Ruby Tuesday

Shy Guy Productions—Pantages Studio

The acting is sometimes on and sometimes a bit suspect. Mia convinces the audience most of the time but there are times of anger and sadness that don’t translate completely. Matt’s performance looks like he’s just going through the motions at times and there are occasions where his timing isn’t spot-on perfect—and at those moments, he needs to be.

As for the story, it takes a long time to develop. The intro’s fine but then it drags for a while before going into the revelation. I know the song and dance are supposed to be key to the characters’ progression and engagement but gees, I feel like I’m the poor schmo sitting at a sock hop with no dance partner.

Finally, we get into the nitty-gritty and the meat of the play. This is the best part of the show and I would have liked to see more exploration here. They go through the hopelessness of the situation but they’re missing some the persistence, the pursuit and the problem-solving. The characters seem to fold when there are more cards to be played.

If you’re looking for a nice-tidy conclusion, you’ll be disappointed—but that’s probably where theatre imitates life the most, given this problem. It’s a flawed but good effort that provides an insight into one of the darker sides of our society.

Ray Yuen