Some Reckless Abandon
10:00 PM, Fri., 2/27
5:30 PM, Sat, 2/28
1:00 PM, Sun., 3/1
7:00 PM, Fri., 3/6
2:30 PM, Sat., 3/7
$7
“Cara Yeates is a revelation from the beginning to the end!” – CBC.
Veteran performer Cara Yeates is Madeleine Cross, barely eighteen, full of bravado, so determined to ditch her hometown she signs up for “Teenage Jesus Girls Camp” in Honduras. But there is inevitable trouble in Paradise. Pining for her absentee Cowboy and wary of the Teenage Jesus Fanclub, her desire for escape smolders. A fiery getaway is unavoidable. Playwright Leah Bailly’s Some Reckless Abandon is a one-tour de force, recalling first departures and teen-love, taking audiences deep into missionary culture.
Over the Moon Productions
Vancouver British Columbia
www.carayeates.com
Genre - Solo Performance
Rating: R 60 minutes
Sexual Content
Latecomers permitted within 15 Minutes
Filed under: 2/27 Friday, 2/28 Saturday, 3/1 Sunday, 3/6 Friday, 3/7 Saturday, Starline Performance Venue
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7 Responses to “Some Reckless Abandon”
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* The Rogue celebrates the freedom of expression and we encourage you to review as many shows as you can catch at Rogue 2009. However, "flaming" (i.e. personal insults, name calling, etc) are not reviews and any such comments will be deleted.
February 28th, 2009 at 1:00 am
Sometimes I have horrible stress-dreams, ‘loss of control’ dreams. Like actors have, where they can’t find the stage, can’t remember their lines, everything goes wrong, etc.
I felt SO badly for this poor actress, Cara. Pretty much everything technical that could go wrong, did, in her first performance. The light cues were all OVER the place, sound cues coming out of nowhere, the laptop for her projector picked up a radio station, at one point the laptop projected the windows page. The venue door squeaked with every latecomer, the Starline Grill was loud, people came in through the side door, props were hard to work with, and even the poor girl’s heel got stuck in the stage floor!
Cara made it through, trouper that she is. Hopefully these tech issues will be fixed before the next few performances.
As for the show itself. The script was over-reaching and ambitious, and one of those that a Meryl Streep could possibly have pulled off. The actress was one of those who could only pull off a fantastic script. Together, they provided a so-so show…until!
The first 30 minutes were tough for me…it felt like a difficult high-school one woman production. The action and the acting pick up greatly 2/3 of the way through, and by the end, I had an incredible appreciation for Cara’s abilities. The script is part of the technical problem, as it calls for unusual projections and overdone prop usage/costuming.
But by the end, I noticed something. When Cara started the show, I thought of her as a young junior college type, innocent and fun and cute, to the point where I was taken aback by her first swear word.
By the end of the show, that woman onstage was an adult, 30 years old.
The transformation is subtle and amazing, credit to both the script and actress (maybe more for the actress). No matter how I felt throughout the show, and what I’ve written here, I was compelled to clap a long time for Cara’s performance.
I don’t know if you’ll appreciate the transformation as much as I did, because that alone makes the show worthy and succesful to me. If you do, if you have the attention span, and if tech issues don’t drive you bananas (as they do me), this show is worth the effort. If you’re an MTV fan, young, or not so much into theatre…then no. This isn’t for you.
Any show that can draw me to think and write so much about it has merit, tho…and Cara’s transformation is fantastic. I wish her the best in her future…I just don’t know if this show is it.
March 1st, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Despite some technical difficulties that occured the first night, I really enjoyed this show. Cara’s ability to create a different set of characters was, for me, a success. Some of the transitions were not smooth, and could be worked on, but this was due to flash of characters that she had to switch around.
Creating one character can be hard enough for an actor to pull of while she is onstage alone, but accurately depicting several characters is a daunting task, for any experienced actor. It may have been the charm and charisma that Cara possesses that drew me into this play, but I thought she had no problem becoming more than one person in this show.
I also really liked the music that was used in this show, maybe it’s the fact that I can identify with an 18 year old who is dancing to the beats of Daddy Yankee, and Shakira, but the other music used was just as effective.
An interesting piece that would probably be considered a dramady, if you’re looking for something you wouldn’t normally see in Fresno, go see this show, it’s an opportunity that the Rogue presents for everyone that says there is nothing to do in Fresno.
March 1st, 2009 at 11:38 pm
This was an absolutely FABULOUS show! It really is one of this year’s MUST SEE. I saw the show on opening night and she completely blew me away! The very minor technical issues were hardly noticeable, as Cara’s highly compelling story took everyone along with her…every step of the way. The writing and acting were simply astonishing! Given Cara’s intensity, I was thoroughly convinced this was her own autobiography of her midwest-gone-Latin-America experiences, woven beautifully with struggles of love, morality, and freedom. I can’t recommend this show more highly.
March 2nd, 2009 at 1:06 am
While there’s some room for improvement, I rate this show right up there with the best of this year’s Rogue. A very impressive and ambitious piece of work with a unique rhythm, style and presentation. Unique subject matter, drama, comedy and movement create a moving combination and revealing picture of a young woman’s thoughts, dreams, desires, troubles and development. Lots of heart, mind, body and spirit in this show.
Note: All the technical difficulties that have been described had been resolved by the time I saw this show.
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:49 am
Impressive energy and emotion! Good characterization and dialogue. Quite a believable story. Did Cara actually live this? Makes one wonder…
March 6th, 2009 at 11:22 am
Awesome! Highly polished performance with a level of detail that draws one into the story. It is a well written and compelling tale of a lost/lonely/rebelious young woman searching for her identity and place in the world. A must see.
Debra
March 7th, 2009 at 1:34 am
This show was fantastic!!! Wonderful acting and a great script. Definitely a MUST SEE. Beautifully acted!!!!!! Don’t miss it!!!!!