (July 14) at 8 pm, Wednesday (July 15) at 2 pm. $25-$40. 20kshow.com. Rating: NNN

Plastic action figures, live video and some impressive multimedia give a boost to Rick Miller and Craig Franciss adaptation of Jules Vernes adventure novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea.

Unfortunately, their environmental and feminist subtexts arent yet comfortably integrated into the show, which has the feel of a workshop.

Jules (Andrew Shaver), a contemporary grad student working on a thesis about ocean ecosystems with Professor Claire Aronnax (Mary-Lee Picknell), is our narrator. Both are transported back to the 1860s and go on a hunt for the mysterious green undersea creature thats been causing havoc in the oceans. Their companion is Quebec whaler Ned Land (Marco Poulin).

It turns out that the destructive creature isnt a living being but, rather, the Nautilus, an early submarine. Its been built and run by Captain Nemo (Miller, who also directs), a genius who has isolated himself from mainstream civilization and is also a benefactor of the oppressed and a dedicated ecologist, though the term has yet to be coined. (The script includes a few sly timeline jokes.)

The narrative is sometimes choppy, and the characters, especially Aronnax (whose gender is switched from the professor in the novel), need more defining. Still, the cast is dedicated, especially Shaver, who takes on various roles. Theres also a subtle, clever thread about who the true hero of the tale is and the related question of who is its narrator.

But the best part of the production is Deco Dawsons projections, thrown large against Yannik Larivees set, lit by Itai Erdal and underscored by Richard Ferens sound design.

The initial chase of the green creature, characters bobbing in the vast ocean, a visit to an undersea oyster garden, the fight with a colossal squid, the submarines fall into the depths and later into a maelstrom are all impressive.

Audience participation by means of cell-phones is a clever end to the first act, but like some of the episodes, it feels like an add-on thats not fully part of the narrative.

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.