Upon entering the space, you know you are in for something different. Arranged with 4 blocks of audience facing one inward alley performance space, with an aisle between and space all around the perimeter, the walls are covered in white and six video screens loom overhead. The show kicks off with a burst of energy and suspense, in its opening moments merging sound, video, and live action. What ensues is another 57 scenes which are gleaned from Hollywood chase scenes. The combination of live video feed and live action serves to deconstruct some of the more iconic images that this conjures up, to great effect, including wind machines and assistants fixing hairdos.
The show took me a few scenes to really settle in to, but once the scenes began to pace and shape our experience as the audience, I really got into it. There was a unique balance of humour and more serious technical prowess as the performers moved through the scenes at a breakneck pace.
I did find that not all scenes were equal; those which really aimed to deconstruct the traditional view of what we see on film were the most successful from my view, as were those which dealt with nightmares. Some, however, felt like filler, and could have benefitted from a swipe of the dramaturgical pen, if you will.
I absolutely must mention the feat of technical engineering involved in the live mixing of 2 live cameras and a static pre-recorded video feed. While the technology didn't always cooperate at the performance I saw, it was nonetheless powerful in terms of the contribution to storytelling.
Not without flaws, Chase Scenes are definitely worth seeing.
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1018058811583055/
Summerworks Page: http://summerworks.ca/2016/artists/chase-scenes-1-58/