theatre: Shifting Point Theatre roars with Lion
Yuet Jinn, The Peak

It starts with the scream of a little Portuguese girl on the school playground. She claims a lion is chasing her. The bullies don't believe her.

From this striking opening a seemingly incoherent string of scenes follow, bound by only three things: the presence of Isobel (the Portuguese girl played by Jessica Lorca, common motifs of domination and subjugation, and smart "six degrees of separation" narrative connections. It is somewhat like a series of one-act variations on a theme.

Judith Thompson's Lion in the Streets boasts a total of twenty-nine characters. Shifting Point Theatre manages with six actors. On one hand, it's financially sound. On the other hand, it represents a faceless adulthood, their lives in shocking parallel, sharing the same stories under different guise. While everyone else takes on at least four adult characters, the character of Isobel is the lone child, wandering through each scene, invisible to them.

The actors were superb in their performances, yet-and I suppose this is my only criticism of the production, and a silly one at that-the cast consists strictly of mid- to late-twenty-somethings, and at times, required the audience to suspend greater disbelief in certain characters.

The "lion" of the play works on numerous levels. It is the forgotten childhood sneaking up on us. It is the yearning for the childhood innocence of yesterdays. It is the bully preying on the weak even in adulthood. It is the ignorance of adulthood when they talk to, about or of children.

In the end, the lion manifests physically in to the narrative. The ending is hinted at several instants throughout the play, yet the narrative realisation in the last scene does not lose any impact.

The set is a jungle gym, representative of all that is good on the recess playground; yet it is built in a shoddy fashion, with screws protruding dangerously and with two-by-fours not lined up properly.

The soundtrack is stark, stripped to drums, pianos and sound effects. The simplicity reminds one of a nursery rhyme, but the melodies and chords are dissonant, insidious. The achieved effect is harrowing. Childhood's supposed innocence is threatened.

Shifting Point Theatre presents Lion in the Streets until Apr. 14. Festival House 1398 Cartwright Street, Granville Island. All shows take place at 8 p.m. Call 675-6233 for reservations. Tickets are $12 students/$15 general.

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