L-R: Simon Hayama, Parnelli Parners, Rick Tae, Victor Mariano. Photo: David Cooper

Banana: yellow on the outside, white on the inside. Otherwise known as Canadian-born Chinese (CBC). Bananas are typically found in clusters.

In this instance, a cluster of five. Based on the novel by Terry Woo, Leon Aureus’s script focuses on five Chinese Canadian guys in their 20s. They are Mike, a med student turned writer; Dave, a computer guy experiencing deep seated racial prejudice; Luke, a psychology major and aspiring DJ; Rick, an ambitious business consultant fast-tracking his way to the top; and Sheldon, a hopeless romantic engineer. The show follows the pursuits of this group of friends throughout their time in university and the years immediately following their graduation (or non-graduation, as in one of the cases). The story begins with Rick, who has an inexplicable ability to time travel. Whether this is real or a by-product of his frequent drug tripping is uncertain. What is certain, in Rick’s mind, is that he foresees his own untimely death during one of his time travel episodes and resolves to keep a permanent written record of his life’s significant events. He enlists, or rather coerces, his friend, Mike, into being his recorder. And so it begins.

Events in the lives of the 5 young men are portrayed through a series of metaphoric scenes with elements drawn from pop culture. Energetic and solid performances by the actors allowed this style of story-telling to work.

 

Performances nightly at Fire Hall Art Centre from Jan 17 - Feb 9 7:30 pm.

Info: www.firehallartscentre.ca