SPIN by Evalyn Parry, directed by Ruth Madoc-Jones (Buddies in Bad Times, 12 Alexander). To March 27, Wednesday-Sunday 8 pm. $16-$20. See Listings Rating: NNNN
Evalyn Parry’s multimedia show about women and cycling feels at times like a series of seven-minute performance pieces patched together to make something larger. But the magnetic artist and her winning production team invest the work with such intelligence and playfulness, it’s hard not to be charmed.
Outfitted at the outset like a carnival barker, Parry cycles through a series of songs and stories, from Miss Frances Willard’s 1895 instructions on how to learn to ride a bicycle to an account of Annie Londonderry, the first woman to ride around the world. Channelling her inner beat poet, Parry revels in the euphonious sounds of Londonderry’s (made-up) name, and then goes on to pun on the show’s title when she reveals the woman had a way with spinning the facts to suit her ends.
There’s lots of fascinating information here: about women’s restrictive clothing (they could barely show an ankle in the gay 1890s), the bicycle as a means of freedom and women’s purchasing patterns compared to their earning power.
Things take a turn for the personal when Parry – who’s changed to more contemporary dress – recounts her own gay 90s as a young woman stuck in a dysfunctional relationship with a woman in Montreal. A gift of a bicycle becomes a symbol fraught with meaning, especially when tragedy hits.
Completely confident and with an ethereally beautiful singing voice, Parry stumbles during this sequence (at least on opening night), as if unsure about its effect. But without it, the show – nicely directed by Ruth Madoc-Jones – would be a much colder affair.
Beth Kates’s set and video design makes great use of bike shop paraphernalia and archival footage, while much of the show’s ambience comes from Anna Friz and Brad Hart plucking, pumping and ringing their bike-related instruments.
What a great reminder to bring out you-know-what from winter hibernation.
