If you feel like a bit of time traveling this weekend, look no further than Ignorance was Bliss! We’re sent back to the 1950s to relish in the glitz and glamour of the silver screen and admire its associated stars, all while being reminded that behind the glittering facades, white picket fences, and perfect nuclear families, a generation of bored and neglected women were set to self-implode.
The Liberty Theatre, as the show’s venue, ties perfectly in with the style and themes of the performance, making it almost an immersive experience. For early comers to the show, the immersion surpasses the building’s history and architecture, as you’re encouraged to join a jive dance class. (You will need to put your drink down for this, but it’s worth it.)
The cinematic themes are driven from the very start of the show. We’re directed by our peppy ushers, wearing old-school usher regalia, to stand and look towards where the Liberty cinema screen would’ve been. A campy black-and-white trailer for a new film plays. We see classic 1950s characters: the girl next door, the dedicated housewife, the alluring neighbour, and the handsome husband. The star of the show, Dom Van Dick, is at the center of it all, playing none other than Dick Van Dom. When the trailer concludes, we’re thrilled to see DVD in the flesh as he makes his way through the crowd to take the stage. Thomas Mullane is hilarious as the flippant, stuck-up film star with an obvious disdain for his adoring fans.
DVD’s departure from the stage encourages us to turn around and take a seat facing two domestic settings: a living room on the left and a kitchen on the right. The cast of five core dancers (plus the occasional usher cameo) takes us through humorous domestic scenes. Giorgia Schijf and Minni Karamfiles’ choreography is playful, tongue-in-cheek, and creates images we can all recognize, whether from our own lives or from what we’ve seen on screen. Estelle Brown as The Girl Next Door plays “dress-ups” with a dress comically four times her size before ending up in a wild tackle for it with the fellow crazy kid, played by Izzy Leclezio. Estelle and Izzy perfectly capture the high-octane and carefree nature of kids.
Ignorance was Bliss. Photography by Kilter Vision.
The Liberty Theatre is vast in size and could potentially overpower its performers. This is not the case for this production, which uses every inch possible while still keeping everything in view. Some of the show’s strongest moments come from the use of the old projection room. Matthew Erren’s lighting is impressive and innovative, finding interesting ways to light both the cavernous cinema space and the small projection room without them feeling disjointed.
The projection room is primarily the domain of Virginia, the seductive neighbour. Minni Karamfiles pines after Dom Van Dick so much that he enters her dreams in the form of a blow-up doll—no thoughts, no brain, no bones, just looks. During this hysterical scene, DVD moves like an NPC while Virginia pursues him with great intensity, ending with a flurry of clothes flying through the air and legs poking into view behind the projection room’s window frame.
Soon the playfulness turns to sadness. Giorgia, as Betty, takes us through the complexities and pressures of being the “perfect” mother and housewife. Under her neat appearance and strained smile is a tortured soul. As an audience, we become closer to her than any of the other characters through monologues where she speaks with artificial optimism about the endless list of things she does for her husband. As we know, and she knows, her efforts will never be good enough or appreciated; and she’s furious about it.
We come to the end of Betty’s story as she decides to watch some television before her husband comes home from work. As she turns on the TV, we’re transported through hundreds of sound bites from adverts, television shows, and films from the 50s right through to the present day. As an ensemble, the performers sometimes lip-sync to the sound bites, all while climbing on and moving around, with great control, two large armchairs.
Ignorance was Bliss. Photography by Kilter Vision.
Coming to the present day, the TV they watch is turned and brought to the centre of the performance space so we can now view it. The content takes a turn away from this fantasy world we’ve been in and into a generational story closer to home. Natural and intimate voice overs from interviews play. Although we don’t know the identities of the voices, we can gather that the interviewer is speaking to her mother and grandmother about their lives growing up. The interviewees speak fondly of their childhoods while also acknowledging some of the restrictions placed upon them, such as being punished for wearing short sleeves in church. There’s a beautiful warmth and familiarity to the interviews, which makes us feel connected to the stories and people telling them.
Archival footage showing this family and scenes from across our state are projected above the performance space while also playing on the small TV. Our ensemble departs from the speedy and vibrant movement of their 1950s world to controlled and gentle choreography that matches the cadence of the interviews.
It’s a lovely close to the show, yet somewhat disjointed from the initial concepts. While there is a connection of themes across the two stories, they are both strong enough to stand on their own.
Ignorance was Bliss is a fun and thoughtful evening of entertainment. The show is loaded with comedy, delivered with ease by this strong group of performers. This talented group shows great versatility and ingenuity that will make you want to return for more.
Ignorance was Bliss is presented by Enneagon Movement and is on at The Liberty Theatre until May 26.