A dark stage. A bank of bright orange lights. A man in a sweat suit. What follows is seventy minutes of intensely brilliant story telling. One of two plays by Daniel MacIvor on stage now at Factory Theatre, Monster delves into the depths of the human condition with a twisty, cyclical tale full of mystery, horror, and suspense. Directed by Soheil Parsa and starring the incredible Karl Ang, Monster will keep you on the edge of your seat…and potentially up all night, too.

Monster gives us snippets of the lives of sixteen different characters, all portrayed by the same actor. Throughout these shorter stories, we begin to find connections: names, events, ideas, and feelings. We have a narrator, of sorts, who has a very “Twilight Zone” Rod Sterling kind of voice and a poor relationship with the stage manager at the back of the audience. There’s this sense that the characters are all intertwined with each other, just some of those connections are more clear than others. It’s a terrifying, graphic, and haunting journey examining the deepest and darkest desires of humanity.

MacIvor’s spine-chilling script leaves room for adaptation, as current references were included in this production. It’s a brilliant way to ensure that this already relatable material stays effortlessly poignant. It also allows Ang to throw in a few impersonations of celebrities along with the other characters and that was delightfully entertaining. Also, I must admit, with one of the characters being named Janine (and that’s not a super common name), I was definitely spooked a little more than I thought I was going to be! It’s startling to hear your name spoken in a play, especially one that’s as wild as Monster.

The Studio Space at Factory Theatre is currently home to Monster, and I thought the stage set up was fascinating. Ang stands on a raised part of the stage which forms a sort of frame around him and he seldom moves from his initial planted position. Trevor Schwellnus’ lighting design is phenomenal, helping the audience to follow which character or story is being told with a quick change in the lighting. It also creates some terrifying visuals which weren’t easy to get out of my head before bedtime the night I saw the show. The simplicity of the design allows the audience to focus on the astonishing feat being performed in front of them while also creating vivid and moving images of the performer.

Karl Ang gives a stunningly impressive performance in Monster. Between the sheer number of characters he has to play and then the intensity of the material, it’s a true marvel. Ang plays everything from a small child to older adults, and transitions between the characters with ease and agility. His performance is absolutely captivating; no matter how horrific the content, you simply cannot take your eyes off of him. He’s absolutely brilliant, and expertly cast in this role (or rather roles).

Monster is not for the faint of heart, and certainly warrants the 16+ warning they have on the website. That being said, this is an unvarnished look at the nitty gritty of humanity, told with remarkable skill by talented artists. You won’t want to miss Monster, and you should make sure to check out its companion show Here Lies Henry as well! For more information and tickets, visit: https://www.factorytheatre.ca/shows/monster/

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Cover photo of Karl Ang by Dahlia Katz

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