REVIEW: ECHO is a chilling reflection of nightclub love and the pitfalls of passion
iPhoto caption: Photo by
INT. Nightclub — Two beautiful strangers. A shared gaze so electrifying it makes the $20 cover charge and that thick vapour of sweat rising from the dance floor all worth it.
A real fairy tale, you know?
Directed by Robert Morrison as part of Next Stage Theatre Festival, Kole Dunford’s ECHO is an intimate and vivacious exploration of love and selfishness. This modern reimagining of the Greek myth follows Echo (陳佳琦 Jennifer Tan) and Narcissus (Tom Shoshani) as they recount their fatal attraction. As we watch their smouldering relationship suffocate, ECHO forces us to confront conflicting impulses in human nature: How can we reconcile our need to be truly loved with our love of self absorption?
Narcissus teaches us about Echo, about her bubbly personality and curious mind. In turn, she reveals that Narcissus has an all-consuming obsession with creating his magnum opus — opening a bar/artist space in which to perform. As Narcissus spirals into his personal projects, Echo understands the real world will always come second place.
As artists, we are pushed to embody our art in every space, but it can grow hollow and egotistic to treat every interaction as a cover letter. This show explores isolation in pursuit of self-serving passion, and the bridges we burn along the way. In spite of the sorrow it depicts, ECHO does not leave us without a path forward. It posits that art is meant to be shared and shaped by our communities, and that we can make both meaningful art and love through open collaboration. Without the perspectives of others, we are lost in our own reflections.
Pity they had to learn the hard way.
Their downfall begins as an innocent mushroom trip, which was the highlight of the show for me. Lighting designer Mathilda Kane perfectly captures the beautiful terror of psychedelics, while Tan and Shoshani hilariously embody the tumultuous emotional experience. Vivid greens and purples make for an ethereal come up, only to be shockingly ripped away by a harsh indigo blackout when their high is soured when they become trapped in a mirror. Together with the actors’ clear rapport and intentional movements, this section feels like a choreographed dance piece — an intimate moment of silence balancing the maelstrom of their discussion.
The whole effect is a time-warped, thrilling spectacle that gives an intimate look at their metastasizing relationship reservations: Narcissus lies about wanting to marry Echo, and Echo fears becoming a voiceless parrot to Narcissus’ desires.
ECHO never villainizes either character for their faults. Durnford’s he said-she said style gives the characters a layer of distance from their actions even at their cruelest, blending dialogue with monologue as the characters constantly switch perspectives. They talk about each other more than to each other, dulling the emotional urgency of their fighting.
More so, it provides a fatalistic undertone for the entire narrative that gives us some timeless mythological oomph. Narcissus and Echo start the show speaking in past tense about each other — we understand they aren’t supposed to make it! Yet we love with them along the way.
The show is fast-paced, evocative of the characters’ whirlwind relationship, but at times can feel a bit verbose clocking in at 75 minutes. Ironically, a play critiquing the navel-gazing tendencies of artists falls into this trap, which brought a layer of purpose to my moments of disengagement. Instead of growing bored, I could further empathize with Echo’s weariness of Narcissus’ insular lifestyle.
Overall, ECHO is an emotionally poignant, visually stunning story that questions our ability to nurture love and remain devoted to ourselves. The show warns us, especially as artists, to not lose ourselves in insular creative pursuits at the expense of our connections.
ECHO runs until October 28 as part of Next Stage Theatre Festival at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. The show is produced by a front company. Tickets are available here.
Intermission reviews are independent and unrelated to Intermission’s partnered content. Learn more about Intermission’s partnership model here.
Columbia Roy
Columbia Roy is an interdisciplinary theatre artist and arts worker raised in Taiwan, now discovering life in Toronto. She’s passionate about comedy, arts philosophy, and making her own collages. Currently Columbia is thrilled to be able to hone her skills with the New Young Reviewers program, hoping to continue critically engaging with theatre in this city. She’s interested in asking what draws us to the stories we tell, and exploring how our repeated expressions of the human condition link us all across space & time.
LEARN MORE
iPhoto caption: The Lehman Trilogy production still by Trudie Lee.
REVIEW: Canadian theatre has a thing for The Lehman Trilogy. Does it work at Theatre Calgary?
The real drivers of Theatre Calgary’s production are its three performers. And boy, do they ever drive. Each performance pulses with unmatched and unrelenting vivacity, made all the more impressive by the stamina required from the ambitious three-and-a-half-hour runtime.
iPhoto caption: Production stills from Faust and Nabucco courtesy of the Canadian Opera Company.
REVIEW: Excellent singing elevates lacklustre productions in Faust and Nabucco
Both operas in the Canadian Opera Company’s current fall repertoire, Faust and Nabucco, include stellar performances from world-class singers in productions featuring directorial and design choices that abandon historical accuracy and realistic mise-en-scène to varying degrees of success.
iPhoto caption: Photo by Ian Jackson
REVIEW: In Ronnie Burkett’s darkly intelligent Wonderful Joe, gentrification hits like a meteor
When Siminovitch-winning puppet virtuoso Ronnie Burkett chose the focus of his latest play, was he thinking of TO Live’s $421-million plan to redevelop its St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts?
iPhoto caption: 13 Plays About ADHD All At The Same Time graphic courtesy of Circlesnake Productions.
REVIEW: 13 Plays About ADHD All At The Same Time is true to its title
While the play’s structure may occasionally leave you feeling as scattered as its protagonists, its heart, humour, and raw honesty will keep your thoughts churning well into the night.
iPhoto caption: Goblin:Macbeth production still by Jae Yang.
REVIEW: Goblin:Macbeth might just leave you gobsmacked
While most of the entertainment comes from the goblins’ antics whenever the Shakespearean text is paused or subverted for comic effect, the secret sauce to this whole endeavour is that it really is an honest-to-goodness staging of that text, designed to showcase the performers’ near-virtuosic mastery of the material.
iPhoto caption: Photo by Dahlia Katz.
REVIEW: The Thanksgiving Play wriggles in performative wokeness
In 2024, is there a way to produce an engaging, culturally sensitive play about the first American Thanksgiving for elementary schoolers? The Thanksgiving Play, penned by Native American playwright Larissa FastHorse and now playing at Mirvish’s CAA Theatre, poses that question in its first five minutes, then throws the query out with the cranberry sauce in its madcap exploration of a devised theatre piece at an unnamed primary school.
iPhoto caption: Photo by Colleen Yates.
Beyond the Fringes: Next Stage guides artists into creative control
As artists experimented with form and design, the festival compelled audiences to reconsider the boundaries of traditional performance.
Comments