No Exit: four more shows in Calgary

Jean-Paul Sartre's 1944 play No Exit is on stage as part of The High Performance Rodeo festival.

Two of Vancouver's most innovative theatre companies: Electric Company Theatre and The Virtual Stage are set to wow another four audiences in Calgary before returning home.

It is a four person, one-act play featuring enormous talent in all its players, particularly Laara Sadiq as the sexually charged Ines Serrano, who has died of gas.

Set in Hell (represented by an anonymous hotel room), we watch as the three strangers struggle with corporeal desire in all its forms, from wanting a toothbrush or sex to needing the attention of others.

This last thing; the thing the characters covet the most - to be seen, heard, admired - and its opposite - the power to witness, observe, provoke - is where this production really crackles.

Here are three good reasons to see this play, while you can:

1) Seamless production: From the fascinating blend of live film projection and on-stage acting, to the clever lighting, score, and set design (we see, at one point, our guide the Bellhop at a desk with large piles of folders marked "said" and "unsaid") this is a captivating, 90 minute performance.

2) It's uncomfortably comfortable: Don't get too cozy. As Sartre reminds us, the more we see ourselves in the characters, the more necessary their hell becomes. This show draws you in, and then gently pokes at you .... I should say no more.

3) It's entertaining: Good art should always be entertaining, even if it's uncomfortable. This show is marked by outstanding performances from all four lead players. It is dark, funny, and most of all intriguing. Plus, the audience is always entitled to a behind-the-scenes tour after the performance, and believe me, you'll want it.

The four remaining shows in Calgary take place at the Max Bell Theatre:

Friday, January 29 at 8:00 pm
Saturday, January 30 at 2:00 pm
Saturday, January 30 at 8:00 pm
Sunday, January 31 at 2:00 pm

Tickets can be purchased through the Epcor Centre or on The High Performance Rodeo website.

Published on TheAmpersand.ca January 29, 2010