soil
Created by William Nye
Produced by MISHA, Montréal
Review by Alexa MacKie
60 min / 14+ / Play, Comedy, Drama, Sci-fi / Mature language, Mental Health
When Springhurst Park is about to be bulldozed to pave the way for new developments, eco-activists Maude, Billie and Maxy take part in protests to save the greenspace.
But are the activists able to save the planet when they’re on the brink of destroying themselves?
With the tagline “the dark side of being green,” soil, written and directed by William Misha Nye, is a grisly drama that explores social issues and loyalty within the narrow scope of an unsteady group. Hostilities increase and threaten to finally tear them apart when Cullen, fresh out of prison and a figure from Billie’s elusive past, shows up.
image from soil. Photo provided.
The play has a lot to say, but primarily discusses the effectiveness of different protest methods. Maude, Billie and Maxy’s current strategies—smashing SUVs and blocking roads, to be exact—don’t seem to be having much of an effect.
Nonetheless, the trio, played by Nelty Tosomba, Jules Hall and James Alloul respectively, are each determined to tackle their cause. But Cullen (a menacing Bryan Libero) has an agenda of his own, masqueraded with a “fight the higher ups” mentality.
Most of soil’s moments shine: Maude’s clapbacks—“I wish they’d pick one hate crime and stick with it”—are both hilarious and poignant, delivered with Tosomba’s fiery wit. Libero’s deception and glaring stares as Cullen are equally brilliant and chilling to witness.
Billie and Maxy’s characterizations bleed into one another so much so that at times it’s difficult to differentiate the two. But Hall and Alloul are both wonderful at demonstrating their characters’ shortcomings, whether they are naively loyal or sullen.
Image from soil. Photo provided.
What resonates most in Soil is its question of whether the larger cause is more important than the feelings of those involved. Laced throughout the show is also the idea of loyalty in the face of adversity. These messages come through supremely subtly in the writing, and, particularly in Cullen’s case, through darkly thought-provoking monologues.
With an alluring grit and a gloomy style, Soil is a heavy show with poignant social justice themes, populated by some skillfully flawed characters who have just as much to learn as their audience.
soil is playing at Arts Court theatre from June 14–22. Tickets are $14 plus service fees at the Fringe box office (3rd floor, Arts Court, 2 Daly Avenue), and at the two satellite box offices (LabO in the Ottawa Art Gallery and La Nouvelle Scene). 5 and 10 Show Passes are also available. Visit the Ottawa Fringe Festival’s website for the show’s schedule and check out their online schedule here.
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