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Totem Figures Venue 16 – PTE
Mainstage
Anyone who has ever sat through a long speech
will be familiar with the sounds of creaking chairs, coughing and other
general sounds of restlessness. These are sounds you won't hear very
much while sitting through Totem Figures, Fringe veteran TJ Dawe's latest monologue. That Dawe
is able to speak for almost 90 minutes and hold his audience's rapt
attention is testament both to the quality of his material and
his impressive story telling skills. Dawe
uses the image of figures on a totem pole as an analogy for the
collections of people each of us has to look to for inspiration in our
own lives; our heroes if you will. Which figures each of us choose to
put on our own personal totems, he argues, can tell us a lot about who we
are. He then proceeds to tell stories of his own totem figures and
how they have influenced his life as a Fringe performer. His own
personal group includes such diverse figures as George Carlin, Charles Bukowski, Jesus, Luke Skywalker, his father, Robertson
Davies and many others. It is fascinating to watch Dawe as he moves abruptly between seemingly unrelated
stories, and gradually weaves them into a cohesive whole. While largely
autobiographical, Dawe connects his own experiences
and totem figures with those of the audience by repeatedly inviting the
audience to think of their own totem figures and reflect on how they have
influenced their lives. Dawe is
certainly a unique talent with a fertile mind. He delivers a show that
is not only entertaining, but also one that leaves you thinking
about various aspects of it long after the performance is
finished. There are some suggestions in the show that Dawe is considering whether to continue doing Fringe
shows or moving on to other projects. We can only hope he continues to
grace the Fringe with more shows in the future, but whatever he decides I'm
sure his many fans will wish him all the best. - Terry Moor UMFM |
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