Theatre St. Thomas’ latest production Concord Floral, which ran from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2 in St. Thomas University’s Black Box Theatre, has the terror horror movie junkies crave, but also the emotion not many horror movies provide.
The play, written by Jordan Tannahill, is about the greenhouse, where the neighbourhood teens go to smoke, drink, have sex and do everything they don’t want their parents to know about. The greenhouse also functions as the narrator who is played by Jordan Comeau.
The play follows two girls, Rosa and Nearly, who discover a dead body in a greenhouse. Rosa ends up dropping her phone which falls inside the dead body and leaves it behind. Soon after, Nearly starts receiving calls from Rosa’s number with an ominous character on the other end. Bobbie starts terrorizing the neighbourhood, leaving the girls and their friends trying to stop him.
It’s a riveting, scary story, filled with angsty teen language, but the actors and direction was really what put this performance over the edge.
Rosa Mundi, played by first-year STU student Kyara Knox, completely captured her fearless, rebellious character. She captivated the audience with her performance, facial expressions and overall emotions.
Sydney Hallett, a fourth-year English and fine arts student at STU, gave a thrilling performance as Nearly Wild. Nobody in the school portrayed in the play believed Nearly when she told her story in the play, but her performance was incredibly believable and compelling.
The play leaves mystery in the air and the audience asking questions such as ‘Who is Bobbie?’ ‘Why is she attacking Nearly?’ and ‘What does she have against the whole gang of kids in the neighbourhood?’
Second-year English student Raine O’Connor demonstrated the incredible fear and vulnerability within the character of Bobbie.
The costumes were also very simple but effective. The teens sported typical teenage clothing, while the animals and inanimate objects had small pieces to their costumes that mimicked their characters.
Len Falkenstein directed beautifully. He made the characters seem very pedestrian and simple, from their clothing to the natural quality of their movements.
Concord Floral is a brilliant mix of horror and mystery where you get to see the depth of the teenage emotion in each character. It will make you think, wonder and appreciate the wonderful direction, movements, dialogue and casting.
