Review- The Intervention- Treasure Chest Theatre
10-3-21
By Dakota Duclo
With the world still turning as slowly as Covid-19 will allow it to, theatres all over the world
have taken a hit. Live performances have been all be non-existent, though for obvious and
unfortunate reasons. This hasn’t stopped Davina Lee Carrete and her Treasure Chest Theatre company from adapting to the circumstances as best that can be done. This week, she brings her Zoom play The Intervention to computer screens with the hopes of keeping theatre alive, if even in unconventional fashion. At the behest of her direction, her cast of five give their all to any of whom is interested.
The plays title is indicative of what it actually is: an Intervention. For those that don’t know, an ‘Intervention’ is when a group of friends and/or family stage a surprise sit-down with a loved one who may be struggling with drug addiction or alcoholism. In Carrete’s version, that person is Charlotte, a school teacher who’s bad habits have finally caught up to her. Much of Charlotte’s poor choices have likely been brought on by the pandemic, which is a key point the play seems to try to heavily hint at. As this is true for many people everywhere right now, for the most part, this is a fairly realistic take on the subject. So in true intervening fashion, Charlotte is ambushed by her three friends and ‘zen-like’ acquaintance all of whom hope to let Charlotte know that she has a problem and that they’re there to help.
Respectfully, the deck is stacked against anyone who tries to execute a project like this. Zoom is difficult in that the factors of which can cause distraction, are often not mitigatable. Here, these would be as follows: sound cutting in and out making it difficult to hear the actors lines on occasion, chats appearing on the screen that can pull the other viewers gaze away, and the most crucial of which is the fact that ‘the camera doesn’t blink’; so every ounce of disengagement on the part of the performers is visible. However, don’t run away just yet. The above mentioned all happened at one point or another, though only in incredibly short supply.
The writing and the actors ultimately save this piece from stumbling too far due to technical errors that are really no one’s fault. The plot structuring, in accordance of how Interventions are supposed to work, is sound. Clearly Carrete has some familiarity with the realities of such meetings, and it shows. The initial reactions were honest, particularly on the part of Chloe Grimmett as Charlotte. Grimmett is laser focused the entire time, never at any point disconnected from what’s happening in front of her. She reacts to everything and responds to everyone, even without speaking. Amy Percival is deserving of her mentions, as is Shafin Azim, both of whom aid one another in their onscreen conflict with one another. Each also have their vulnerable moments, insuring that the show isn’t about one person but about the issue has affected everyone as a whole.
There’s really not a false note anywhere. Although as stated prior, (and, this is worth reiterating as theatre doesn’t typically use cameras) the camera doesn’t blink. It looks into the soul, it catches everything and misses nothing. If at any point one of the performers does not appear to be invested in it one hundred percent, the stage may not discriminate so harshly, but the lens doesn’t afford the luxury of taking any break in the action. Though this should kept in mind, this wasn’t a massive issue. In fact, the few issues worth mentioning and those that have been are only mentioned with the intention of being constructive. Given the circumstances that we’re all in, this play was an enjoyable viewing experience. With nothing but good fortune, Davina Lee Carrete can adapt this version for the stage when the world finally returns to normal.
The Intervention played live on Zoom. If you have missed it and you'd like to watch the recording, get in touch with Treasure Chest Theatre for details.