Theatre
February 3rd 2010
Entertaining, but missing a point
Blue Kettle
Directed by Arne MacPherson
Presented by Dancing Hen as part of Churchill Fest
Plays at PTE Colin Jackson Studio (Portage Place, third floor)
Circling the stage to greet the audience, main character Derek (Rob McLaughlin) appears to be friendly and likeable at the beginning of Blue Kettle. In a heart-warming first scene, we see Derek become reacquainted with his long-lost mother (Patricia Hunter). It soon becomes apparent, however, that she is not his mother at all: Derek “collects” older women and claims that each of them is his mother.
Derek shows no discomfort with his “hobby,” but the outrage at this immoral con is channelled through his girlfriend, Enid (Alicia Johnston). She tries throughout the play to comprehend why Derek has started “collecting mothers,” but fails to understand. As the play goes on, the audience is made increasingly aware that even Derek does not understand his own reasoning behind the hobby.
In an unconventional twist, the characters onstage convey their confusion (and, in particular, Derek’s confusion), by replacing words within the dialogue with the words “blue” and “kettle,” seemingly at random. While it is a humorous choice on Churchill’s part, it also underscores the message that we often undertake unusual and potentially harmful habits with no clear knowledge of why we are doing so.
All actors admirably delivered the lines, interspersed with “blue” and “kettle,” without a single stumble. The decision to have them change clothes for each scene onstage was a daring yet constructive move, adding to the haphazardness of the mood of Blue Kettle.
Although it is an entertaining performance that keeps the audience’s attention without fail, it feels as though an essential piece of the play is missing. Caryl Churchill’s intent to demonstrate our lack of awareness within ourselves through fragmented discourse is almost too compelling: the audience may have a difficult time grasping what exactly the point of the play is.
