I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: MARTIN TIELLI-The Hudson, Hamilton, ON (January 28, 2006).

After the flurry of solo activity, the Rheos released their final album and toured and then broke up.  Dave Bidini said that Tim Vesely wanted to quit in January 2006. Who knows exactly when that was made clear or how this solo show from Martin came about.

It’s only 29 minutes long.  When he comes out someone asks where he came from. So who knows what’s going on.

The recording is too loud and feels kind of harsh. But he says “I’m gonna try some songs on you.”

I think the entire set is him solo although it sounds like there may be an extra guitar on “My Sweet Relief” and “I’ll Never Tear You Apart.”  He doesn’t mention anyone though, so maybe he’s just awesome.

There’s only 7 songs “Digital Beach” (an unusual Rheos cover by itself).  Then six songs from his debut album.  “World In A Wall” which is great (but again, kind of harsh sounding), “Waterstriders (The Bridge)” “My Sweet Relief” “I’ll Never Tear You Apart,” a rocking “That’s How They Do It In Warsaw” and “Wetbrain.”

It’s a brief show with very little chatter, but it’s interesting to hear him do many of these songs solo.  Given that he tends to play songs from newer albums I can’t help but wonder if this was actually an older concert.

[READ: June 15, 2015] Bleachers in the Sun

Every now and then a big pile of short plays comes to my desk.  The ones that sound interesting I’ll give a read–it usually doesn’t take too long.

This one is about 4 eleven year old girls (in the play the performers are adults).

The blurb on the back says “Why would adults go to see a play about eleven-year-olds?  Possibly because none of us ever really stop being eleven.  [This play] holds a mirror up to grown ups to darkly illuminate the world of modern adolescent girls, which is just like ours, only amplified.”

Okay, well, yes it sort of does that,  But the mirror was so dark that I found the play less than illuminating.

In the note on performing the play it says “there is meanness in the text: it doesn’t require volume or violence.  The words do plenty of harm on their own.”

And that’s what yo get here.  A very mean play about four girls doing mean things to each other.

The four girls are Tilly.  And I think the problem with the play can be summed up in the description of Tilly: “overweight, wants to be loved anyway.”  Who wouldn’t want to be loved anyway?  I think it’s that word anyway that shows a disconnect with the way the kids work. Zoe, (claustrophobic, genius, hanging on to childhood [genius is rather strong]).  Rose, newly rich insecure and suspicious of everything.  And Judy, a cunning beauty with no money and little hope.

The play starts with Tilly and Zoe meeting at the bleachers.  Zoe really likes Tilly, but Tilly is used to pushing people away because she is fat.  There’s a naiveté about Zoe that seems unreal–that she can’t tell that Tilly doesn’t like it when Zoe marvels at her ability to eat.

But Zoe is also an unusual girl and is made fun of for it.  So when Rose and Judy come by, Tilly tries to distance herself from Zoe.  Of course, insecure Rose immediately makes fun of Tilly for being fat.  And then she starts yelling at Judy about borrowing money.  This whole plotline in which Judy’s mom owes Rose’s mom money for a hair procedure but somehow Rose is taking it out on Judy is also straining credibility–not that it wouldn’t happen, just that it’s hard to imagine parental intervention wouldn’t affect it.

The basic plot comes down to Zoe claiming that she is going to inherit money and Tilly telling the others that that’s why she hangs out with Zoe.  Then Judy, who wants money, decides to be nice to Zoe too, which makes Rose even more insecure.

Tilly is also trying to use Judy because Tilly’s mom thinks Judy is so pretty, she holds her up as an example to what Tilly could be.  So Tilly  hopes to show her mom what a jerk Judy is.

They all seem to play off of Rose’s monetary insecurity, and by the end, even Zoe’s claustrophobia has been used against her.

So, it’s a look at four mean girls.  While the dialogue is snappy and pretty clever, and the story is largely believable, I’m know I’d ever want to see this performed.  It’s just so dark and mean.

Not my thing, man.