by Ryan Oakley
The Belle of Winnipeg, playing at the Winchester Street Theatre, fulfilled a long-time wish of mine: Actors were silent. Throughout the entire play, not a single actor said a single word.
This wasn’t done in the spirit of some German art-house, where they moped about the stage, sadly reflecting on the meaninglessness of life, but in the style of a silent movie. Set to live piano music and using film projection, the play tells the story of a bride in 1882 who, without prospects, runs away to Winnipeg and finds herself in a bordello. Those who have read enough history to know the likely fate of such a woman will be surprised to learn that hilarity, rather than horror, ensues.
Or is supposed to.
Continue reading The Belle of Winnipeg: The Keystone Ensemble