SummerWorks 2012: Barrel Crank

Before Nik Wallenda walked the high-wire, there was Annie Edson Taylor, the first person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel (and on her 63rd birthday to boot!). Erin Shield’s Barrel Crank, now playing at the 2012 SummerWorks Performance Festival, tells the story of this fiercely determined woman, hell bent on maintaining her personal integrity, despite being desperately poor and dependent on her status as a dime museum attraction.

Playfully narrated by Suitcase in Point co-founder and artistic director Deanna Jones, the vaudvillian-style show opens with an amusing portrait of the region’s famous tourist attractions—both awe-inspiring and tacky in their appeal. Turns out, not much as changed since 1901. “Everything old is new again.”

Finding herself alone, aging and penniless, Edson Taylor (played with sturdy vigor by Amy Nostbakken) enlists the help of the sleazy talent manager Frank Russell (the entertaining Trent Pardy) and Carlisle, a popular daredevil (played by an animated Muoi Nene), to launch her career as a stuntwoman. But her stubborn refusal to sell herself ultimately leads to humiliation and commercial failure.

Featuring variety show music, dancing, photographs, film and shadow play, Barrel Crank is a fun-filled ride through the history of our very own natural wonder. Director Rose Plotek gets fine, multi-character performances out of the cast, who commit to the rollicking scrip with infectious enthusiasm.

Barrel Crank runs until August 18 at the Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace. Visit SummerWorks.ca for more information and to buy tickets.

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