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Dates and Venue February 16 - 27, 2016 at 8pm (February 21 & 27 at 2pm) | Historic Theatre at the Cultch, 1895 Venables Street Director Chris Abraham Lighting Design Jonathan Ryder Stage Manager Elia Kirby Reviewer John Jane Ever played Winners and Losers? It’s a game that can be played solo, with a partner, or even in a group. For those who are a little less superficial, the object of the game is simple, embracing the arbitrary logic of determining whether someone, somewhere or something is either a winner or a loser. The one time brilliant music producer and presently a guest of the Unites States Department of Corrections, Phil Spector is arguably the most (in)famous exponent. He reputedly walked off an airplane he had already boarded, because he looked at his fellow passengers and decided they were all losers. Marcus Youssef and James Long’s light, yet entertaining show, which opened on Tuesday night (February 16) at The Cultch, is partly improvised and partly scripted. It takes place on a basic black box stage with only with a table, a couple of chairs and a pair of counter bells. The show follows a disjointed conversation format, with a random selection of subjects that left me, and I suspect many in the audience bewildered. It all starts off with Youssef and Long marking off an area of the stage with a white chalk line. From that moment forward, the dialogue (or chatter) moves fluidly at the speed of light. Since the pair hardly agrees on the winner – loser status of any of their targets, eventually, the game devolves into a personal battle of one-upmanship. The pair (who are apparently long time friends) work out some of their pent up aggression through a table tennis match and a wrestling bout, before gravitating towards a carefully calculated combative exchange. While Marcus Youssef and James Long give the deliberate impression that they are performing as themselves, there is a distinct element of theatricalism. Their performances on subsequent evening will inevitably fluctuate, but I’ve no doubt that their interrelationship will survive intact. In my view they
both come out WINNERS. © 2016 John Jane
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The
Cultch