Reviewed by Karen Diepeveen
30 minutes / Drama / R
Partly sponsored by Jer’s Vision in conjunction with their anti-bullying initiatives, Ex Cathedra brings viewers to a world in which homosexuality is punishable by death. We meet Frances and Moira, former lovers who are confronted with their past in a tense personal and professional encounter.
In an eager performance, punctuated by moments of what was likely first night jitters, the actors put forward the compelling story that opens with an emotionally distraught nun sitting in a deserted room. She’s joined by the commander of the army, who we quickly discover is her former lover. In the context of their discussion around the Lavender Railroad, an underground movement to resuce homosexuals from certain death, we learn about their complicated and still-intense relationship.
While the intricate story lacks a bit of a spark between the actors to make it fully believable, they were earnest performers with good sentiment. As Ex Cathedra is the second act of the longer Lavendar Railroad, perhaps having the full context of the entire play would build more towards the intensity of the relationship between these two women.
Ex Cathedra by Lawrence Aronovitch is playing at Venue 4 – Studei Leonard-Beaulne on Saturday, June 16 at 11:00pm, Sunday, June 17 at 6:00pm, Tuesday, June 19 at 5:30pm, Thursday, June 21 at 7:00pm, and Sunday, June 24 at 3:00pm.
Karen- on belaf of the troupe, thank you for your nice review! Indeed, first-night jitters contributed to an unscripted moment or two (or three… maybe four) but it all adds to the thrill of performing!
Just to add a tiny correction, our jitter-free runtime is indeed 40 minutes (for those of you reading this who may be relying on show runtimes to plan out their schedules.)
Thank you, and happy Fringing!
This was a good show. One of the actors was ill, so the play was done as a dramatic reading, and it was still good.
It was so good, I can’t believe it. I think I mgiht go again.
Thank you for the nice responses. As the actor who now has pneumonia, we really appreciate your support. Sometimes, the craziest things happen. We just have to truck on and produce something that is meaningful for one another. That is why Marie and I are doing this. To create a piece that touches the lives of others and leave them wanting to know more. We thank Lawrence for allowing us to produce and direct this show. We are immensely grateful.