Lockdown: Gripping theatre, in more ways than one

FRINGE FESTIVAL

TheStar.com | Theatre | Lockdown: Gripping theatre, in more ways than one

Jul 05, 2009 04:30 AM

Comments on this story (1)

George Ignatieff Theatre, 15 Devonshire Place. Next performance tomorrow at 10:45 p.m.

Recommended

The kids are definitely not all right at the fictional Toronto high school depicted in Lockdown.

They traffic drugs and sex, dish out racist and sexist attitudes and some of them carry weapons.

This gripping new work by writer/director Frances-Anne Solomon presents us with a classroom of various types rebelling against parental, school and police authority.

It's not particularly well-staged but the performances by the mostly young cast make up for it.

Michael Miller is fine in the dual roles of an idealistic teacher and a sleazebag hood who endangers his sister's future.

A trio of singing teen femmes fatales, convincingly played by Chrystelle Robinson, Gena Joella Sylvester and Nikola Gorolova, demonstrate that the girls in the 'hood can be just as bad as the boys.

With a bigger budget and a better venue, Lockdown could pack a knock-down punch.

Bruce DeMara


Comments:

JJT, Toronto

Thank you, Star for giving " Lockdown" the credit that it deserves. Frances Anne Solomon has the talent to "pack a knock-down punch" in all of her work. Her social conscience, is a valuable resource to our communal space. Too bad the available financial resources continue to be too meagre for a realisation of her phenomenal potential. Well done, again, Frances Anne Solomon!

Submitted by joyjoy70 at 9:28 AM Tuesday, July 07 2009