Different families have different movie traditions. You know, when everybody gets together, somebody suggests they sit down together and watch It's A Wonderful Life or The Lion King or something by Steven Spielberg.
I know it's bad form to argue with Leo Tolstoy, but I have to point out that, though the Reeds are a very happy family, we are not necessarily much like other happy, family-movie-watching families. Because more than once when my daughters are home and it's time to choose a couch and settle in for a family film favourite, the unanimous choice has been... In Bruges. By Martin McDonagh. (Yup, I'm that kind of father. Call Social Services. My daughter is a public defender, she'll happily represent me in court. Just try it. You. Will. Lose. Add Martin-McDonagh-inspired epithet here.)
McDonagh is foul. And funny. And, sometimes, profound. Even transcendent. Even – dare I say? – Christian. Reminds me of that other Irishman, Conor McPherson – remember The Seafarer? Or that other Irishman, John Patrick Shanley, in a play like Danny & The Deep Blue Sea. Or that other Irishman, Stephen Adley O'Guirgis. What is this connection between the profane and the profound and the holy?
Sebastien Archibald brought me this script because he thought it a perfect fit for Pacific Theatre. Which shows just how bent he is. And how well he understands Pacific Theatre. When I approached the Cave Canem boys – a questionable co-habitation of former PT apprentices and grizzled veterans of our Emerging Artist showcases – about producing a Guest Production for our season, this is one of the scripts I put forward to them. Maybe it reminded them of home, but whatever the reason, this is the one they grabbed onto, and tonight you'll be the... Victims? Witnesses? Beneficiaries? of that ill-fated decision. And how tickled I am that they drew in the guy who started this ball rolling, along with a couple other PTSD (Pacific Theatre Survivor Disorder) veterans to fill out the cast and direct the madness.
One of my most anticipated shows of the season. Lostness and darkness, sacrifice and the faint hope of redemption. And fighting, and swears, and funny stuff. Martin McDonagh. Almost like a Reed Family Video Night. I can't wait.
Ron Reed,
Artistic Director
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