Ok. So do you know when you’re sitting in a difficult class, let’s say it’s math class, and everyone around you doesn’t want to admit that the material is difficult to understand? Not that it’s not worthwhile to learn – just that it’s tricky and requires some extra focus. That’s sort of how I felt about this play. It’s weird and conceptual and somewhat absurdist, but I liked it.

(EVERYONE I LOVE HAS) A TERRIBLE FATE (BEFALL THEM) is a one-man show written and performed by Cliff Cardinal and directed by Karin Randoja. I’d heard of Cliff before, but I’d never seen his shows. Cliff was named a Canadian Cultural Icon in 2022 by the Globe and Mail, so he’s officially been classified as “cool.” I can’t imagine putting on avant-garde performing arts pieces gets you a prime spot in the high school cafeteria, but it does get you a mention in a major publication (and, more importantly, on this blog), so, you know…ha.

Cliff is perhaps most recently known for his Crow’s Theatre/Mirvish play The Land Acknowledgement. The play was originally advertised as a reimagining of As You Like It, so people came in expecting to see Shakespeare. As the theatre dimmed the lights, the land acknowledgement pre-show announcement started, and then it just never ended – that was the show. I think it’s a brilliant concept, and I’m sad I missed it.

Anyway, this most recent play (I’ll call it “A TERRIBLE FATE” for the rest of the article) is about a man named Robert who thinks he’s cursed. The title speaks for itself – everyone the man cares about dies or has something terrible happen to them (e.g. get audited). So in turn, Robert goes through life doing a lot of drugs and trying to push away everyone he could conceivably care about, so as to protect society from himself. A TERRIBLE FATE seems to be set in a sort of end-of-the-world situation, where asteroids fall down onto earth causing injuries so commonplace that they don’t make the front page news. There’s also a talking rhino, which is fun (it gave me Alice in Wonderland vibes, i.e. is this a literal rhino or a drug-induced hallucination?)

The play is quite dark, but quite funny. That’s sort of Cliff’s style – to hit you with hard truths so bluntly that you’re not sure whether to laugh or cry. It’s deeply human. His writing is sharp and to-the-point, and his acting is blunt, honest, and natural. Cliff talks to the audience directly for most of the show, but it doesn’t feel forced. He’s a very engaging performer.

There’s a moment in the show where Robert befriends an older European woman who may be a Holocaust survivor (did I interpret that correctly?). He mentions to her that he’s cursed and she should stay away, and she makes a statement that I *think* gets at what this play is really about. Basically, she implies that Robert is living a self-fulfilling prophecy – many bad things have happened to people he loves, but if he continues to attribute the blame to himself and never learns to love himself, he won’t truly be living.

Admittedly, there were times when Cliff was describing graphic or gruesome deaths that I may have found funny a week earlier, but I ended up disassociating for a bit, so I got lost a few times. This isn’t Cliff’s fault – just some unfortunate timing. I felt it necessary to include that disclosure since while this show is funny, it is deceptively heavy, or perhaps felt that way to me right now.

I think A TERRIBLE FATE is worth seeing, but keep in mind that it’s artsy and out-there (in comparison to other shows I’ve seen recently, e.g. Six the Musical). So if that’s not your thing, all good, but it will be one that sticks with me for a while, if anything because I was confused for a good deal of it.

Thank you, Crow’s and VideoCabaret, for the invite to this show! (EVERYONE I LOVE HAS) A TERRIBLE FATE (BEFALL THEM) is playing at VideoCabaret’s Deanne Taylor Theatre until Nov. 12, 2023. Tickets can be purchased here.

Photo credit: Michael Cooper