Review: I, CLAUDIA Makes Magic with Masks!

From July 22nd to August 15th, Arts Club's I, CLAUDIA, will play at the Newmont Stage in the BMO Theatre Centre in Vancouver. Written by Kristen Thomson, directed by Marie Farsi, and starring Lili Beaudoin, the play features four very unique characters in this one-woman theatre extravaganza. From feeling hopeful to feeling heartbreak, this play tells a story from multiple perspectives and explores the challenges that are faced at different stages of life.

The show's main character is a 13-year-old girl named Claudia who spends a lot of her time hanging out in her school's boiler room. She has many peculiar habits such as stealing her dad's socks and storing her juice boxes in them. Through her narrative, we learn that Claudia's parents are divorced and that she looks forward to Mondays when she visits her dad. Claudia also tells us that her dad has a "special friend" named Leslie. She is not a fan of Leslie and becomes distraught when she learned that they become engaged. As the show progresses, we dive deeper into Claudia's story and learn more about the other people in her life.

The 3 other characters portrayed in the show are Drachman (Bulgovian school janitor), Douglas (Claudia's grandfather), and Leslie (Claudia's dad's special friend). Drachman both opens and closes the show with his antics and life advice. At times, I felt that the stories told by this character were hard to follow; however, the inclusion of him within the play was a creative way to emphasize the meaning of the story. At the end of the play, Drachman appears with an allegory that ties the entire show together. In the middle of the play, Douglas greets us for a short period of time. He was as a nice break from the chaotic energy of the other characters. One of the last characters that we meet is Leslie. The audience has a preconceived idea of what Leslie is like after hearing about her from Claudia. When we first meet Leslie, she seems to match Claudia's description fairly well. As the show progresses, I found myself having mixed feelings about her once she reveals more of her story. Character traits aside, she was played extremely well by Lili Beaudoin. Watching Beaudoin transition into Leslie was one of the best parts of the entire show.

The mask design by Melody Anderson and performance by Lili Beaudoin were the true highlights of the production. Anderson's masks phenomenally transformed Beaudoin into each character she took on. With every transition from character to character, Beaudoin was unrecognizable. The detail in the masks was impeccable making you forget that you were watching a one-woman show! In addition, Beaudoin was the true gem of the entire production. Being the only one on stage, the pressure was on her to make this show perfect and she definitely succeeded with this. From channeling her inner old Bulgovian man to encompassing the sass of a 30-something woman within a 20 second transition time was true talent. What really impressed me about Beaudoin was her ability to perfectly replicate 13-year-old Claudia. Everything about her in this character from the fast paced talking to the heavy breathing while she drank her juice boxes really had me sold! Seeing Beaudoin in this role should be the reason why you need to come and see I, CLAUDIA!

As Arts Club transitions back to live theatre, my experience seeing the show was positive. The theatre was not as max capacity to allow for space between audience members and the small stage allowed for an intimate theatre experience. I would highly recommend I, CLAUDIA to anyone looking for a light-hearted yet thought-provoking show to see.

I, CLAUDIA is currently playing at the Newmont Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre in Vancouver until August 15th, 2021. Tickets start at $39 and are available at https://artsclub.com/shows/2020-2021/i-claudia.php or by calling the box office at 604-687-1644.

Image: Lili Beaudoin. Set design by Heipo C.H. Leung; costume design by Barbara Clayden; lighting design by Jonathan Kim; mask design by Melody Anderson; photos by Moonrider Productions