A note from me: My schedule only allowed me to see the first previews of these shows, which I acknowledge isn’t ideal for me to write a review from. There were a few moments that needed a bit of polish and there were a few calls for lines. But truly, these shows were exceptional even in their “unfinished” states that I wanted to share my thoughts on them here.
Victoria has a new theatre festival offering and it’s just started! Great Works Theatre Festival is a co-production between Puente Theatre and Blue Bridge Repertory, and for their inaugural season, they are offering Victoria audiences two shows with a repertory cast.
I have to say, if I were playwright David Hirson, I would be utterly insufferable to have written a piece that so perfectly predicted the Trumpian world we find ourselves in thirty some odd years before it happened. But Hirson’s piece not only applies to the political realm, but art, culture, and also workplaces. Truly it is such an excellent allegory for so many situations. This script is stunningly difficult and the exceptional cast and direction managed to deliver a performance that brings to life every word.
La Bête is strikingly cutting comedy which doesn’t let up for a moment. We enter a room whose gilded, hallowed arches frame busts of the great thinkers (there’s some clever action with the busts, you’ll note). We revel in a sense of dignity, and very quickly this dignity is undermined by the arrival of actor Valere, played by Britt Candide Small. Boorish Valere has been – er, recommended – as an addition to the theatre troupe by Princess Conti.
Where audiences have so often seen pared down, two-hander, black box shows, the richness of this production feels almost surprising, but every detail included was utilized. Every bit of stage magic, every piece of costuming, every character was there with purpose, and it all contributed to a work that can easily be revisited and has so much to enjoy.
Blood Wedding is somewhat harder to pin down and describe, falling between a tragedy, a movement piece, and an epic myth. It is so heartbreakingly beautiful and utterly moving throughout.
Described by director Mercedes Bátiz-Benét as an adaptation, but also “a tribute and a departure […] a conversation with Lorca across time and dust”. This is originally playwright Lorca’s second of a trilogy, but as intimidating as all this sounds (I nearly gave it a miss because I wasn’t sure I would ‘get it’), this show asks you to lean in with your humanity and feel the utter pathos, to feel and embrace the tragedy unfolding before you as a human.
This piece leans into the darkness from moment one. A mother’s lament is laid bare against a stark set with nothing but two bolts of cloth. The mother places us where we are, and also hides some of her grief in what she knows will come. In a moment that broke my heart, she places a hand on her son’s cheek and states “and yet, you love her”. It is not a joyful statement. It is the tired, woeful lament of a mother who sees tragedy unfolding before her again. The misery in this piece is so real, but somehow is never performative in it’s grief.
I don’t want to give too much away, but the dance and music is such a critical element of this piece, adding a dynamic element to the storytelling that I have never experienced before. Similarly, in act two we experience a fight scene that is so precise and so impactful that I cannot help but comment. Yes, it’s a scene of violence, but it’s a scene so much more than a brawl – it’s utterly poignant tragedy and we cannot look away.
And the final scene… well. I’ve never felt an audience exhale collectively like that before.
Overall
Where both these shows draw their strengths is from a diversity of not just scripts but storytelling. Both works draw on the talents of the actors, directors, and entire creative team to tell two wholly different pieces using almost all of the same actors, and in the same place. It’s an incredibly ambitious artistic undertaking and both shows got it right.
In fact, aside from a few technical snags around ticketing and confusion around pricing, this was a smoothly run and excellent festival – especially considering it was their inaugural year!
I wholeheartedly recommend catching both if your budget and schedule allows. And if you can, seeing the shows back to back or close together will allow you to see the full range of incredible talent compared and contrasted in front of you.
In both, you’ll find flaws, and heartbreak. In both, you’ll be enthralled. In both, you’ll be asked to look deeply at humanity. But the way that you’ll them presented is so vastly different, I highly recommend either (or both!)
The Great Works theatre festival runs at the Belfry Theatre until August 10th, 2025.
