Local Man Ruins Everything
A man walks into a bar. The man says to the bartender, “I need a drink.” Local Man Ruins Everything centers around one pivotal night in a bar, when a man chooses the path to the rest of his life. A story about reflection, soul searching, introspection, and synonyms.
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5:30 pm Local Man Ruins Everything
See https://theatreinlondon.ca/2017/05/local-man-ruins-everything/ for details.
Location: Good Foundation Theatre
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5:30 pm
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8:45 pm Local Man Ruins Everything
See https://theatreinlondon.ca/2017/05/local-man-ruins-everything/ for details.
Location: Good Foundation Theatre
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8:45 pm
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6:30 pm Local Man Ruins Everything
See https://theatreinlondon.ca/2017/05/local-man-ruins-everything/ for details.
Location: Good Foundation Theatre
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6:30 pm
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5:00 pm Local Man Ruins Everything
See https://theatreinlondon.ca/2017/05/local-man-ruins-everything/ for details.
Location: Good Foundation Theatre
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5:00 pm
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8
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9
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8:00 pm Local Man Ruins Everything
See https://theatreinlondon.ca/2017/05/local-man-ruins-everything/ for details.
Location: Good Foundation Theatre
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8:00 pm
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10
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3:30 pm Local Man Ruins Everything
See https://theatreinlondon.ca/2017/05/local-man-ruins-everything/ for details.
Location: Good Foundation Theatre
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3:30 pm
Local Man Ruins Everything is a play about a young man at a crossroads; about choices, directions and the influence we have over one another.
The piece is well-staged and performed by experienced young people who give life and depth to their three characters, when working with a script that leaves a bit to the imagination in the case of two of the three characters. The climax and ending were intriguing and certainly raised the stakes of a story that could at times seem to lack vitality. The audience also appreciated some of the script’s youthful humour.
If you are looking for something to fill your Fringing schedule while allowing you to support up-and-coming theatre school grads, this is a pick for you.
The show is an examination of how a single decision- whose consequences we cannot foresee and which is often made without a great deal of reflection- can have significant ramifications. The setting for this examination is a bar: a man in the midst of a crisis walks in and receives from the bartender advice which he accepts and ignores in the different possibilities developed in the play. The various story lines are developed through the interventions of a third character who can alter the sequence of events by either stopping and “rewinding” a scene or by simply suggesting alternate courses of action to the Man and the Bartender. Although this type of device can highlight the significance of the various turning points, it also necessarily causes repetition. That can be acceptable when the audience is engaged and cares about the outcome (think of “Run, Lola, Run”) but here the actors never succeed in generating that level of interest. Their characters remain ideas or types rather than people we care about. Similarly, the choices the Man confronts- take a lousy job or travel the world- seem too insignificant to justify the attention they receive. It’s a work of promise not yet realised.
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this show, especially considering I hate the movie Groundhog Day…
However I loved this show!
The narrator is charming, draws you in and has great comedic timing. You will love the bartender immediately as she’s funny and spirited and when they have the Swedish bar scene it’s probably one of the funniest moments I’ve seen at Fringe this year. I also appreciated that there was a connection between the bartender and the man sitting at the bar however it wasn’t romantic. It’s rare that you see a man and a woman on stage without romance. Not to say there isn’t any romance in the story but no spoilers.
The third actor who plays the man at the bar is captivating, draws you in and makes you want to know his story. The chemistry between him and the bartender, between all three cast members actually, is so on point. They were so in tune with each other, reacting off of things that may not have even been in the show but they left nothing ignored on stage.
Lastly I just really love the message. They put ownership of the story on all three characters. How what you say and do to other people can have a positive or negative chain reaction depending on how you much you care to listen.
Great show that is definitely unique to this year’s festival. Looking for something different? That will make you laugh, and make you feel? See this show!