Fringe piece on gambling surefire bet
A MIND FULL OF DOPAMINE eRory Ledbetter, Oxford, Miss. Arts Court Library
The story: Some of us gamble on the occasional lottery ticket; others lose everything as they spiral downward in their betting addiction. The high-energy Rory Ledbetter sweeps us along the latter course as he recounts racking up sickeningly large debts playing the poker tables in Los Angeles. Pros: Ledbetter’s storytelling style, which he punctuates with harmonica riffs, is as irresistible as the next turn of a poker card must be to a compulsive gambler. He also makes it clear that it’s not moral weakness that impels the gambling addict, it’s dopamine, the pleasure-giving neurotransmitter released in the brain when we engage in risky/rewarding behaviour. Cons: Boisterous Ledbetter is too loud for the Arts Court Library. That’s a quibble, not a complaint. Verdict: A surefire bet.
PACO P. PUT TO SLEEP Black Sheep Theatre, Ottawa Arts Court Theatre
The story: Rationality, initiative and pretty much everything else we usually set store by grind to a halt in Martin Dockery’s absurdist play about half a dozen characters holed up in an apartment as an apparent apocalypse gathers steam outside. You can imagine Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ionesco and the rest grinning in delight to see their funny, bleak visions live on. Pros: Strong ensemble acting and no-nonsense directing by Dave Dawson. The play also inspires you to revisit your ideas about Dockery, whose one-man storytelling shows, including this year’s The Surprise, capture the absurdity of life and the limitations of communication but do so within a more conventional narrative: maybe those solo pieces depict a greater stasis in the human spirit than at first appears. Cons: Even for a show about existential stasis, this one drags its feet too much in the first scene. Verdict: A logical choice for your must-see list. F E ST I VA L ENDS JUNE 2 9. TICKETS, INFO: 61 3 - 2 3 2 - 61 6 2, OTTAWAFRINGE.COM