Aenigma Theatre joins the Vancouver Fringe Festival to bring us Edward Albee's The Zoo Story. The first Albee play I ever saw was Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and I was blown away by it. So imagine my excitement at the thought of getting the opportunity to see another one of his works.
You walk in to be greeted with the musical stylings of The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, etc. which is noteworthy since the play itself is of that time. However, Albee continued to update the play to make it more current as time went on, with this version being the most recent one (last updated/published in 2008).
Scott Button stars as Peter, the bookish patron of a park bench. Stumbling into his orbit is Jerry, played by Tom Stevens who is utterly a revelation. With the majority of the show on his shoulders, Stevens draws in the audience as Jerry, with his tales and stories about attempted dog murders and other mad ramblings. He is mesmerizing to see, and it will be well worth your time to check this show out at this year's Fringe!
Could this play be seen as depicting the need for human connection? Why is Jerry so insistent on talking with this total stranger, Peter? And why would anyone in their right mind sit and listen to him? Perhaps both are longing for something more in their lives, a connection with another individual. In this day and age, aren't we all just longing for that everytime we log into Facebook, send out a text message, take a photo on Instagram?
The Zoo Story plays on Sept 7 (7:35pm), Sept 8 (7pm), Sept 10 (8:45pm), Sept 13 (9:25pm), & Sept 14 (4:10pm) at The Cultch - Culture Lab.
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