Review by Jo Tomalin
For All Events
Pickled Republic
Ah, the life of a tomato! What are its hopes, dreams and more important, what are its upcoming realities? Doom, to be sure! Or is it? Ruxandra Cantir portrays one of these spirited vegetables to help us understand its plight! A tomato in a garden, next to a fence covered in sprigs of foliage. Voiceovers advise us to wash vegetables but to leave them some breathing room! Cantir’s contorted body of the tomato, in a tomato costume complete with a tomato stalk beret, leads this veggie to lament about life in a florid monologue with spicy attitude! This is a sad, tragic character indeed!
Using witty comments, shrieks, cabaret songs, comedy and fun ridiculousness Cantir changes costumes and characters, wears masks, shimmering dresses, and more to entertain. And entertain she does! After an uneven start with content this is zany and whacky stuff that brings laughs and guffaws as she struts around in support of veggies. With a sweater stretched over her head showing her face and a quif of green hair she approaches the audience with a singular voice and personality. There is some interaction with one or two audience members that is simply lovely, she somehow gains our trust and we dip into her world willingly!
This is part stand up and part clown and her wit and full on enthusiasm grows on you. There are a couple of running jokes with announcements of “fork”, or are the warnings? Just go with it! And there’s Eric the carrot, other relatives and then we get to the Pickle!
Now an imperious pickle limbers up and shows expert skills moving around the space, it’s all impressive from here on, if a bit hilariously ghoulish. Life happens what can we say! Cantir tops it all with a final image of a character introduced earlier. It seems time passed and these veggie will continue to appear – and disappear with the cycle of life. Expect the unexpected and enjoy what unfolds in the global pickled republic! Recommended! 3 Stars!
More information:
https://www.ruxandracantir.com/pickled-republic
Jo Tomalin studied with Jacques Lecoq in Paris. She completed the two year professional course at Ecole Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq, Paris, France, where she also completed the Laboratoire du Mouvement (LEM) scenography, mask and movement course.
Originally from England, Jo is currently based in San Francisco, where she reviews Theatre & Dance for www.ForAllEvents.com & www.FringeReview.co.uk. She is a Professor in the School of Theatre & Dance at San Francisco State University where she teaches performance subjects and directs MainStage plays. She also works in the performing arts field as a freelance movement & voice specialist, director + actor. Jo’s play “Jessica” which she also directed was produced at the Fringe of Marin – a One Act New Play Festival in Northern California.
Jo Tomalin graduated with a degree from London University’s Laban Centre Teaching Credential program in Modern Dance, Art of Movement & Choreography; studied Classical Acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), London; completed a teacher’s diploma (ATCL) in Voice and Acting from Trinity College of Dramatic Art, London; and studied classical ballet for 12 years.
Jo also holds a Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Instructional Design for Online Learning from Capella University, MN, and a Master of Science degree in Educational Technology from Boise State University in the USA.
