Biographies of the Dead and Dying [Vancouver Fringe Festival, theatre review]

I had looked at the trailer of Biographies of the Dead and Dying when I first previewed the Vancouver Fringe Festival and when I wrote about their upcoming production. Andrew offered me a pair of tickets and I was very happy to take ML along with me to see Biographies. I didn’t know what to expect, other than a performance that was centered around loss, death and the dying process. Having been quite acquainted with explorations of these themes (particularly when I was a stage actor) I figured I had the whole process of how the play would turn out all planned in my head. I was in for a surprise, and quite a pleasant one.

Biographies explores stories of ghosts through the lenses of a female writer and the owner of a haunted house. I don’t want to give away more, but as I mentioned on Twitter before, the female lead’s performance was nuanced, vibrant, strong. Both leads (female and male) gave very solid performances, exploring a complicated storyline that leaves the viewer to question his/her own beliefs surrounding ghosts and death itself. I found the play extremely physical and quite strenuous for both leads, yet their strength does not falter. I would have expected the leads to be absolutely exhausted by the end of the show. Nevertheless, their performance is impeccable. I want to commend both actors and the whole team behind them for an excellent show.

I’m proud of the Vancouver theatre scene, and I am sure the members of the theatrical community should be proud too.

WARNING – The play contains nudity, coarse language, explicit language and sexuality. Viewer discretion is advised.

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