By Lars van Tol
40 minutes | Comedy, Drama | PG
A charming and fast-paced tale of betrayal set in exotic Germany that will likely win you over before you have a chance to frown. It’s a promising new show by a brand spanking new theatre company.
You might be disappointed if you expected Lazlo to be Romanian as the guide suggests (he’s Ukrainian), but otherwise there is nothing to object to in this play. It’s a good, old-fashioned, straight-up slice of threatre – drama that’s emphatically about comedy, an unobtrusive set, and just the right amount of yelling, screaming, drunkenness, confrontation, and running around. It’s got something for everyone: a lot of heart, plenty of laughs, a bit of amusingly light swearing, and spoken Ukrainian just to make things authentic.
The Heavy Weight is very kinetic, taking full advantage of a large stage. It has a manic sense of humour that works well with the archetypes it employs as characters, and a few good attempts at poignancy as well. Each character must bear the weight of the other’s problems. Helen is a betrayed naïve Michigander whose thwarted surprise visit becomes a surprise burden on Lazlo: Helen is a delightfully annoying (if somewhat cliché) whirlwind breakdown. When Helen’s boyfriend “Raunchy” Rick enters the scene, the results are predictable but remain highly amusing.
The actors portrayed their characters flawlessly. Rick is a perfect apologetic wheedler, Lazlo is an effective troubled stoic, and Helen is the madcap comic centre with a hard-learned lesson before her. Any lack of depth can be forgiven merely on the strength of the antics. It’s full to the brim with energy, highly entertaining, and lively as hell. It should also be noted that the ticket is good for a free app at participating Ottawa-area Wild Wing restaurants. Interested? You really ought to be.
The Heavy Weight plays June 18 (7:00 P.M), 19 (1:30 PM), 22 (10:30 P.M), 24 (9:30 P.M), 25 (5:00 P.M) at Academic Hall, 133 Séraphin-Marion.
Tickets $12
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