Drinking with Plants
Created by Lisa Meuser
Produced by Drinking with Plants Productions, Ottawa
Review by Katie Carson
60 min / PG / Play, Comedy / Flashing Lights, Fog Machine, Mature Language, Violence, Intoxication
Pandemic isolation forced many around the globe into personal worlds of seclusion they were desperate to escape. However, for some, this brave new world of isolation has become preferable to life on the outside, with some, in particular, going to unexpected lengths to preserve it…
Lisa Meuser’s Drinking with Plants tackles this concept by exploring the highs and lows of social isolation with surrealist and comedic flair. Our main character, Sarah, armed only with a bottle of wine (and a broom to fend off her annoying neighbour), faces isolation, and her need for connection reaches absurd heights when her houseplants come to life!
Poster for Drinking with Plants. Photo provided.
Precarity and hilarity ensue as her newfound friends help Sarah navigate her new reality—from finding love to outsmarting the law. The cast was clearly enjoying themselves onstage, offering over-the-top characterization and strong chemistry that fits well with the out-of-this-world premise.
Fringe veteran Meuser utilizes surrealism to poke fun at a dark time in many of our lives, inviting us to laugh instead of cry at the struggle to return to normal. The cast and crew deserve their flowers for creating an opportunity for the audience to revel in the absurdity of our own lives reflected in a theatrical funhouse mirror.
Drinking with Plants played at LabO from June 13–22. Visit the Ottawa Fringe Festival’s website for the show’s schedule and check out their online schedule here.
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