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REVIEW: Bang Bang offers thought-provoking theatre at the Belfry

Joint production with Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre has various subtexts to story
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(From left) Beverly Ndukwu (as Lila Hines), Alex Poch-Goldin (Tony Cappello) and Sébastien Heins (Jackie Savage) in a scene from Bang Bang, by Kat Sandler. The Belfry Theatre co-production with the Royal Manitoba Theatre in Winnipeg runs Oct. 29 to Nov. 24 at the Belfry. Photo by Dylan Hewlett

By Sheila Martindale

Monday Magazine theatre reviewer

Kit Sandler’s Bang Bang is a very good play, and it is very well acted. It comes to the Belfry Theatre ready-made from the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre in Winnipeg, and has a lot to say about racial profiling, gender roles and who should be allowed to tell the stories that define us.

What begins as a monumental shouting match develops into a serious drama with enough humour to prevent it being totally depressing.

Tom Keenan has the role of the playwright who has written a play about a black police officer who shot and killed a black kid, who had acted suspiciously but who was actually unarmed. The script was about to be made into a movie, with a male (but almost androgynous) actor, played by Sébastien Heins, as the star.

Warona Setshwaelo does a great job as the real police officer’s mother, while Beverly Ndukwu is splendid as the actual (but now ex) police officer. This competent cast is rounded out by Alex Poch-Goldin playing the part of ex-cop-turned-security-officer, Tony Capello, who lightens the tone of the piece with his weird humour.

Poor Keenan is the punching bag of the piece who suddenly steps out of character and starts a tense stand-off against the rest of the characters on stage. And it is interesting that all five actors are on the stage for almost all of this two-hour play.

The set is lovely, thanks to Adam Parboosingh; in fact all the creative team as well as the actors, should be applauded for putting together a thought-provoking piece of theatre.

A warning for more sensitive audience members, the play includes a lot of yelling and stretches of repetitive coarse language.

Bang Bang runs at the Belfry until Nov. 24. For tickets call 250-385-6815 or visit belfry.bc.ca