7 Stories

By: Morris Panych
Granville Island Stage
Arts Club Theatre
Vancouver, BC

April 15 - May 15, 2004
Vincent Gale The Man
Leslie Jones Charlotte/Joan/Nurse Wilson
Ted Cole Rodney/Marshall/Percy
Jillian Fargey Jennifer/Lillian/Rachel
Shawn Macdonald Leonard/Al/Michael

Morris Panych Playwright and Director
Ken MacDonald Set Design
Marsha Sibthorpe Lighting Design
Nancy Bryant Costume Design
Jeff Corness Composer/Sound Design
Caryn Fehr Stage Manager
Pamela Jakobs Assistant Stage Manager

Reviiewed by: Mirela Djokic

“7 Stories” is the play that premiered in Vancouver back in 1989 – it is Panych's most produced play, it won six Jessie awards in 1990, and has been translated into three languages. The play revolves around “the Man standing on the ledge of the 7th floor”, debating whether to jump or not, but gets interrupted almost constantly by stories of other people overflowing from different windows. These windows are clearly a frontier between sanity and insanity, but curiously inverted – it looks like all the insanity is inside, and that the suicidal man is the least candidate to jump – or at least he might have the least reasons to jump. It is a fast paced play, full of energy, great one-liners, and wonderful parade of characters: a couple eternally caught between life and death, love and hate, rage and romance; mad psychiatrist; a suicide candidate, all wrapped up in religious fervor; a man to be wed that same day, spilling his story to the Man on the ledge – a story of disguise and tricks, stolen identity and money grabbing plots; an elderly lady with the wisdom of a Zen monk; a party participant, drunk and unhappy – all these characters just about prevented the Man to jump, until the very last second when he, disgusted by reality and hopeful for a peace of mind, decides to jump.

Actors were playing with energy and zeal, and portrayed each character in their extreme – a great portrait of clichéd personality types, full of humour, sarcasm and wit. Bravo for the actors!

The set was very well done, except for the fact that the people in the first 5 rows had to look up at the actual action – a man standing on the ledge – for the entirety of the play. The lighting was effective, yet not intrusive.