A Little Something for the Ducks
A 78 year-old woman. A 79 year-old man. A mallard named Nellie. A bag full of bread crusts. The big question: will they or won’t they feed the ducks? Winner of Outstanding Technical, Performance, Director, and Production at the ADFA Provincials 2024. Also on the bill, Something’s Wrong by G.A. Northrup.
A Little Something for the Ducks, is not just that but also Something's Wrong. The show Begins with Something’s Wrong, a short scene about cognitive decline that runs approximately 10 minutes long. It was both heartbreaking to watch and comforting in an odd way as someone who has watched a loved one struggle with dementia. We then move into the main act of A Little Something for the Ducks which broke my heart and reminded me that it's the little things in life that count. Them arguing about ducks is really a way for them to discuss death/suicide and I thought it was a really beautiful way to talk about things that you don’t always have the words for. The Bliss Stage at Holy Trinity is always warm and the chairs are uncomfortable, the sight lines also suck so I would recommend getting there early so you can be near the front. I used a tangle and started with Loop Quiet earplugs which I took out to better hear the quiet bits. There were some loud noises as characters had outbursts which felt overwhelming but in a very thematic way. Overall these shows went really well together and are stories that need telling, if you can handle the subject matter I’d definitely recommend.
A beautiful story that masterfully handles heavy subject matter with a true to life sense of humor and heart. It will make you laugh and might make you cry too. Special shout out to the top tier performances from both actors that really give the show an earnest and lived in feel.
Wonderfully performed, a lot of laughs and a lot of heart. This is a show that will stick with you for a long time.
Two incredible stories, led by two masterful performances.
Loving Life Old and Young
Starting off this duo-show is Something’s Wrong by performer G.A. Northup, a play that truly establishes the themes that connect the two performances. Following the only living relative of a woman with dementia, Northup’s Something’s Wrong is a touching portrayal of the struggles faced by the victims of mental deterioration. Through fear, loneliness, and hysteria, the audience is faced with the incredibly realistic struggles of an isolated woman coping with an unsure future; one such story that is underrepresented in media. The ideas of seniors’ struggles continues to the next play, A Little Something for the Ducks, by Jean Lenox Toddie. This show is kicked off immediately with the playful banter of two individuals, both spending their time at the duck pond. As a light-hearted verbal battle begins over whether or not they should feed the ducks, the story escalates into something much more meaningful. Delving into themes of the value of time and life and the appreciation of said life, A Little Something for the Ducks puts into perspective the way humans grasp for meaning in anything, especially when they have nothing. If you enjoy demure, family friendly humor with a strong dose of powerful meaning, I would highly recommend attending A Little Something for the Ducks.