The play follows Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as they try to decipher what their award means. Is it a gateway to sin? Their ticket to stardom? Have they been cursed? At this point in their careers, Matt and Ben are trying to get the rights for a screenplay of Catcher in the Rye and are auditioning for small time roles with no “real” responsibilities. Matt is an over-cautious, sensitive type, and Ben is his loud, raunchy, and ridiculously funny best friend. From the moment Snow and Murray danced onto the stage, the audience knew that the performance would be anything but half-assed.

Shannon Snow’s humour was on point, playing Matt as a lovable, quirky, and terribly awkward character who just wanted to break free from his irresponsible other-half. On the other hand, Jo Murray was the rowdy Ben Affleck. Though their characters were intensely dramatized, they came out refreshingly funny. Everything from crossdressing quips to pop culture references came off flawlessly as the actors showed the struggles of two guys just trying to get their break. Favourite moments included Matt and Ben’s talent show flashback performance of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” and the cameos made by Gwyneth Paltrow and J.D. Salinger.

At intermission, the audience was kindly asked to leave the theatre, only to return to Matt and Ben reinvented in black leather, studs, heels, corset tops (“titty-cages”), and metallic capes, created by costume designer, Erinn Farmer. They were dressed for the first read-through of Good Will Hunting, and it was better than anything the audience could have imagined. There was nothing restrained or understated about this play and people loved it.

Everything from crossdressing quips to pop culture references came off flawlessly as the actors showed the struggles of two guys just trying to get their break.

This production, in particular, experiments with characterization that goes beyond the traditional idea of masculine and feminine. Snow, whose acting career “thus far has her typecasted in lesbian, dystopic adaptations of Shakespeare” and who was excited to “break out of this role to play the Straight Male,” and Murray, whose theatre credits includes The Vagina Monologues, make a fantastic pair in a show that redefines gender stereotypes and showcases women’s comedy. Through creative costume changes and sexual humour, the characters of Matt and Ben become more than any one kind of stereotyped, heteronormative comedic role.

The Daily spoke to Blowfish Theatre about the company and the creative process behind Matt & Ben.

The McGill Daily (MD): What made you chose Matt & Ben as the opening production for Blowfish Theatre?
Blowfish Theatre (BT): Well, actually, Blowfish Theatre was born from us wanting to do Matt & Ben! [This play] was the collaborative brainchild of a bunch of us that felt that [it] was a perfect clash of popular culture and high culture. We jokingly named this “the renegade project” before Blowfish was created because we couldn’t find a pre-existing organization on campus that was willing or able to partner on Matt & Ben, so we said fuck it – we’ll do it ourselves!

MD: Your version of Matt & Ben was much more rowdy and wild than original clips of the Mindy Kaling’s and Brenda Withers’ production (particularly costumes, the rock band etc.). What made you take this direction with the play?
BT: With the greatest respect to Mindy and Brenda, we felt that approaching the play realistically lacked dimension. We are lucky to be able to see some clips of the original play […] Our own version [is] grounded in the original version [though it has] blown past our conceptions of space and time and [become] something wacky. For the first six weeks of rehearsal, Anni [Choudhury, the Director] didn’t even touch the script, instead choosing to develop the actors’ respective clown personalities. That says a lot about our approach; the band, the costumes, the staging and props, all complement the absurdity of clown.

Through creative costume changes and sexual humour, the characters of Matt and Ben become more than any one kind of stereotyped, heteronormative comedic role.

MD: This play does amazing things with women playing male characters. How does this play, for you, make an impact in terms of its innovative and creative character representation?
BT: We have enough performed masculinity [by men] in our culture and we don’t need anymore of that. Mindy and Brenda threw themselves on stage dressed in men’s clothes, but made no attempt to change their voices, bind their chests […] in the original Matt & Ben. That is what attracted us to the play – two chicks pretending to be dudes. And not just any dudes, but the golden boys of Hollywood. It’s subversive in its subtlety. And it’s hilarious seeing the caricatures of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck super-imposed on women.

MD: Is there anything you’d like to add about the play that made it a memorable experience to be a part of?
BT: Having the opportunity to work with such creative people really made this experience memorable. Everyone on the team helped create this crazy explosive dynamic play. We had students from all backgrounds: from music to law to mathematics. We are extremely thankful to our diverse cast and crew for their positive energy, imagination, and sparkle.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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This year’s production is most famous for its widely advertised all-women cast. Director Amanda Kellock’s take on Julius Caesar prompted a passionate dialogue on women’s empowerment. In the director’s note, Kellock mentions that, “I don’t think we’re changing Shakespeare’s intention [in regards to the message of the play] — simply removing a limitation under which the shows were first produced.”

