It starts with a war canoe and ends in fire, but in between It Comes In Waves is all about emotions, memories, and love.
A co-production between Bluemouth Inc. and Necessary Angel, It Comes In Waves is one of many artistic projects that are part of the cultural programming of the Pan Am Games. It’s an immersive, interdisciplinary production that combines music, theatre and dance to stirring effect. Quite simply, it’s the most enjoyable evening I’ve spent at a Toronto theatre this year.
The play begins simply enough after the war canoes the audience paddles over from Harbourfront Centre arrive at a dock near the Gibraltar Lighthouse. We are guests and we are there to plan a surprise party for a certain someone. So, we go for a walk, eventually ending up at the Gibraltar Point arts centre, where the party takes place. But along the way, there are a half-dozen stops where some sort of action takes place: some dance, some monologue, some music and the audience is asked to record certain memories, jokes or thoughts in a small journal.
Our host does get naked and run around in a field a bit before engaging in a stirring dance performance with Lucy Simic, there are road flares and lanterns; microphones and overhead lights that in the growing darkness seem to be suspended in mid-air. At each stage, we're drawn into the story, our journalling meant to help us tap into our own emotions and connect the dots to the work at hand. Eventually, we arrive at a bonfire outside the hall where we're asked to break up into teams to decorate the room for the party, which effectively, if loosely, draws us further into the story.
The four performers weave their way through the room, making sure everyone is engaged. Decorations are hung, dances are held, drinks are passed, chairs are arranged. And then the real performance — begins dance, music, theatre, all playing on a knife's edge of emotion. O'Connell, brilliant in elevating or diffusing tension in the room. Two hours into his performance, drenched in sweat, audience fully engaged, his movements fill the room beautifully playing opposite his fellow performers, or on his own, with music, without music, all eyes are on him and he takes us to a place we didn't expect but when we get there, it feels good, powerful.
I won’t spoil too much of the plot, as it matters as much what audience members bring to the table. In the end, we go to the beach, following a path illuminated by dozens of lanterns as we slowly move back towards the lighthouse. The ensemble breaks into song and we all join in on the chorus ending with, “These are the people who died, died. They were my friends, and they died.”
It Comes In Waves is about death, but it is also about memory and love and knowing our place and asking big questions about what really matters. And, it was a lot of fun getting to that point.
The unsung hero of this performance is the island itself. The birds, the wind through the trees, the lapping of the waves, all played a prominent role in making the show so successful.
As a last act signalling the end of our voyage, we are asked to toss our journals into a fire. Not surprisingly, nobody moves too quickly. Although there will likely be intense moments of reflection ahead, we’re not too keen on bringing the night to a close. But, the water taxi waits to whisk us back across the lake. It Comes In Waves runs throughout the week, and if you have an evening to spare do no hesitate. Go see this play.
