by Frank C.
Scott
Remnant
Written by Ron Reed
Directed by Morris Ertman
Pacific Theatre
1440 West 12th Ave.
December 5 – 20
Tickets: 731-5518
The time is the year 2072, long after The Deadly Plaguing. The place is
Barlow’s Place of Seeing, deep in the ruins of the Pacific Theatre.
The occasion is The Christ Mass, a time for the clans to gather and tell
tales of The Old Ones, and of the Jesus One, the great restorer.
Now that you are there get ready for Vancouver Playwright’s, Ron
Reed’s brave new world of Remnant. First produced in 1989 by Pacific
Theatre, it is the story of survivors, descendants from a destroyed civilization,
who now skulk in the shadows for fear of Bikers and Loners. They inhabit
a post-apocalyptic world all sharing remnants of the past, and give hope
to each other as they are drawn together for the celebration of The Christ
Mass.
The two-act play revolves around The Telling of The Three Tales where characters
speak in a decayed, corrupted dialect of broken English. They struggle to
learn of their past in hopes of understanding their future. As the story
evolves the audience learns of The Old Ones at the time of the deadly plague,
and of The Biblical Times, the time of God and the first coming of Jesus
before the plague. Later we learn of, The Jesus One, and the second coming
of Christ, birthed by the Wilkin Clan of No-One Island after the plague.
All this makes for a wonderful evening of entertainment and hope, as we
rediscover the true meaning of Christmas through their creation of the Christ
Mass.
Playwright, Ron Reed, creates some interesting parallels within the play.
As it turns out some things never change. Men are still the fear mongers
and warriors. Women are still the nurturers and care givers, and some of
us still think that material gain is the miracle of Christmas. In the end,
he does leaves us with hope that even in a post-apocalyptic world, there
is still a chance for peace on earth and good will to man.
Special praise must go out to Director Morris Ertman and his Cast of performers.
In a rehearsal period of only two weeks, Erkman directs his cast into believable
characters, each with a force of their own. Erla Faye Forsyth’s portrayal
of Annagail Bookr, particularly stood out as she provided numerous comical
moments.
In addition, for all you Techie’s out there this is a show to see. Kevin
Mcallister’s set and lighting design worked beautifully in a space that
was not easy to work with.