By James Karas
Boys With Cars, now
playing at the Young People’s Theatre, is written, choreographed and performed
solo by Anita Majumdar. If you are not impressed by such a display of talent
and ability, well, you should be.
The play deals with the world of teenage girls in a high school in Port
Moody, B.C. Naz is of Indian origin and Port Moody Secondary School is largely
white. Majumdar takes us though the angst and experiences of teenagers that are
even worse for girls of different racial origin.
Relationships with boys play a central role. Naz has a boyfriend called
Lucky who breaks off the relationship when she “fools around” with his friend
Buddy. How do boys view girls? The macho, sexist, demeaning attitude of men
towards women and boys towards girls that some of us would like to see as
something from the past is very much alive and thriving in the Vancouver suburb
of Port Moody (and the rest of the country for that matter).
Bullying, the question
of consent and the horrors of growing up are all brought forth by Majumdar. If
a girl is raped, can it be considered her fault?
Majumdar is an extraordinary dancer and she performs some beautiful
numbers that she has choreographed.
The second half of the play focuses on Candace, the blonde, popular
student who gives lessons on YouTube about dress and makeup. The worlds of Naz
and Candace seem totally separate but they are also similar. She is nasty and
competitive with boys, especially Buddy, being her target and a way of one-upping
Naz.
The audience consisted almost entirely of high school students the
afternoon that I saw the production. They were attentive and during the Q&A
period following the performance showed an admirable grasp of the issues
presented in the play.
Majumdar explained that it took her about 10 years to write the play
which in this version for young people combines two plays from The Fish Eyes Trilogy - Boys with Cars and Let Me Borrow That Top.
A highly praise-worthy
production for teenagers.
Boys
With Cars by Anita Majumdar runs from March 23 to April 1, 2017 at
the Young People’s Theatre, 165 Front Street East, Toronto, Ontario. 416
862-2222. www.youngpeoplestheatre.ca
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