60 minutes | Comedy, Drama, Solo | Mature
There’s a lot I don’t know about motherhood. That’s a massive understatement really. As a cisgender man, what I don’t know, and will never know, about motherhood could probably fill the sinkhole on Rideau a few times over.
Love and Loathing by Allie Weigh aims to give audiences a sense of what it’s like to give birth and raise a child to adulthood, with the incredible highs (Love), the frustrating lows (Loathing), and the surprises in-between. For me, there were some eye-opening moments that, for others, may be satisfying acknowledgements of what every mother experiences. No doubt you’ll leave the performance with questions that you want to ask your own mom, and others that you definitely do not want answered.
As a piece of theatre, Love and Loathing is compelling, though a tad erratic and unsure of what it wants to be. Stylistically, it uses elements of music and song (Weigh is a wonderful violinist), beat poetry and monologue. The set is simple, with Weigh in the middle with a violin and a microphone, and a chair off to the side. At times you feel like you’re watching the performance in a jazz club, with a cool bassline in the background. The first 20 minutes come across very disjointed and static, although I wondered if those could be opening night nerves. Whatever the reason, the mix of violin and spoken word (which was absorbing in and of itself) did not segue smoothly into the monologue portions. Weigh mostly does away with the violin for the middle portion, and that’s when she seemed to really come alive. Without having to transition she became a far more animated and compelling storyteller.
The approach to the subject matter and passion of the performer is enough to keep you interested and entertained throughout the 60 minutes, but at the end it leaves you with the sense that Love and Loathing could have been far more. Weigh is clearly a talented musician, and there is potential for a great and truly unique bit of storytelling. Without opening night nerves, I hope she makes it work.
Love and Loathing, ODD Box, 2 Daly, Elevator A, Saturday, June 18 @ 5:30pm; Sunday, June 19 @ 9:30pm; Tuesday, June 21 @ 11:00pm; Thursday, June 23 @ 7:30pm; Saturday, June 25 @ 10:00pm.
Tickets $12
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