7 Stories
Canadian Stage Company in co-production with Theatre Calgary
By Morris Panych
Directed by Dean Paul Gibson
Starring Peter Anderson
Runs until December 5 @ Bluma Appel
By Daina Valiulis
According to Morris Panych, 7 Stories is about “why people live, what people live for, what the reason for their existence is.” Twenty years ago, Panych was commissioned by Larry Lillo, then artistic director of the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario, to write 7 Stories, at a time when AIDS first became a hot topic. The play echoes (not so subtly) Sartre and Magritte, calling to mind humanity’s comical need to find meaning in everything. Remounted now in 2009 by CanStage with the original three musketeers Morris Panych, actor Peter Anderson, and designer Ken MacDonald, the production is incredibly indulgent and dated.
The Man stands on a window ledge about to commit suicide (“To be or not to be…”) and before he is able to jump, becomes involved in the lives of the people in the surrounding apartments. The dialogue is at times nonsensical and absurd, reminiscent of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, and certainly carries his philosophy that ascribing meaning to life or to the play itself for that matter is futile and silly. This unfortunately becomes very dull after a few minutes. The topic of existentialism has been seen and done to death by artists of all kinds and this production of 7 Stories adds nothing new to the mix.
To add insult to injury, the characters are so over the top that they push the boundaries of cheapness. For example, one character keeps disappearing and reappearing in the window next to The Man as they discuss existentialism, which hints very strongly to the audience that this part is funny and they should laugh, which is patronizing and annoying. The old woman character also gets laughs because she is old (and that, in itself, is apparently funny enough). To make matters worse, she appears at the end of a show that, despite its 90 minutes, feels much too long and she speaks veeeery slowly (because she’s old).
The final nail in the coffin occurs at the end of the piece when The Man, instead of jumping down, jumps up, landing on the opposite building where men in black suits and bowler hats with green apples hanging from them appear, beating the audience over the head with meaning.
7 Stories has won multiple awards in its 20 years of existence and been translated into over 40 languages. Clearly it has touched people. This reviewer, however, is left puzzled.