While the men in Julius Caesar flocked towards a malevolent cause […], the women […] proved to be the wisest, most strong-minded, and independent characters.

Acting, in Shakespeare’s era, was a lowly and base profession, entirely populated by men. The idea of using an all-women cast reinvents the origins of Elizabethan theatre. It shows the versatility and malleability of roles in theatre, and the ways in which women can redefine traditional representations of classic characters throughout history. In many ways, the superior acting skills of the cast preceded the expected difficulty of playing someone of another gender.The all-women cast explored each male character with a new layer of context; each character was vibrant and convincingly sympathetic in an original way.

While the men in Julius Caesar flocked towards a malevolent cause and were swayed with oratory, the women characters, Portia and Calpurnia, proved to be the wisest, most strong-minded, and independent characters. Calpurnia, played by Tamara Brown, was rebuffed for being paranoid when she attempted to warn Caesar of the murderous plot against him. Portia, played by Holly Gauther-Frankel, stood her ground against her husband and demanded his secrets. Portia lamented over the restraints placed on women and her subordinate role, even as a noble wife in Ancient Rome. When her husband, Brutus, played by Deena Aziz, returned to their home, conflicted by the plot to kill Caesar, Portia suspected his dishonesty and demanded the truth, knowing full well that he had been wooed by the other Roman officials. Despite her inability to influence Roman politics, Portia commanded herself with confidence and agency.

[The] deliberate corrosion of Rome dampened the stark and dramatic impact of the play.

Wanting to reflect “Rome’s fallen grandeur,” Marjolaine Provencal, in charge of stage design and Crystal Chettiar, tasked with lighting design, created a unique set for Julius Caesar, decorated by rusting pipework and other industrial motifs. While it effectively foreshadows the play’s ending, the set ultimately took away from the intended irony of Shakespeare’s tragedy. When Caesar falls, he falls in the centre of the classical world and bleeds upon a legacy of triumph. The representation of Rome as sophisticated and opulent serves as a juxtaposition to Caesar’s death. While this does not mean the play requires marble pillars, the deliberate corrosion of Rome dampened the stark and dramatic impact of the play.

Caesar, played by Leni Parker, commanded the stage with a haunting presence, as the character lingered on stage as a ghost throughout the second act. In the closing sequence of Brutus’ suicide, the ghost of Caesar took on the role of the servant holding Brutus’ sword, completing the cycle of tragedy. Though Caesar was portrayed as a great and powerful leader in the first act, in death he became a silent spectator, freed from the desires of life, forgiving as he guided his enemies to the otherworld.

[The] talent of the all-women cast brought the play to new creative heights.

Near the end of the play, Cassius and Brutus wage war against the vengeful Mark Antony, played by Gitanjali Jain, in a climactic final battle to determine the remaining characters’ fates. Repercussion Theatre reimagined this brutal and violent scene as a slow-motion dance, with characters dashing across the stage at various speeds. The percussion in the background built up a steady beat for the action, guiding the character’s movements. While it tried to amplify the drama of death for each specific character, the repetitive dance fell short of actually achieving its goal. The effect elicited little wow-factor from the audience, and turned a passionately active scene into a lull.

Mark Antony, in his eulogy to Caesar, draws attention to the characteristics of “an honourable man”. He questions the validity of honour and the sin of ambition. In many ways a reflection of itself, Julius Caesar was innovative and ambitious. Yet, there were times when it too buckled under the pressures of tradition. However, the talent of the all-women cast brought the play to new creative heights. The evening ended with the opening song, giving the performance a sense of finality. As the play closed and the audience dispersed, one could certainly feel the ghosts of Julius Caesar long after the last shuttle left the graveyard.

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Featured at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA), Models Wanted! ran until August 21 and marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of ÉquiLibre; an organization founded to prevent and reduce issues associated with weight and body image by promoting healthy living. As part of the EducArt project organized by ÉquiLibre, youth from across the Greater Montreal Area submitted multi-media work to the museum that expresses support for body image activism – to acknowledge beauty in a variety of forms and challenge contemporary beauty ideals. The collection ranged from silhouettes, paintings, to celebrity collages; each piece inspiring retrospection and insight into the modern culture of body image diversity.

