Concord Floral, a play written by Jordan Tannahill, represents the teenage condition and the ability we all possess to look the other way in the face of cruelty. Sock ’n’ Buskin’s performance, directed by Tyreike Reid, managed to portray these themes in an authentic and genuine way. Sections of this show involve sexually explicit and coarse language—view at your own discretion.
The story follows two friends Nearly Wild (Aishani Chakravarty) and Rosa Mundi (Julienne Espiritu), who discover the body of classmate Bobbie James (Arianna Fuke) in their town’s abandoned greenhouse. The greenhouse is the teenagers’ hangout; it’s where they come to party and also where their secrets are hidden.
Upon discovering the body, friendships are torn apart and hidden truths are revealed as we hear from each character and come to understand more about their individual lives as well as the events of the night Bobbie died.
The first thing that drew my attention in this production was the set—hats off to Paul Keen and Elena Hodder-Samms who were in charge of building and painting the stage at the Gladstone Theatre in Ottawa, where the play was live streamed online.
A simple yet interesting backdrop covered in graffiti and built to resemble the walls of a greenhouse, this set gave the impression that the characters never left the space. In a way, the events that had taken place there were inescapable.
The lighting was another element that made the story come to life. With a minimalistic set, the lights were cleverly used to portray space, setting and perspective. The use of colour, solely reserved for Bobbie’s character in her monologues, managed to portray her independence and isolation from the rest of the group.
I’m grateful Sock ’n’ Buskin performed this play live with the actors wearing masks during the performance. Having actors in the same space, feeding off of each other’s energy, made all the difference in the world for this production.
There was incredible chemistry between a few of the cast members, including Chakravarty and Espiritu, leading to a believable performance of the ups and downs in their characters’ friendship. The whole cast as an ensemble were strong. Being so close in age to their characters and the ability to draw on real-life experiences served them well.
The use of movement and staging drew the audience in. Having all of the characters remain on stage for the majority of the performance helped add to the feeling that they were all in on the action, even as bystanders. This was helpful in creating the atmosphere of scenes set in the school cafeteria and classrooms.
The only downside of this production was the broadcast. Although the show is well-filmed, using both wide shots and close-ups of the actors, connection issues caused the broadcast to glitch continuously throughout my viewing of the show. Although I’m not sure whether this was an issue on my end or theirs, I suggest viewing this play on one of the prerecorded show days (March 19 and 20) to ensure a smooth viewing experience.
Despite this minor setback, I wholeheartedly recommend this show. It is an engrossing play that was well-produced and performed by the Sock ’n’ Buskin team. The ensemble managed to authentically portray the themes of fear, death, shame and isolation—and the eeriness of the capacity for cruelty we all possess.
Sock ’n’ Buskin’s remaining performances of Concord Floral will be streamed March 19 and 20 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available on Sock ’n’ Buskin’s website.
Featured image by Spencer Colby.
