Parrot Fever – or Lies I’ve Told in Chat Rooms
theater simple @ Little Theatre
5:30pm, Sat 28 Feb 2004
Score: 10
Short Review: Wonderfully emotive
I’m the first to admit that I tend to stay reasonably remote from any kind of art; it’s a rare piece of work that causes me to emote. Parrot Fever, on the other hand, had me weeping like a big blubbery mess… I can’t recall ever getting so emotionally sucked into a piece of theatre.
Using the premise of book research for the investigation of online relationships, Parrot Fever weaves three different sub-threads together in a gorgeous script by Keri Healey. Encountering multiple characters online, each portraying a concoction of their own personality as they deal with more personal problems, I saw many truisms from my own online life – the support networks that form about those in need being a particularly poignant example.
All the theater simpletons – Monique Kleinhans, Andrew Litzky, Llysa Holland – turned in superb performances, and Mark Fullerton’s smokey guitar provides a great background texture. Yes, there are laughs to be had at the expense of the antics of the chat-room inhabitants – but to a large extent, the humour is used as a foil for the sad, the tender, the wrenching sub-threads.
Parrot Fever is not to be missed. Simple as that, really.
The opening guitar set the mood that for all that followed. Andrew’s seductive voice enticing the ladies to be alone with him balanced Llysa’s quiet desperation and Monique enthusiasm and go-get-it attitude. What a wonderful night I had and thanks pete’s eloquent review that persuaded me. Thank you to all.