Review: ORPHAN SONG at Tarragon Theatre

Set over 40, 000 years BCE, ORPHAN SONG, written by Sean Dixon and directed by Richard Rose, follows the story of a Homo-sapiens couple struggling through the recent loss of a child. In their travels, they come across a being they've never seen before - a Neanderthal child orphaned and alone. Instinctively, they take the child under their care but despite their yearning to care for and understand the child, language ultimately keeps them apart.

There is a uniquely ritualistic quality to this play befitting the nature of the story. Being set in a time as far into the past as this, the story is told in as bare bones a manner as possible - the sounds used throughout were created with the human voice both recorded and spoken live. The stage setting is hugely creative in its simplicity, utilizing the backdrop curtains to mimic weather effects while an actor, Kaitlyn Riordan, slowly moves a glowing moon in its various phases across the stage.

The human couple Gorse and Mo, skillfully played by Beau Dixon and Sophie Goulet, are a delight to watch as they bring primitive life to the audience in a way that is engaging and relatable from their simplistic dialogue and Gorse's struggle to conceive of a number past five, to their combined hesitation and fascination with this newly discovered child. Mo's maternal instincts immediately kick in and her yearning to protect this child, who they've given the name Chicky to, is palpable but is counteracted by Gorse's unease.

What truly stands out in ORPHAN SONG is their beautiful use of puppetry. The Neanderthals and animals seen throughout are all done through puppets handled seamlessly by a fantastic team lead by puppet master Kaitlin Morrow who is also the puppeteer for the child Chicky. The larger animals stand out as the most striking use of puppetry, in particular the giant carrion bird and the elephant, a puppet that also utilized the backdrop to create the elephant head to great effect. The design of the puppets is also rather interesting. Quite notably, though all the puppets appear white in colour, rather they are perceived to be lacking in colour - a blank space for the mind to fill in.

The Neanderthals are performed with the use of full body puppets which are simply mesmerizing to watch. The puppeteers do a fantastic job of bringing them to life from grand gestures to the smallest of idiosyncrasies. Though these beings are Neanderthals in the play, Gorse and Mo refer to them as pipers and their mannerisms are certainly bird like, right down to the song-like whistles and chirps by which they communicate.

ORPHAN SONG is a heartwarming story that speaks to anyone who has ever gone through the process of adoption, be it a child or a pet, and has struggled to connect with this new addition to their life. It also speaks to anyone who has ever found themselves distanced from a loved one the difficulties found in reconciliation.

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How to Get Tickets

Tarragon Theatre's ORPHAN SONG is playing until April 24, 2022 at the Tarragon Theatre located at 30 Bridgman Ave., Toronto, ON.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.tarragontheatre.com/plays/orphan-song/.

Photo Credit: Cylla von Tiedeman

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