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theatre: the elephant song (2004)
synopsis An eminent psychiatrist has vanished from his office. The last person to see him is Michael, a troubled patient obsessed with all things elephants. Dr Greenberg, the hospital director, is determined to interrogate Michael, ignoring the head nurse's cryptic warnings. Michael speaks of elephants and opera — with the occasional hint of murder and foul play. Fraught with mind games and verbal tugs-of-war, The Elephant Song is a cat-and-mouse game that will keep you guessing until its haunting conclusion. (2M/1W, approx. 75 minutes)
reviews "The Elephant Song could be the start of a major career. It certainly shows an unusual poise and sense of theatricality and is an always-absorbing character study of Michael Aleen, a patient in a psychiatric hospital." - Robert Crew, Toronto Star
"The Elephant Song is a dark, savagely funny three-hander about a mental patient, a psychiatrist and a nurse. Crisply written, it has echoes of Edward Albee's The Zoo Story, or perhaps something by Harold Pinter." - Michael Posner, The Globe & Mail
"Canadian playwright Nicolas Billon's The Elephant Song is a 4 o'clock in the morning play: You wake up at 4 a.m. and everything makes sense." - Martin F. Kohn, Detroit Free Press
"[The Elephant Song's] rapid-fire dialogue escalates psychological tension in a style reminiscent of Edward Albee." - Matt Radz, Montreal Gazette
"Writer Nicolas Billon's intelligent use of metaphor is evident throughout the production, and it is a joy to uncover each image and symbol as it relates to the often negative environment of a mental institution." - Marlene Eisner, The Suburban
production history May 18, 2008 Workshop Theater Company (New York City, USA) Jewel Box Theater (Public Reading) January 26, 2008 hotINK International Festival (New York City, USA) Burrows Theatre, NYU (Public Reading) May 9 - 12, 2007 Cairns Little Theatre (Cairns, Australia) Cairns Little Theatre January 18 - February 11, 2007 Infinitheatre (Montréal, Canada) Bain St-Michel January 18 - February 12, 2005 (French Production) Théâtre d'Aujourd'hui (Montréal, Canada) Grande Salle July 22 - September 26, 2004 The Stratford Festival of Canada (Stratford, Canada) Studio Theatre Saturday, September 6, 2003 The Stratford Festival of Canada (Stratford, Canada) Studio Theatre (Public Reading) Saturday, March 16, 2002 Infinitheatre (Montréal, Canada) Infinite Space (Public Reading) |
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