> Sarvin Esmaeili *
Watching Gossamer Obsessions, I spent half my time laughing and half my time trying to figure out why I was laughing.
This sketch comedy opens with two British-accented narrators (Amy Shostak and Paul Bilnov) who introduce us to the world of the Ouija board, roommates who live in different realities, an unusual spat between a daughter and father, and more.
The success of their absurd sketches depends on how surprising the journey is. A piece about Alaskan King Crabs starts with Shostak crying, “I need a divorce. You put a crab in my butt!” but it ends happily with the couple dancing as crabs. The man and woman discover something about their relationship. On the other hand, during a supposedly terrifying staff meeting, the characters stand around for five minutes as they introduce us to the ancient pastime of frog gambling. The end has the same mood as the beginning. Nothing changes.
Gossamer Obsessions is an experimental sketch comedy. For me, the experiment proves that sketches work best when they involve discovery.
Remaining performances at Revue Stage on September 11 (9:30 p.m.), 14 (5 p.m.), and 15 (4 p.m.)
* This is a guest review.
Sarvin Esmaeili currently studies at Studio 58. She is a passionate 19-year-old theatre artist who cares a lot about diversity, inclusion and creating her own theatre and music. Sarvin is fluent in three languages: Farsi, English, and French. She loves reading, travelling, writing and going to the theatre. She is a co-playwright/performer of One of a Kind at the 2018 Vancouver International Children’s Festival and Doors of Choice and Identity at Vancouver Youth Theatre. She has done community theatre at Evergreen Cultural Center, Place des Arts and Pinetree Secondary’s Treehouse Theatre.
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