Review: (Ottawa / Theatre) Enron

(photo by Andrée Lanthier)

The Shadow of Money
by Jim Murchison 

Lucy Prebble has written a play that examines modern day hucksterism. The financial 911 that hit the world after the attacks in New York and Washington may well have been the more potent terrorist attack. I do not mean to belittle the devastating loss to the victims and families of the twin towers and the flights that went down but the greater threat to society as a whole appears to be corporate greed perpetuated and enabled by governments dedicated to propagandizing and myth making hyperbole.

Director Ron Jenkins has created a fast paced multi media presentation that dazzles and mesmerizes an audience in the same way a magician might with an incredible illusion. The play emulates the subject matter which is flash and smoke and mirrors, but the play has considerably more substance.

With song, dance, puppetry and lights the play maintains an atmosphere of a group of partygoers riding the crest of a wave. There is flash, confetti, money and music everywhere. The pace is kept going largely because of Michel Walton’s set design that has two levels separated by a scrolling marquee so that the action never pauses. We’re kept informed of the historical context as we travel through the Clinton and G W Bush years and into the new millennium by the projections and sound bytes on the upstage upper level.

First-Person: Antoni Cimolino on Enron

(Photo courtesy of the Stratford Festival)

Letter From Calgary

The corporation Enron still casts a shadow on this city.

by Antoni Cimolino

So its the end of week two of rehearsals on Enron at Theatre Calgary. A few quick impressions:

The cast I auditioned here in Calgary last April when I was still in the tech week of Grapes of Wrath in Stratford are terrific. They've worked so hard, quickly and well. We've shared many laughs.

There is a significant amount of movement and some dance in Enron. I've been very fortunate in having Anita Miotti as our Choreographer. She has worked in theatre but also in the modern dance world. One of the things I love about her work is that she is extremely collaborative with the actors. The results I find not only beautiful but advance the story.