POSTED INARTS & CULTURE<https://www.clevescene.com/category/arts/> ‘Canadian Gothic’ & ‘American Modern’ at Cesear’s Forum is a Cerebral Exercise The unique narrative style and staging of these two plays will challenge you. When audiences leave a show, it’s common to hear them chatting about how much they loved a production or making special note of which moments were their favorite. The conversation following a showing of “Canadian Gothic” and “American Modern” is more nuanced; you’ll be wondering at the reasoning behind artistic choices, or explaining your interpretation of the work and its structure, comparing and contrasting your analysis with your guest. “Canadian Gothic” and “American Modern” at Cesear’s Forum will not spoon-feed you an easy narrative; it challenges you almost every step of the way. This production requires that your brain be fully engaged–it is a refreshing experience, but one that is not, perhaps, suited for the theater novice. “Canadian Gothic” and “American Modern” are two one-act plays published in 1972 by Tony-nominated playwright Joanna McClelland Glass that are often performed together with double-billing. “Canadian Gothic” follows the story of a dysfunctional family living in rural Saskatchewan. Already tense familial relationships are heightened when the daughter of the family falls in love with a local Indigenous man. After intermission, “American Modern” features a suburban couple who have drifted apart over the years as they reminisce on the journey that brought them to their present, highly unusual situation. You might be wondering: “what ties these plays together?” The honest answer? Not very much. They both explore identity and tense family relationships, and it is not difficult to quickly drum up at least a half-dozen examples of other shows that do the same. It feels a bit bizarre at first as your brain wants to connect what you saw pre- and post-intermission. It wants to dot the “i”s and cross the “t”s; to mentally wrap up what you saw with a bow and leave everything nice and tidy before driving home and leaving the night behind you. Alas, Cesear’s Forum won’t let you get away that easily. This production, under the direction of Greg Cesear, is staged quite simply in the small playing space in Kennedy’s Cabaret at Playhouse Square. Daniel Telford’s set design utilizes an area rug, a small bar and some ornamental chairs. Standing near the back of the stage, which is draped with burlap, are three large triangular prisms that are rotated throughout the show to display different colors. These rotating prisms are utilized in a highly poetic fashion, which is a fitting complement to McClelland Glass’ scripts that artistically stitch together dialogue and direct addresses to the audience to craft their narratives. The set design is simple and the lighting design by Andrew Kaletta is practically stagnant, which requires that the actors help the audience fill in any gaps. Fortunately, this cast steps up to that challenge. Tricia Bestic and Joseph Milan play the Mother and Father in “Canadian Gothic.” Bestic’s Mother character is a free spirit who will write off phenomena as nature’s magic, whereas Milan’s Father figure prefers scientific, rational explanations. While Bestic is warm and inviting, Milan is stoic, guarded and complex, but both deliver engaging performances. The challenges posed by the Mother and Father’s incompatible outlooks on life are heightened upon the birth of their daughter, Jean, played by Graceyn Cecelia Dowd. She successfully portrays Jean throughout significant stages in her life, from the age of seven to her late teens, as she experiences loss and love. Dowd is a joy to watch, and her liveliness is palpable. Filling the role of Ben, Jean’s Indigenous love interest, is Jonathan Duran. Duran’s portrayal is underlined with a simmering rage–a fitting choice for a character that has been continuously and unjustly wronged by society. Together, Dowd and Duran make it easy to root for their characters’ forbidden love. Bestic returns to the stage to portray Pat in “American Gothic,” a colorful woman who has just attended her first session with a new therapist. She recounts her session with her husband Mike, played by Gilgamesh Taggett, over a few drinks. Over the course of the show, we watch Pat and Mike discuss the realities of their rather unhealthy lives and struggles with mental health. Bestic once again delivers an emotional performance. She portrays depression and mania in a highly accessible, very empathetic way. Taggett’s Mike is impassive and largely unruffled by his wife’s antics, providing a very different–but still powerful–view into how poor mental health can manifest. Aside from the reshuffling of a few set pieces and the addition of a chair during intermission, the set for “American Modern” remains largely the same as “Canadian Gothic.” And while Bestic is given a new, more modern dress by costume designer Sarah Russell to signify a different era, other costuming is, rather disappointingly, only slightly altered from the previous show. “Canadian Gothic” is meant to feature four actors, two men and two women, but director Cesear adds another man, Taggett, to the stage to provide support–although his role is quite puzzling at first. Cesear does the same, far more successfully, with “American Modern,” a play intended to feature one man and one woman, when Dowd joins the cast as an extra. Although “Canadian Gothic” and “American Modern” are not for the theater novice–it takes more effort than most shows to fully digest the unique narrative style and staging–those ready to challenge themselves with a show that puts their brain to work will find themselves rewarded. “Canadian Gothic” & “American Modern” runs through October 25 at Cesear’s Forum in Playhouse Square’s Kennedy’s Cabaret, 1501 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44115. Visit playhousesquare.org<http://playhousesquare.org/> or call (216) 241-6000 for tickets, $33.60. https://www.clevescene.com/arts/canadian-gothic-american-modern-at-cesears-f... Get Outlook for iOS<https://aka.ms/o0ukef>