Friday, January 15

Being the "Last Men" - In The Chamber play review at Rachel Browne Theatre

A few of my fellow CreComms attended the Jan. 14 show of In The Chamber, a series about two men going through an identity crisis. The first of the series was Last Man in Universe Alpha - 11 written and performed by Gordon Tanner. The story was about an engineer investigating a hog barn fire at a Hutterite colony. The second of the series was Last Man in Puntarenas written and performed by Steven Ratzlaff. The story was about a man who used his retirement dinner to speak about his findings in Puntarenas. Though both stories were different, both men shared the common desire to get out of a state of imprisonment.

The show started with a pretty funny eye-opening scene which kinda set the mood. Comparing the two of the series, I identified with the first one more. The topic was about hog barns and the inhumane ways hogs were kept in their holding cages. I enjoyed bacon as much as the next guy but the way hogs were treated in these barns were definitely something everyone should be made aware of.

I thought both Tanner and Ratzlaff did a fine job up on stage. During the first scene, I realized that Tanner had been talking for 45 minutes and that he'd probably talk for about an hour. How does someone memorize an hour worth of lines? And it was a monologue!!! Wow! Obviously, these guys were seasoned actors so they knew what they were doing.

The evening was followed with a meet-and-greet and we were offered a couple of drink tickets to enjoy wine, beer, and delicious cheese. The evening was sponsored by Amphora Imports and Bothwell cheese. Needless to say, the cheese was amazing :)

As we walked away from the theatre that evening, I took away from the play that no matter what we do in life, we were always presented with choices. I believed that every single one of us has been equally empowered with the ability to choose right from wrong and the challenge lied in when to use that power given to us.

The message of the night: don't be the last man.

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