Animals' Tale
Bestiary consists of three independant stories told by famous animals from history.
by Rachel ZuroffBestiary is a 48 minute podcast produced by the C’est la Vie theatre group. Made up of up and coming talent, C’est la Vie have previously staged Prisoner's Dilemma, In the Yichud Room, 8 Words that Ruined my Relationship, and Oreo. Bestiary consists of three independant stories told by famous animals from history.
Since In the Yichud Room, I have greatly admired and enjoy the podcast medium used by C’est la Vie, because it strips away all distractions.
Set at an English pub, reminiscing about the good old days, the Whale from the biblical story of Jonah laments about how he came to swallow Jonah and what consequences this act had for him. The Hartlepool monkey, played by Scott Humphries as an articulate, sweet and naive dandy, recounts his own hanging as a French spy at the hands of English fishermen. Finally, Laika, the dog sent by the Russians to the moon, describes her life as it changed from sleeping on the streets pursued by the “dogman”, to being taken in by the Russians, to flying to the moon.
Since In the Yichud Room, I have greatly admired and enjoy the podcast medium used by C’est la Vie, because it strips away all distractions. The audience has nothing to focus on but the story. All the distractions of weak acting or poor staging are swept away. But I had trouble enjoying Bestiary, because it was ultimately so sad. By the end, I felt like it was a petition for animal rights. All the animals are brave, sweet and trusting, and ultimately betrayed by humans.
It broke my heart.
The last story broke my heart too, every time we rehearsed it, I would have to stop for a moment. I think Laikas story is really the most heartbreaking especially when you think about the fact that she watched her own mothers death, and that the astronauts never intended for her to survive the trip.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that you are enjoying the medium.