Bodies of art

The doors opened to a space that held a variety collages, paintings, portraits, and sculptures. I was particularly intrigued by how some artists chose to re-imagine celebrity figures who are known for their engagement with body confidence, like Adele and Oprah Winfrey. These same artists assembled a series of large-scale portraits of famous personas, integrating magazine clippings, fake eyelashes, and beads into them. They represented bodies as collections of shapes and faces demonstrate the objectification of the human form and the materialization of beauty.

The collages depicted notable celebrities: Marilyn Monroe, Bruno Mars, Rebel Wilson, among others. Through portraying smiling and singing figures, the artists showed how successful stars brought body confidence to the forefront. Even as their personas were being celebrated through art, I couldn’t help but notice the perfectly tanned and beautifully toned fashion advertisements drawn across the collages. The pieces created a unique experience, representing the duality of the celebrities’ personal achievement and the persistent struggle of media influence. This media influence continues to limit representations of ethnicity, disability and diverse sexuality, creating a standardized definition of beauty that fails to encompass a fair range of diversity.

Is there really a solution for the oppressive beauty standards in the world? Is this an issue that art has the power to change?

Other pieces addressed the destructive and disturbing standards of beauty head-on, with dark silhouettes and loud proclamations right on canvas. This portion of the exhibition depicted phrases and quotations in large font about coming to terms with one’s body. One of them read (in translation), “The mirror reflects your image but your spirit reflects beauty in each look […].” The images and the text together reflect the difficulty of learning to love oneself and the pain that comes from feeling flawed. These pieces featured nameless and faceless figures. Each one was defined by shadows and dark outlines with compelling contrasts of light and body shape.

The collaboration with ÉquiLibre is only the beginning for the MMFA. The museum is going through great, progressive changes to implement more community-conscious projects. the Director of the Education and Community Programs, Jean-Luc Murray, sat down with The Daily, and talked about his intention to shift “the perception of exclusivity” away from the art museum. Envisioning many future reforms for the museum, he hopes that the MMFA can become a “museum of the 21st century” in regards to social inclusivity.

Models Wanted! is a positive step toward rectifying the museum’s historical exclusivity.

Nathalie Bondil, Director and Chief Curator, stated that the museum seeks to “spread the important message of appreciating the diversity of our bodies and [recognize] the many faces of beauty.” Models Wanted! brings this message to the forefront, acting as a source of inspiration for the advocacy of healthy body image representation in the media.

The institution in question

The MMFA is making great strides towards inclusivity and community activism, but some believe that this has not always been the case. The MMFA claims their World Cultures and Mediterranean Archaeology collections are incomparable across Canada, but the museum has been previously criticized in the past for lack of diversity and cultural integration. The “Marvels and Mirages of Orientalism: From Spain to Morocco” exhibit in 2015 received backlash for its representations and glorification of colonialism and orientalism. The truth of the culture and the oppressive history displayed through the exhibit sparked heated debates over how diversity is represented at the MMFA.

The criticized absence of diversity within museum exhibits is due to the historically privileged canon of Western art. While this is an important critique to keep in mind, Models Wanted! is a positive step toward rectifying the museum’s historical exclusivity. Previous critiques on the western-centric perspective of the museum may still arise, but overall the collection attempts to extend support rather than marginalize and exclude. The exhibit not only shed light on an important issue in an innovative way, but also acts as a piece in a much larger movement for inclusivity.

[The media] continues to limit representations of ethnicity, disability, and […] sexuality, creating a standardized definition of beauty that fails to encompass a fair range of diversity.

The Education and Community Sector of the Museum recognizes issues of cultural oppression and marginalization as they move away from the elitism and cultural erasure associated with historic institutions of fine art. Their efforts are duly noted, as they strive to reimagine the possibilities of the modern art museum progressing past western-centric exclusivity. This is all encompassed within their “Sharing the Museum” program. The Education and Community Sector website claims that their program is based upon “open-mindedness, [and] an attentive ear and action.” The initiative has collaborated with over 400 local partnerships and organizations. Overall, it will be very interesting to see the follow-through of this museum sector, and the ways in which they work to implement community inclusivity.

Breaking the body image crisis

ÉquiLibre Ambassador and McGill graduate, Isabelle Scantland Lebel, was present at the exhibition to promote Models Wanted!. She explained the importance of “fitness for the sake of fun” rather than to achieve a beach-ready body. As a fitness instructor and program organizer, Lebel works hard to challenge the societal norms of fitness and beauty in media. She described her work as bringing physical education to underprivileged areas outside Montreal and broadening the conversation of body image acceptance and healthy living to include those who may not have access to such resources.

