Toronto Fringe Review: Rearview

Just a moment into Rearview, a drama set inside a moving car, I found myself wondering why am I here?

Three of us were wedged between two performers who seemed intent on acting as though we didn’t exist. A car is close quarters - maybe too close to erect a theatrical 4th wall between actors and audience – but rather than emersing us in the play, the performers looked right through us, and I was constantly reminded that I was not actually present in the story.

Despite being billed as site-specific theatre, the piece didn’t interact with the surrounding neighbourhood either. As we zigzagged through the alleyways around Queen Street West, I found myself more interested in sightseeing than following the monologue unfolding inside the vehicle. About halfway through the show, my thoughts drifted to the environmental impact of the play: nothing about the performance seemed to justify burning fuel for 4 hours each night of the festival.

To make matters worse, neither of the characters in Rearview was particularly sympathetic. In fact, the only thing that kept any interest in the script was that, during most of the 15-minute monologue, we didn’t know what was going on. Despite the fact that the plot was never developped, the climax managed to be predictable, and then we were unceremoniously dropped off with the words “I hope you got what you paid for.” Given that I didn’t actually have to shell out any money for the show, I guess I did.

Rearview plays at 20-minute increments, from 6pm-10pm each day of the festival. The ticket booth is right next to the Passe-Muraille (16 Ryerson ave), and they’ll pick you up in the alleyway beside the theatre.