WEAPONS OF MASS DECEPTION
On the Edge
MTC Backstage at the Mainstage (Venue 1), to July 24
COLORFUL costumes, catchy song-and-dance numbers, and first-rate performances are a deadly combination in this slick 75-minute musical about a new recruit to the sinister and secret world of the American Department of Homeland Defense, which aims to protect the country from lies.
But truth, as the new recruit quickly learns, isn't as simple to recognize as one would think. And sometimes lies are right and truth is wrong or muddled in a grey area somewhere in between.
The Los Angeles-based actors (Josh Covitt, Christopher Ellis, Erin Francis, Lyn Heck, Brian Paul Johnson, Roz McHenry, and Dennis Melonas) are incredible performers who bring out the humour, irony and sarcasm imbedded in the show.
-- Cheryl Binning
2. VOL. XIII 2004, “Reporting on the Fringe,” Issue #6 Sat. July 24
The JENNY REVUE (c 1991)
Weapons of Mass Deception
On the Edge—MTC Backstage
"Weapons" takes a dark, yet comical look at our neighbors to the South.
The use of the word "deception," could not be more fitting, for what "Weapons" examines is how "the truth" is very much open to interpretation. In fact, an American truth (such as Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq) turns out to be nothing more than a huge lie.
As well, if you live in "the home of the brave," and—oh yeah, if you have money—you can get away with murder. A particularly wonderful scene finds Martha Stewart having just bribed Laura Bush to assure a pardon from George (In this scene we also hear the funniest line of the show, not revealed here). There are 18 scenes in total, and the message is consistent throughout—don't believe everything you hear. And ask questions. The cast is extremely energetic—there are only 7 of them—and they do an amazing job of bringing "Weapons" to the launch pad.
--Gareth Craig McVicar
3. Summer 2004, Style Manit "The Fringiest of the Fringe" by Conrad Dueck & Julia Ryckm
On the Edge, a theatre company based in Los Angeles, is bringing their brand-new musical Weapons of Macs Deception to Winnipeg this summer. This piece explores the idea that lies arc the "new currency" in daily life, as well as in contemporary American politics and news media. It was written by six people: Chris DiGiovanni, Lyn Heck, Sam Ingraffia, Judith Long-Severance, Dennis Melonas, and Michael Reno (Director and Composer for 114'apons of Mass Deception) and is the first collective effort the group has attempted.
On the Edge has a slightly different take on the collaborative process. Each of the six writers produces a portfolio of poetry, lyrics, music, scenes and monologues, which they then bring hack to the group. These are workshoppcd continually as a part of the script development process by actors from within The Road Theatre Company, where On the Edge is currently doing a residency.
Co-writer Dennis Melonas thinks that Fringe Festivals "permit voices to be heard that may not be welcomed in other venues. They permit imagination to take flight and allow for points of view that may not be popular for display. And pushing the envelope is always good for the arts. In life, too, for that matter! I think that illuminating the human experience is what art's intent is, but that experience changes in some ways as the world changes." Melonas also believes that theatre provides an opportunity to look at difficult emotions "safely, and hopefully, come to terms with them. Especially with those emotions and experiences we may not agree with or want displayed."
On the Edge hopes that Millions of Mass Deception will be hard-hitting, and will shock Winnipeg audiences into questioning what they believe and why they believe it.