A Doll's House (No Relation)

I went in with no expectations and left pleasantly surprised. The lead actor did amazing! I was captivated by their performance. If you like “Mindhunter” then you’d enjoy this. The show was eery, thought-provoking and different, a nice change of pace from other fringe shows. I see the vision, nicely done! ✨

Just saw an afternoon matinee of this odd little new play, and wow — definitely not for everyone… but I was completely drawn in. The writing is sharp, smart, and strangely addictive. Phoenix McLeod is an emerging talent to keep your eye on — really excellent work. And Madeline Podlubny as the lead? Absolutely charming and charismatic… the kind of actor you just want to root for (well, despite the whole serial killer thing). It’s the kind of play you want to turn away from, but you can’t stop watching — like all the horror shows it winks at. Creepy, funny, uncomfortable, and oddly moving all at once. A wonderful first outing for a new play. Can’t wait to see how it develops further. Also — huge congrats to designer Annika Schultz for creating: The most gruesome miniature dollhouse I’ve ever seen. Dressing “Doll” in the perfect balance of serial-killer chic. A Doll’s House (No Relation) is a bold and fascinating start — and I’m glad I caught it.

The title says it all: Doll has no interest, reverence or affinity for Ibsen’s famous play. Theatre, however, has become a budding new second passion.

We enter the theatre and immediately encounter our host who grooves to the pre-show tunes while (almost) hidden under black fabric. They are gearing up for their first production at their first ever Fringe Festival. They eventually reveal their persona and attempt to convince us that they are an artist who’ll become the next serial killer sensation. Doll’s drip is a boyish and colourful one - complete with a nylon face-kini that is worn throughout. They appear to be feminine presenting but have deliberately chosen to dress like a male doll when at work.

They address the classic shortlist of famous vintage murderers (virtually all men), so I thought they might’ve touched on the theme of being a sexual minority in an ‘industry’ dominated by men. At one point they rant about the famously anti-establishment Dadaist art movement, so gendered power dynamics might’ve been an interesting thread to explore a bit. (A Doll’s House is the one famous for its proto-feminist themes, so perhaps I’ll stop trying to force that connection.)

Doll’s show is structured around a prepared portfolio slideshow, and they go down many a glorious rabbit hole and often indulge themselves in seemingly unplanned rants. They might knock themselves so far off track that they’ll sometimes ask the audience “where was I?” When someone in my audience offered an answer, Doll did not seem to appreciate the help. Though it felt like an opening for participation, I think the questions asked of us were meant to be more rhetorical.

Doll had some conflicting opinions and made some contradicting claims, but I couldn’t quite discern whether this was a flaw in the script, or an intentional landmine set forth by a mad person. Is Doll really the loser they claim to be? This show left me questioning a lot of things.

(And isn’t that a sign of successful art?)

I went into this blind, no synopsis nothing. I think the show is not great IF (!!) you take it at face value. I thought the fact that they spoke about “avant garde” art and a romanticization of true crime whilst being avant garde was very interesting to watch and take in. I enjoyed the themes and how this facade of Doll felt like desperate grasps at an identity that had some effect on the public (like the mentioned It factor) because it stemmed from insecurity. The way this show went about it with humour made it enjoyable and watching for the actor to lean out into the audience made me giggle. The actor did a wonderful job and expressing this character of doll and also showing the victims while still maintaining that original character. All around it was not a bad show :]

The show started twenty minutes late due to technical issues. The projector that was supposed to project the masterfully created miniature dollhouse on the screen for the audience to see the setting of each crime screen had a loose connection…so with the audience patiently waiting in the line outside the theatre, they problem solved to have a tv brought into replace it, which had the same issue! With no way to resolve the technical issue quickly (and instead of cancelling the show), this talented team said, “the show must go on” and improvised!

Under these very stressful circumstances, the lone actress, “Doll”, was brilliant in showcasing her talent in improvising the 60 minute script into the remaining 40 minutes in front of a live audience to tell the story without a setting to rely on…which had the audience laughing, thinking about the serial killer sensationalism the script writer intended, and left the audience walking out discussing what “could’ve” been had technology not been an issue. Bravo, I say, bravo!

