Review: Horses at the Window

Carnations and Bad News

by Jasmine Chen

@CHENPINGTING

Horses at the Window, presented by Go Play Producing is an absurdist tragicomedy written by Matei Viniec and translated by Alison Sinclair. Three centuries of war are visited through three relationships: a mother and son, a daughter and father, a wife and husband. In each story the woman is left behind, only to be visited by a mysterious messenger bearing carnations in one hand and bad news in the other. 

This cyclical journey is highlighted by the fact that all three women are played by the same actor (Oyin Oladejo), and the messenger is the same in each vignette (Pooria Fard). The men are represented by puppets, each with varying degrees of effectiveness. Where this production succeeds is in capturing beautiful stage pictures - dead soldiers rising from the earth with sand spilling out of their helmets, concealing their faces; a sea of boots hanging from the ceiling; a mother waiting at the window; a suitcase overflowing with carnations. Where the journey becomes hard to follow is in muddy transitions, excessive lighting changes, and trouble with pacing. With Viniec's tricky script, the actors must walk the line between deeply tragic and absurd. While the messenger scenes were clear in tone and purpose, the preceding woman and man duos faltered. The energy of these scenes either fell flat or remained at a fever pitch throughout.

Oladejo anchors the piece, executing her movements deftly, remaining magnetic even in her stillness - while Fard is able to capture the messenger's unmindful trivializing of each man's death with ease. Between each vignette there is live drumming followed by the reading of historical dates marking significant land acquisitions and losses between countries. While the enumerating of wars and land exchanges is effective in illustrating its own senselessness, the power of the reading is lost when the performer is reading off a music stand. It suddenly feels like we've gone into staged reading territory. 

Horses at the Window has some great moments but still feels rough around the edges. These potent stories of a woman's loss hold seeds of honesty but get bogged down by slow pacing and excessive technical elements.  

Performances take place at the Great Hall, 1087 Queen Street West between October 25th and November 2nd. To reserve a seat, email horsesatthewindow.tickets@gmail.com.

Read an interview with Pooria Fard