Soulful performances overcome clunky script

Concordia University College launches its season with a pretty decent production from an otherwise mediocre script.

British playwright Timberlake Wertenbaker, an acclaimed playwright that addresses post-feminist issues, has penned The Ash Girl, a quirky adaptation of that old chestnut Cinderella. It’s an ambitious play, but the clunky script never fully develops momentum because Wertenbaker chooses to painfully pontificate and overwork ideas.

Directed by Pat Darbasie, this is a dark, brooding production. Ashie (Danielle Martin) is quite depressed after being abandoned by her father, coldly ignored by a stepmother and bullied by two devilish stepsisters. Taking refuge in cinders, she is cocooned in self-doubt, almost suicidal.

With references to an eating disorder, incest, bullying, prejudice and self-mutilation, this is no sanitized Disney cop-out. That’s a good thing.

Prince Amir (Justin Delhon), for instance, is no traditional milksop. He was forced to flee his Asiatic home due to political unrest. He and his mother have settled in a safe, but isolated haven. She wants him to assimilate by marrying a local. He desperately misses his homeland and initially rebels. “Their skin is too white. They look like boiled potatoes,” he rants.

Even the stepsisters are more three-dimensional. Judy (Kendra Lamonthe) wants to study the earth and dreams of owning a microscope while Ruth (Tatianna Panchyshyn) loves to eat and paint.

Wertenbaker’s most original idea is to create animal allegories of the Seven Deadly Sins that prod mankind’s obsessions, fears and doubts. It is often hard to take your eyes off the fabulously masked GreedMonkey, EnvySnake, GluttonToad, AngerBird, PrideFly, Slothworm and Lust.

But they are pretty tame compared to the eighth tormentor, a downright chilling Sadness (Erika Holba). She attacks her prey slowly, hypnotically and painstakingly drags Ashie down to the depths of despair. However, Ashie has friends and the ditsy Fairy of the Mirror (Tamara Yakoweshen) arrives in the nick of time with hope and a spell book.

There are some terrific performances. Morinville’s Niki Tally’s stepmother is wonderfully manipulative. I found myself sympathizing with her until she forced her daughters to amputate their toes and heels. David Supina’s stupid Slothworm is delightfully deadpan and dry. And Yakoweshen utterly charms with light-hearted kindness.

The actors have put tremendous heart into their work, and Betty Kolodziej’s outstanding costumes and Graeme Head’s striking masks create visual magic. Darbasie has also added a Bollywood-style ball full of energy and sparkle. Although the script plods along, it’s still a pleasant evening for the family.