by AMY BARRATT

Every once in a while you go to a show by a new company, with an unknown writer, in a small venue and you're blown away. Unfortunately, Chimera, presented by One on One Theatre at Players' Theatre, isn't one of those experiences.

The writer, Jason Katz, is a graduate of Concordia's playwriting program, and Chimera, which he also directs, is his first full-length play. In the program for the show, Katz writes of his desire to entertain and move audiences. For about the first 20 minutes, he had me. But by intermission, more than an hour in, it was clear that what we had here was an overwritten mess concealing a few good ideas.

Warning: I am about to reveal some of the plot.

The setting is an abandoned-looking house on a very cold winter night. First a distressed young woman enters, followed shortly after by two young men. Although they seem to know her, she shows no recognition, only fear, reaching for the nearest sharp object to protect herself. So far so good.

It eventually comes out that one of the young men, Richard, has been corresponding with someone named Cheryl at this address for four years. This woman is named Cheryl. The men have come looking for her because the letters mysteriously dried up three months before. It turns out that this was Cheryl's mother's house and that the mother was writing to Richard pretending to be her daughter. The mother has recently died.

This is a terrific set-up for a play that then utterly fails to unfold. Katz is unfortunately not interested in the question of why the mother would have written those letters. He has the characters offer a few theories about her motivation, but none are satisfying and no one really investigates.

We learn that Cheryl left home at 17 and that she hadn't spoken to her mother in years, but virtually no explanation is given for the rift between the two. In general, this sole woman character is severely under-written. The actress (Lindsay Wilson) spends long stretches standing on stage reacting her heart out to the men's speeches, but having been given nothing to say by the playwright.

The two men, Henry (Toma Weideman) and Richard (Jesse Todd) are brothers (note to the playwright: Cheryl somehow divines this fact without either of the men ever saying so). Henry takes care of Richard, who is a little bit simple. Todd is memorable in the only sympathetic role in the piece, even though his character's IQ seems to fluctuate wildly; one moment he's too innocent to realize that people are making fun of him; the next he is deftly analyzing his brother's behaviour.

Ultimately the problem with the play is that the action isn't organic. You can feel the playwright pushing the characters around. As far as I know, a chimera is a mythological monster comprising the parts of various different animals. I don't know why Katz chose it as the title for his play but unfortunately it's quite apt: this Chimera feels like about three different plays grafted together.

No dead end

Back and probably better than ever: Cul-de-sac, a one-man show starring Daniel MacIvor, was originally created during a residence at Usine C in 2002. It has since been performed all over North America to rave reviews. The da da kamera (Toronto) production about the slimy underbelly of a suburban neighbourhood returns to Usine C (1345 Lalonde) April 27–May 1, 521-4493.

Chimera, to April 24, 8pm, at Players' Theatre (3480 McTavish, 3rd floor) $10, 481-8263

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