This “unique” performance showcased what live theatre is all about, in my opinion. Under these very stressful circumstances…after hours spent writing and editing by the script writer…after hours spent memorizing and rehearsing the script as written by the actress…after hours spent artistically recreating crime scenes in miniature by the set designer…after hours spent figuring out how to project “the setting” onto the screen for the audience…they still performed a one-of-a-kind improvised version that was entertaining, funny, and thought provoking.

I hope to see it again later this week in all its “gorey”…oops, I mean glory!

Doll's House isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but I thoroughly enjoyed the show. Unfortunately the show went in late due to tech issues, and that does factor into my overall rating, but I think it's a fun show for those into dark comedy.

Doll is both psychotic and likeable, playing off shifts between being menacing and cute, and you kinda feel for them in their quest to be the next big serial killer. Like, you kinda want them to succeed in their dreams and aspirations.

I think the actor did a good job of not letting the tech issues derail them or fluster them, and while I wish I could have seen the projections, I felt the story telling was strong enough to carry the show even with an important element missing. I suspect the failed tech would have provided everyone a close up view of Doll's dollhouse, because as it was, even though Doll brought the house right to me, I couldn't really see any details. So as a stand alone prop it missed the mark, but if the rooms were displayed on the screen, that would be a moot point.

I would have loved to have explored even more in depth the theme of what it means to create art. I thought there were some really poignant nuggets about why art exists and who it exists for and would have loved to have seen that flushed out even more in relation to the art Doll wants to create and who Doll wants to create art for. I also thought the ending was going to go in a different direction than it did, and would have preferred the ending I expected but overall, I think it's a really strong start for this show. While the show I saw was a fun romp that I was very engaged with, a little fine tuning and I think it would make a truly excellent dark comedy for those of us with twisted little hearts.

I appreciate a show that confronts the voyeurism of the audience. However, it’s a risky move because it does rely on the audience actually enjoying the show before you make that turn. The idea of shaming people for enjoying true crime is not new, and I’m on board with that thesis when done well. However, when the play broke the fourth wall and critiqued the audience for being titillated by true crime, at the price of real victims and survivors, it fell flat for me because wasn’t actually titillated in the first place. I didn’t feel that the storytelling was effective enough for me to be titillated, and it had the feeling of an early draft that didn’t fully get pulled together (and the last 3 minutes wasn’t really enough to do so).

That being said, there were obviously tech issues that meant this show went in 20min late. The artist still finished the show on time (?!) and I’m curious what the show was meant to be had the screen worked. Sadly, what ended up on stage was pretty messy.

This trainwreck of a show started 18 minutes late and ended 3 minutes early. The performer clearly had a ton of family/friends in the audience and performed largely to the side of the theatre they were sat on.

The tech didn't work, props were broken, and the show didn't make a ton of sense, maybe because 20 minutes of it was lost.

Who knows? The actor has potential but I would definitely not recommend this.

I Too Hate Privileged Men in Suits

Doll, an artist, passionate in their flair and gift to kill, walks us through their house of horrors. As the story unfolds, we discover that Doll is also insecure, and unsurprisingly, a little insane. The set design for this show was unlike anything i’ve seen before, decked out with an hand designed dollhouse and document camera. Set up reminiscent of a Ted Talk, I was unaware of how much I was actually going to learn. This show was without a doubt interesting, and also oddly informative. Doll has an absolutely ensnaring stage presence, and their physical comedy has clearly come from a background of skill and industry. Their jarring social commentary that sneaks through their jokes and tangents leaves you confused - but undeniably engaged. The use of props constantly had me guessing, and even as the show ended I couldn’t stop thinking about the story and the gripes on powerful men in suits. Walking away from this performance I find myself wanting more. This idea is so unique and I wish I could see more of Dolls art and authenticity as a serial killer. There’s a lot to be discovered here, step into this Dolls House.

CARLY VOS, AYTC