Munich Now

January 14 – 25, 2014

Big Secret Theatre

https://www.hprodeo.ca/2014/munich-now

Listen to my review of Munich Now on CBC Eyeopener at http://www.cbc.ca/eyeopener/columnists/theatre/2014/01/20/jessica-goldman-reviews-munich-now/

RATING

For German speakers – I chatted with a German-speaking woman at the show who assured me that the language being spoken was in fact High German and not simply a scambling for the language. In fact, there were different reaction times to the jokes being told as those that understood the language laughed several seconds before the rest of us could catch up with the surtitles. However the delight in hearing your mother tongue so amusingly used in Calgary cannot fully outstrip the play’s deficits of story arc or meaning. MAYBE SEE IT

For occasional theatre goers – Forget the fact that you probably don’t want to read surtitles to understand a play, the fact that this show has no plot or point will frustrate you and far outweigh any amusement you might experience as a result of the absurd sketch-like bits. SKIP IT

For theatre junkies – What the Rabbits are trying to do here is impressive both in terms of the dialogue challenges and the effort to move beyond traditional plot-driven narratives. But in trying to pump this brand of surrealism into the show, they have lost the ability to give us something to hang onto or come away with. We haven’t  any clear idea what the playwright was trying to say therefore, while we may be amused, the giggle quickly fades away into so-what-ness. MAYBE SEE IT