Review of CHAOTICA – Edmonton Fringe 2009

CHAOTICA is the story of a young woman, Alice, trapped inside a board game, with clear references to Alice in Wonderland, and the Wizard of Oz, and subtle connections to the 1997 cult horror flick Cube.

The theme of discovery is explored as Alice experiences some of her deepest fears through short sketches, clowning, tap dancing, puppetry and improv.

In a seemingly self-introspective play, written and preformed by Christel Bartelse, the audience engagement varies through the game of opening boxes to reveal lessons for Alice.

The improvisational moments, of which there were a few, were the most enjoyable. Seeing Bartelse enjoying herself with the surprises that inevitably come from the audience was beautiful.

As it was the first show of the run, there seemed to be several technical issues that I am sure will be ironed out. This was especially noticeable as Alice, the lone character on stage, is contrasted by a booming, looming narrator voice which sometimes cut in and out, and was somewhat overpowering volume wise.

There were some awkward silent moments, “time outs” if you will, where the audience was somewhat uneasy, and with no music to fall back on, the comfort only returned once Bartelse picked up the energy and jumped to the next beat. Just as she felt trapped inside the game, sometimes I felt trapped inside these empty moments, disappointing and unsure of how to react.

I wanted more energy on stage, more speed, more comfort, more enthusiasm, the show was alive when Bartelse was improvising with audience members and it was the clear highlight of the show.

The writing did not flow poetically in some beats. But in the moments when Alice spoke ad-lib to “potential husbands” or “old friends”, played by unexpected audience members, I was entranced by the speed at which she delivered such crisp humor.  The contrast between the moments was quite evident.

Bartelse is clearly a talented performer, with much experience and expertise under her belt. CHAOTICA is an enjoyable show, and definitely has moments that will appeal to anyone. The standout was the improvisation, where her quick wit, and energy really shined.

- Kory

Tagged as: Edmonton, Improv