[Review] Act Provocateur International: Valentine’s Day
Being able to hold the stage and the audience’s attention for an hour is the main challenge of this production. Regrettably there is an awkwardness to this performance which goes beyond any traits of the title character, Valentine Day, whose monologue this is. Fortunately there are moments in which the stage does come alive, in particular as Valentine acts out episodes of his life: job interviews, nightclubbing and, most importantly to the plot, sexual encounters.
The content of the monologue is coherent and believable: Valentine has been mentally scarred and inhibited by a previous violent sexual encounter involving drugs and an older woman. As such he has remained a virgin, but thinks about sex all day, every day, and is in the process of obtaining a mail order bride. The disgust and fear with which Valentine recalls this incident is the highlight of this performance and luckily heightens its credibility.
Unfortunately the length of this piece is perhaps too much to ask of both performer and audience. Its languid pace and the tangibly hesitant acting become almost unbearable and are only relieved by the aforementioned episodes. Though to a certain extent these features could be explained away as part of Valentine’s demeanour and as representative of the lifelessness of his home and his existence, these excuses are not sufficient to entirely absolve this production of its undeniable flaws.
Who: Act Provocateur International: Valentine’s Day
Where: C Electric
When: 11:00-12:00; 4th-29th August (except 14th)
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