Gods Plans is a brilliant piece of writing and directing from Vancouver's Wade Kinley
No Set List presented the world premier of Wade Kinley's new play Gods Plans in Vancouver last night.
God Plans is set in the old west and tells the story of two cowboys planning to rob a train. What they encounter is something neither of them could ever have anticipated.
It is a fresh and original, tragic drama perfectly peppered with the right amount of comedy. The dialogue is spectacularly rich and the timing and pacing of the story are right on. Showcased nicely by the perfectly cast trio of Giacomo Baessato, Jason Diablo, and Caitlin McCarthy, the dialogue flows smoothly and naturally. In places there are lines over lines that breathe a new layer of life into the characters and creates a much deeper sense of personality.
Baessato is brilliant in the role of the naïve and psychopathic Gerald, first tenderly drawing you close and then jolting you away. Diablo embodies the role of the restless and stoic Lloyd as if he's lived it himself, and McCarthy is a perfect blend of sexuality and rancor in the role of Catherine.
The characters are well rounded with no crossover in personality, which is a challenging task for a writer to accomplish and even more difficult a task to nail. Kinley accomplishes both and develops a keen sense of balance to the relationships that is both solid and memorable.
Diablo's character's big reveal, and the thread that links the three, isn't until the beginning of the second act where it punches hard asking us to feel the depth of his pain. It is a very important place in the play and feels like there should have even a three minute lead in or recap to snap our intermission dulled brains back into the story. Having said that, Diablo does a great job of lassoing the audience's hearts once again and leading us into the story's twist that has been cleverly threaded throughout.
The costumes are simple and nicely put together and the set design is original and unique, and adds a flavour to the piece which definitely enhances the experience.
There is no sound design except for the sound of guns being fired, but the music during the set changes and intermission is amazing.
God Plans is set in the old west and tells the story of two cowboys planning to rob a train. What they encounter is something neither of them could ever have anticipated.
It is a fresh and original, tragic drama perfectly peppered with the right amount of comedy. The dialogue is spectacularly rich and the timing and pacing of the story are right on. Showcased nicely by the perfectly cast trio of Giacomo Baessato, Jason Diablo, and Caitlin McCarthy, the dialogue flows smoothly and naturally. In places there are lines over lines that breathe a new layer of life into the characters and creates a much deeper sense of personality.
Baessato is brilliant in the role of the naïve and psychopathic Gerald, first tenderly drawing you close and then jolting you away. Diablo embodies the role of the restless and stoic Lloyd as if he's lived it himself, and McCarthy is a perfect blend of sexuality and rancor in the role of Catherine.
The characters are well rounded with no crossover in personality, which is a challenging task for a writer to accomplish and even more difficult a task to nail. Kinley accomplishes both and develops a keen sense of balance to the relationships that is both solid and memorable.
Diablo's character's big reveal, and the thread that links the three, isn't until the beginning of the second act where it punches hard asking us to feel the depth of his pain. It is a very important place in the play and feels like there should have even a three minute lead in or recap to snap our intermission dulled brains back into the story. Having said that, Diablo does a great job of lassoing the audience's hearts once again and leading us into the story's twist that has been cleverly threaded throughout.
The costumes are simple and nicely put together and the set design is original and unique, and adds a flavour to the piece which definitely enhances the experience.
There is no sound design except for the sound of guns being fired, but the music during the set changes and intermission is amazing.
Gods Plans is one of the most exciting surprises in local theatre in a very long time. A must see for anyone
Click here for tickets
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