Kanandra’s tale of the swallow warts was presented in sold-out shows titled Nomadic Tempest in Gibsons last weekend. Though it generated some buzz around town, it also prompted others in the audience to walk out of the performance.
The Caravan Stage Company brought their operatic production to the Gibsons wharf aboard their tall ship, the Amara Zee, and the show was a technical marvel with visuals projected onto a screen that unrolled from the rigging, aerial acrobatics, singing, thunder and damnation in the story line. It could be compared to a scaled down Cirque du Soleil production.
The presentation was relentlessly anti-fossil fuel, depicting apocalyptic scenes of the planet engulfed in the mighty oceanic waves brought about by climate change. On the plus side the vocalists performed with operatic quality, the lighting and stage design were well done, the movement and acrobatics engaging. The music was dramatic, though not memorable.
The story? Not so good. A survivor of the apocalypse, Kanandra tells the story of the great wipeout to children, and she places blame on the swallow warts, those who profited from big oil money. It’s not a new message for most folks on the Sunshine Coast, whether they are pro or con the Kinder Morgan pipeline. Recently the same show was performed in St. Petersburg, Florida, and in Texas. You can’t help but wonder how the anti-oil message played in Texas.
The story line was hampered by strange phrases flashed on the screen that made no sense. Example: “We will determine the wart with our wing ways.” The show spent over an hour describing the tragic situation for a group of acrobatic butterflies with very little at the end to indicate what we can do about the forthcoming demise of the planet. A few drops of hope after an ocean full of despair would have helped round out the story.
The Caravan Stage Company was created by Nomadic Tempest writer and director Paul Kirby and Adriana Kelder in the 1970s as a theatre company that toured in six large wagons pulled by a team of Clydesdales. Their object was to bring original theatrical productions to people in their own communities. In 1993 planning and fundraising got underway to move their travelling stage to a boat, the Amara Zee, after which they toured European waterways.
The production was a hearty joint effort that included Canada 150+ in collaboration with the folks that bring you the jazz festival, those who organize Sea Cavalcade, and with the co-operation of the Gibsons Landing harbour staff.
