Every Time I See Your Picture I Cry
Conceived and performed by Daniel Barrow
SummerWorks Festival
At Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace
By Matt McGeachy
Bridging the traditional conceptual gap between visual and performing art without becoming performance art, Daniel Barrow’s beautiful and challenging theatrical event Every Time I See Your Picture I Cry left me theoretically confused but delighted. Describing the plot is less important than the concept itself: a live performance of cartoon drawings on and overhead projector, narrated by Barrow from above the audience.
By pushing the boundaries like this, Barrow challenges the idea that theatre is an event exclusively for live humans to perform. Is it possible to see a theatrical performance by a cartoon? In the physical sense, it is of course possible: we just did it. In the theoretical sense, of course, we are left asking ourselves whether what we saw was actually theatre in the sense of the word to which most of us are acclimated. The drawings were drawn by a human, animated by a human, and narrated by a human, but not on stage where we can see him. Where does that leave us?
Perplexed, but pleased. Although I have some conservative critical tendencies, I’m convinced that we need to be more willing to embrace shows like this one that really push theatrical boundaries. Toronto has a vibrant theatre scene, true, but one that is ultimately rather traditionalist. Shows like this are fascinating and thoroughly entertaining. More, please!
