Red Bastard

Location: St. Vladimir's Theatre (620 Spadina Ave.)
Date: 09/07/09
Rating: **** (out of five)

From the moment Eric Davis's monstrous form emerged between the two back curtains, I knew this show would be unique. Imagine a cartoon imp, much like one from the Disney rendition of Hercules, enlarge it to life-size and paint it a devilish shade of red. Or imagine a morbidly obese woman with hips that span a doorway and a gut you could live off of for a month and balance her on a skinny man's legs. Now imbue either of these characters with the mobility of a male ballet dancer and you have Red Bastard.

Dressed in a gigantic leotard stuffed with what I can only speculate are balloons, Davis's costume creates an absurd, surreal vehicle for bizaare and erratic movements that toy with perception and draw laughs out of sheer absurdity. But the costume could not have been complete without Davis's technical brilliance. While the costume itself possessed a large amount of physical potential, Davis's spring-like agility utilized it to its full extent, compressing himself to his smallest form then jumping out and revealing the full extent of his bulbous body in impossible positions - in a star formation balanced on one foot or hurtling through the air four feet off the stage - only to return once more to his compressed form.

Physical theatrics aside, Davis demonstrated an agility of tongue that would challenge any improv pro, seamlessly incorporating audience reactions and responses into the show and interacting with audience members in ways few could likely convince close friends to do. "Sing into my mouth," he said at one point to an innocent female audience member, standing with his face inches from hers and his mouth as wide as it could get. "Not near my mouth, in it!" he yelled. And if you're looking to doze off in the back, I'd pick another show: the woman in the furthest corner of the room received plenty of attention.

The only parts of the show that seemed to flop were some of the monologues. In an attempt to introduce some more weighty content to the show, heavy political issues were introduced near the end, including something about the American Constitution and a few racial jokes thrown in for good measure. In a show made out to be about nothing but a good old-fashioned laugh, these seemed like strange anomalies. However, in a show that tossed the audience around, the sudden change of pace didn't seem completely out of place.

For an hour of surprises and some heart-felt laughs, definitely come see this show. Closing night is Saturday July 11th at 7:00 pm. www.redbastard.com