The word naked has many contexts—naked truth, naked ambition, naked force, meaning unadorned, essential. It can also mean stripped of all protection, as when prisoners are interrogated naked, reducing them to their most vulnerable. In Montreal writer Bryden MacDonald’s new play, With Bated Breath, the naked body in all its beauty is frequently displayed, though not for its sensual impact alone. Nakedness reveals vulnerability to pain, loss, despair.
MacDonald’s strengths as a playwright lie in his use of language, a mix of the ribald and lyrical, and his characters—misfits, cast outs, on the edges of society—whom he depicts with comic precision and compassion.
Willy, a kid from small town Cape Breton, played by Michael Sutherland-Young, is young like a lamb stumbling happily towards the slaughterhouse. (Neighbours hint he comes from an abusive home.) He has one mysterious gift, to evoke desire in both men and women. This leads him to Montreal’s sleazy strip joints where, although he dances like a creature with hooves, he is a favourite of clients. A cynical stripper, Float, performed with lewd élan by Eloi Archambaudoin, tries to help Willy learn the ropes.
But Willy is fleeing from demons he can’t comprehend, growing increasingly delusional until he vanishes. Married Bernie, who rescued him from a beating in Cape Breton, begins a never-ending search fuelled by alcohol and meaningless sexual encounters, while Willy’s old neighbours recount his mysterious charms.
The crux of the drama lies in a question: how did the first passionate encounter between Cape Breton farmer, Bernie, and bawdy Ricotta end up in the train wreck of their marriage, after Bernie helps Willy and brings him into their home. Neil Napier is a subtle yet powerful Bernie, seeking oblivion in drink, while Danette Mackay gives us a scalding Ricotta.
The set by James Lavoie, lighting by Spike Lyne and sound-scape by Peter Cerone colour the emotional moods.
Unfortunately, the dramatic momentum set up by the three-way conflict is dragged down by the pull of MacDonald’s looping back and forth time frames, and too many monologues from rural neighbours. Felicia Shulman is a venomous, wounded therefore wounding, gossip, and Sarah C. Carlson as Esta, brings pathos to her sappy Zen speeches. Yet they are extraneous characters who confuse instead of enlightening the central action.
Nevertheless, MacDonald and Roy Surette have directed the play in tandem with audacious sensuality and deep compassion towards a daring finale of vulnerability, stripped down to despair and loss. Not to be missed.
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What a good headline — and what a good review! “A creature with hooves” — love it.
This is a courageous and wonderful play full of poetry and audacity and it highlights the talents of some of our livelliest actors. Do not miss it. After attending a lot of lesser works in this city Bated Breath gives thes audience hope. It is not meant to be a narrative, it is an epic of evocation, and a tragedy well written, beautifully performed and really well directed.
Great review! I really loved the “creature with hooves” too!
I saw the play last night and truly enjoyed it. I thought the writing was flawless and the acting strong.
I don’t agree that the “back and forth time frames” pulls the momentum down. I thought it was perfectly paced and the “clues” were spread out in such a way that kept me interested and amazed whenever I discovered something new about Willy.
Like the faces of a die, the vignettes give us a different perspective on Willy. They show us how his desire for happiness and safety has affected the five other characters as well as himself. There’s much more to Willy than a three-way conflict.
Poor, poor Willy.
Excellent review for an excellent play!
This is a rather remarkable exposition of a mise-en scène in Montréal. If the play is as good as the review, it should be a success!
Bated Breath is beautifully written, and very well performed and directed. It really reflects the confusion of arriving in Montreal from almost anywhere. Best of all, Roy Surrette took a great risk on local talent. He has an almost unprecidented number of Montreal actor’s who do shine in this complex and poetic work. It is not a narrative play, but an evocative and beautiful one. A tragedy that heads relentlessly to the inevitable and horribly sweet tragedy at the end. Not to be missed.