Lebel sees firsthand the effects that programs such as EducArt have on self-esteem and body image. Children, through her own programs and experience, become more self-assured and less likely to engage in unhealthy behaviour in an effort to enhance their physical appearance. According to Institut de la statistique du Quebec, in 2012 , 71 per cent of young people attempted to change their weight, and 51 per cent were dissatisfied with their bodies. In response to these issues, Lebel promotes striving towards a healthy lifestyle for the sake of wellness rather than beauty.

The exhibit not only shed light on an important issue in an innovative way, but also acts as a piece in a much larger movement for inclusivity.

I shared some of my own personal experiences with Lebel, as she addressed relevant struggles I see almost daily among friends and colleagues. As a professional model, I’ve been limited by the requirements of a contract and seen the restrictions imposed by the fashion community. The artwork displayed in Models Wanted! clearly reflects the repercussions of the visual world I work in. Going into the exhibit, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but the artwork was startlingly relatable. It is difficult to get over feelings of comparison and inadequacy. In that room, it seemed, everyone saw a little bit of their own insecurity drawn out and realized.

Art as a tool: Artists on activism

Models Wanted! is a new addition to an already thriving artistic movement. Body image activism has long tackled the oppressive, patriarchal standards of beauty through art. Artists such as Jody Steele put body shaming culture morbidly on display, capturing the overwhelming pressure to be thin, in a similar way to the artwork the students created. Steele, and the students of the EducArt projet, bring an important discussion on the horrors of modern eating disorders and body image dysmorphia to the forefront.

The museum’s reforms are a part of a much larger history of activist art. The Models Wanted! collages can be linked to such artists as, Brian Jungen. Jungen is an Indigenous artist who is most famous for reassembling Nike Air Jordan sneakers to resemble Northwest Coast Aboriginal masks. His work closely resembles the students’, which were composed of multi-media images and beauty products for the purpose of criticizing the beauty-industrial complex. Both repurpose commercialized items to make a statement about culture and modern representations of fashion.

Body image inclusivity and acceptance is as much a personal struggle as it is a community driven issue.

The feminist undertones of the exhibit also reminded me the Guerrilla Girls, who challenged the institution of the museum with a strong and resilient presence. The artists’ activism undermined a culture of exclusivity and made bold strides toward acceptance and change. Models Wanted! is a step in this direction, creating a dialogue about the way art and media manipulate ideas of body image.

Society defines standards, community creates change

Body image inclusivity and acceptance is as much a personal struggle as it is a community driven issue. The way models are depicted in the media affects so much of how I shape myself as a woman, but those representations don’t need to perpetuate insecurity.

In so many ways, these societal standards divide and categorize people until there is nothing left but magazine clippings, beauty products, and the desire to be someone others would consider beautiful. This is why the MMFA exhibition was so profound. Its impact doesn’t lie solely in it’s art, rather in the community, created by the body image acceptance movement. In this way, the Education and Community sector’s greatest strength is the space it reinvents and the acceptance it extends.

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ECOuture is a philanthropic initiative that, according to its Facebook page, compromises neither glamour nor style in promoting sustainable fashion. It has been for a few years within McGill and is sponsored by McGill’s Science Undergraduate Society (SUS) under the ECOLE project. This year EcoLUXE saw a roaring applause, greeting the guests in a black, white, and gold affair.

Co-director of EcoLUXE Jenna Dilworth told The Daily, “This year we really tried to advertise the show as a little more glamorous. The idea behind this was to convey the message that you can still look stylish and fashionable while making environmentally friendly choices.”

“This year we really tried to advertise the show as a little more glamorous. The idea behind this was to convey the message that you can still look stylish and fashionable while making environmentally friendly choices.”

Models, music, dancing, and an entertaining monologue by members of the show’s committee made the evening a brilliant success, with all proceeds going to the NDG Food Depot. Dilworth continued, “This event is special because the cause we are raising awareness and money for is also represented by the clothes we showcase.” ECOuture uses art and entertainment to educate about a serious reality by showing that style and environmental consciousness can go hand in hand. The fashion industry is a leading cause of pollution and the industry is unsustainable in a number of ways – in terms of material reuse, renewable energy, water stewardship and social fairness in trade and labour, to name a few.

