Hunched over, shovels in hand, the firemen get to work feeding coal into the belly of the beast. The rhythmic sound of laboured grunts fill the silence.
Welcome to the bowels of an ocean liner, an all too real picture seamlessly painted by the cast of The Hairy Ape: a Comedy of Ancient and Modern Life in Eight Scenes. The Chamber Theatre Hintonburg takes on Eugene O’Neill’s complex tale of an exploited working class and their hatred for the capitalist structure.
The intelligent, albeit ignorant, Yank (Donnie Laflamme) quickly emerges as the feisty protagonist and self-proclaimed commander of the cogs in the industrial machine who wants desperately to belong somewhere. His bravado is quickly shattered when the oil heiress Mildred Douglas (Laura Hall) slums her way into the stokehole and comes face to face with the dirty, angry Yank. Mildred calls him a “filthy beast” before fainting into the arms of the engineer. It’s not long before the nickname “The Hairy Ape” sticks to Yank like the grimy coal dust to his skin.
Failing to see Mildred as representation of the upper class divide, Yank travels to 5th Avenger in New York to get revenge on her and quickly lands himself in a prison cell. Still looking to get even, his cellmates urge him to join the Industrial Workers of the World where he faces more rejection and ridicule. The story comes full circle when Yank finds himself at the gorilla house in the Bronx Zoo, befriending the ape over their familiarity of being caged and taunted their whole lives.
The performance took over one side of The Carleton Tavern, an unexpected yet intimate space. As hoots and hollers streamed in from the Sens game on one side of the bar, a journey of one man struggling to find his place in society was unfolding on the other.
The production, directed by Lisa Zany and Donnie Laflamme, did a remarkable job with the spatial constraints. A makeshift stage was carved out in the middle of the tavern, dividing the audience in half and giving the cast free rein to weave in and out of the audience.
Mildred and the Engineer.
The play is set to a myriad of pantomimes. No extravagant back drops or over the top props were used, a refreshing and simplistic sight that forced the audience to focus more on the movement, positioning and body language of the actors.
Laflamme captures the stage as he delivers his lines at rapid-fire speeds as if they were the passionate ramblings of a lost man thinking aloud. The audience watched in awe as the strong and proud Yank gradually deteriorated before their eyes, giving way to an animalistic, browbeaten state.
Louis Lemire as Paddy was the unexpected comic relief and a personal favourite. His ability to morph into the various supporting roles had the audience in stitches, mainly because you were never sure what humorous portrayal would come out of his mouth next.
This intimate 11-person cast worked beautifully together. Their group scenes were rhythmic, transfixing the audience as they kept near perfect time with one another.
Having never been to a tavern to watch a play before, I was a little unsure of what to expect. I can honestly say The Hair Ape surpassed any expectations I might have had. Mixing the cozy bar atmosphere with the plays bleaker themes of expressionism and dehumanization was just the right amount of quirkiness to make it work. If you’re looking for something out of the ordinary, then I guarantee The Hairy Ape will be a pleasant surprise.
You can catch The Hairy Ape on Friday, April 17 at 6:30 pm and Saturday April 18 at 5:00 pm at The Carleton Tavern (223 Armstrong Ave). Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online or by calling 613-791–4471. Click here for more info.
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