Dilworth noted that “the greatest success of ECOuture is […] showing to the McGill student body that being eco-friendly isn’t an extremely difficult thing to do – just a few small lifestyle changes.” She explained that just recycling wasn’t enough. “Using less water and electricity are all very important, changing our clothing choices can also make a huge difference.”

Environmental sustainability can come in many forms. For instance, used clothes repurposes materials without purchasing newly manufactured pieces. Choosing locally produced clothing also reduces the carbon footprint created by shipping clothing halfway across the world and means not supporting the inhumane labour used in clothing production in poor countries.

Another sustainable choice can be using fabrics, dyes, and techniques of crafting clothing that don’t contribute to polluting water with harmful chemicals. The directors of the show emphasized in an interview that the problem with mainstream fashion is the promotion of “fast fashion” with clothing that “have to be replaced in a year or two.” ECOuture, therefore, focuses on finding brands that reuse materials, manufacture without sweatshop labour, and that are stationed locally in Montreal.

The fashion industry is a leading cause of pollution and the industry is unsustainable in a number of ways – in terms of material reuse, renewable energy, water stewardship and social fairness in trade and labour, to name a few.

ECOuture promotes a “very realistic cause,” model Natasha Chatur told The Daily.

In addition to having an ideological message, the show offered an impressive range of designers and entertainment. It featured brands such as Annex Vintage, Empire Exchange, RedMinded, INCIW, and Hoodini. INCIW’s curated vintage line comprised of reworked dip-dye and pops of vibrant colour with their signature chokers. Annex Vintage contributed unique thrift pieces from their shop, focusing on classic nineties wear. Singer-songwriter LIA also performed at the show,enchantingly, complementing to the work of the designers.

EcoLUXE was elegant, thought-provoking, and entertaining, leaving the guests with the message that conscientiousness in fashion matters. While it is challenging for the fashion industry to conform to sustainable environmental standards, ECOuture hit the balance between mindfulness and creative expression.

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Charlie Hilton has a lilting, lovely voice strengthened by a rich combination of sound. The artist breaks into her debut solo album with outstanding mastery, departing from lead vocals and guitar in Blouse, to create a work entirely her own. Released on January 22, the album’s title refers to Hilton’s given Sanskrit name. After finishing school she remade herself as “Charlie.” This feeling of transition and self-making defines Hilton’s unique solo album.

The album retains a base of Blouse’s early work but experiments and adapts to mix a pronounced sense of self-expression with an equally beautiful musical talent. “Pony,” an attention-grabbing single of the debut, illustrates Hilton’s sharp lyrics: “Get off my back / I’m not your pony / I’m getting tired of what you’re handing out.”

Palana moves effortlessly from the single’s psychedelic edge to a sweet, silvery guitar in “100 Million,” featuring vocals and music by Mac DeMarco. An ode to the small eternities of romance, the duet is effortlessly charming. “No One Will” is, in a similar vein, contributing to this soft, simple sound. A serenade in its true form, Hilton’s lyrics describe a love that is honest and easy. Other songs such as “Snow,” “Palana,” “WHY,” and “The Young” complete the artist’s vision of a hazy lullaby.

At times, however, the mellow lull of the tracks backfire. The clarity of Hilton’s lyrics is usually brilliant with occasional blunt moments in an otherwise extraordinary album. “Funny Anyway” is filled with rolling rhythm and melody, but falls flat due to its dull monotone and lack of lyrical insight.

The album is not lacking in bright self-expression, however. Alive with colour, Palana includes an assortment of rhapsody. Hilton chants to impulsive youth: “We don’t have to plan it / I never liked routine.” Another track, “Something for Us All” breaks out in an eclectic harmony that, for all its creative combination of alternative tones, doesn’t disappoint. “Long Goodbye” complements the song set, giving Hilton’s debut an impressive range.

In Palana, Hilton is bouncing synths, saccharine acoustics and everything in between, which makes for a stunning set. This album is a starkly modern take on vintage sound of the psychedelic era with something interesting for every listener.

Smileswithteeth – Walk Forever

When enveloped by Walk Forever’s bubbling synths, swelling vocals, and wind chime melodies, you can’t help but feel a rush of vitality. On January 21, Montreal dream pop band Smileswithteeth released their five-track EP, a cultivation of resonance that is simultaneously upbeat and meditative. Walk Forever creates a soundtrack to that hazy limbo of rushing thoughts and mellow calm.

In the album’s description on the band’s website, Smileswithteeth frontman Gabriel Gutierrez says the EP was inspired by his desolate and contemplative semester spent in Paris. Upon returning to Montreal, Los Angeles-raised Gutierrez pulled himself out of the recesses of loneliness, took a walk in the sunshine, and was overtaken by a newfound energy and optimism. This spirit was channeled into sound, resulting in the formation of two new band projects. Walk Forever, backed by Lillian King and Kyle Hutchins, extends a hand so that we can join this journey.

Smilewithteeth’s recent release has a lighter, more refined sound than the band’s previous album, Everyday Always. The sentiment of maintaining a positive and dynamic existence is what ties the two productions together. In Walk Forever, this positive energy reaches its apex in the tick-tock tempo of “Sup,” a song described by Gutierrez in an interview with Exclaim as “a tune made for peach sorbet at an imaginary beach.”

This is music to listen to while in motion, and music that will keep you in motion – regardless of where you’re walking to. From King’s haunting voice in the opening track to sampled passing laughter and mumbled conversation appearing later in the album, Smileswithteeth captures the texture and rhythm of a city street, evoking a sense of aimless wandering and instilling a desire for constant movement.

Walk Forever transcends the sound of footsteps on concrete sidewalks – you can hear raindrops filtering through a forest canopy, the warmth of a sunny beach, and the energy of life manifested. The result is a dreamlike buoyancy, but also a rhythmic stability that is grounding and palpable. Walk Forever is a reminder that we are surrounded by a boundless world of energy, light, and sound, and when we allow ourselves to roam and to be embraced by this world, no recess of loneliness is too deep to rise from.

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Playwright and co-director Martin Law knots the audience into the intrigue of Marlowe’s mysterious death. The play begins with a secret mission from the crown, in which Richard Bull (Dakota Wellman) and Jane Bull (Alexandra Petrachuk), a pair of sibling spies, are recruited to fake the death of playwright Christopher Marlowe (Kenny Struele). Richard and Jane must navigate the conspiracies around them as they run off into a tangled web of half-truths and historical inaccuracies. Writing with sharp and entertaining wit, Law weaves fact and fiction together. When asked what Christopher Marlowe would make of this work, Law told The Daily, “I think he would probably turn in his grave a bit, but he might have a chuckle.”

Playful and inventive, CONSPIRACY!’s actors never held back for a moment. The humour of Marlowe’s character was not lost in Struele’s acting. He had an enthusiastic stage presence as a foul, horny, hilarious drunk that could barely walk in a straight line. The events surrounding Marlowe may have involved serious matters of church and state, but Marlowe himself was riotously blunt and intoxicated throughout the play. To add to the ridiculous, Broomstick, a witch-fearing Scotswoman played by Katherine Turnbull, made the audience laugh until they cried. Turnbull turned the already comedic character into a truly excellent one, never failing to liven the absurdity of the show with unrestrained eccentricity.

Wellman and Petrachuk were a brilliant pair of leads. Their familial bickering and banter charmed the audience. Whether they were running from the crown, dragging a corpse across the stage, or arguing over an ex-husband, the two never left the audience bored. Wellman captured the quirkiness of Richard Bull perfectly, representing an unintelligent “intelligencer.” Petrachuk’s Jane Bull had a consistency that the shifting plot of CONSPIRACY! tended to lack. Her comedy was right on cue with moments of deep emotion that made the play even more intense. Leading into the climax of the play, everything began to unravel, but Petrachuk’s performance was consistently steadfast and brilliant throughout.

The acting and direction made for an animated show, but closer to the finale the plot became muddled. The overlapping conspiracies drawn throughout the play clashed in a messy, intense debate. This moment was sustained for one moment too long, and led to a lasting sense of confusion in the end. There was nothing subtle about the death-defying finale, with the playwright rising from the dead to rework history and live to be the Shakespeare we know.

Law told The Daily that “the only way I could explain how anything happened was that Christopher Marlowe’s spirit was reaching into my brain and forcing someone from the 21st century to resurrect him in place of Shakespeare.” Law found that the beauty of the comedy was realizing he knew nothing about Christopher Marlowe.

The playbill introducing the performance reades, “The play you are about to see may not be entirely historically accurate. Notwithstanding, it may not be entirely un-historically accurate. There are many ways to look at historical accuracy.” This single truth captures the creativity of CONSPIRACY! and, in Law’s own words, encourages “a sense of just how little we know.” A comedy with a penchant for disaster, this play likely kept audiences intrigued long after the final bow.

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