Are you feeling stuck in your life? Dreams not coming true? Is your household cat making your life miserable? Then Mother Moon has a solution for you! Come and become part of the sisterhood as they escape reality to The Middle, where all things are possible. For it is only When You Close Your Eyes that you can truly see, isn’t it? That’s what playwright Jesse Richer would have us believe in her new horror musical When You Close Your Eyes, which had its first staged workshop in the Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace. Directed by Ally Chozik, this is certainly a valiant first endeavour in staging this intriguing production.

Richer’s story has the hallmarks of classic horror films: the lonely girl (Delaney) who likes spooky movies, the new girl in town (Vera) who looks like she definitely charges her crystals regularly, and the lonely girl’s yearning to leave the small town she feels stuck in. Delaney works in a video store with her ex-boyfriend Will, and even he stats to notice how Delaney changes once Vera arrives in town. Vera collects a small group of girls, including Delaney, Charlotte (who hates her cat), Maeve (who thinks she should be famous by now), and Esther (who’s mourning the loss of her twin sister) to join her little sisterhood…which may or may not be (but definitely is) a cult. She introduces them to The Middle, a place between sleep and awake where anything can happen. What starts out as seemingly innocent self-empowerment grows darker as The Middle becomes more alluring.

Though I don’t frequently partake in the horror genre myself, even I caught on to the more pointed references in the script, as well as in the costumes and props. While the production made use of all aspects of the Backspace, it also left small lulls in the action as we waited for actors to get from one level to another. These moments were often filled with sound effects to continue the frightening vibes, but also took us out of the story a bit. And while the story provided plenty of twists and turns, there were still some elements which remained unclear and left me befuddled rather than spooked. Why doesn’t Mother Moon like Vera? If she’s her granddaughter, why isn’t Vera taking over The Middle? In the final scene, we see Will so unsure of what to do, and while his ultimate actions were shocking, I was far more interested in what was occurring between the sleeping Vera and Delaney, who were trying to work out who was going to be in control of The Middle once Mother Moon passed on. I did enjoy how after the first “incident”, the lines between The Middle and reality were more blurred for both the audience and the characters; it certainly made us question what was real and what wasn’t, which gave the text the uneasy feeling it’s aiming for.

The score of When You Close Your Eyes was interesting and well paced within the show. It felt like everyone really got their opportunity to shine though their vocal performances; it almost felt as if the songs were tailor made for this specific cast, and they were clearly putting their all into these songs.

Likewise, this cast gave stellar performances throughout the show. Julia Schwartz starred as Delaney alongside Josie Smith as Vera. Both brought their talent and passion to their roles and made them truly memorable. Jameson Mosher’s Will was sweet and kind, and his chemistry with Schwartz was spot on. It makes his final actions in the play all the more intense. Erin Jennelle Teodoro broke my heart as Esther; the grief and heartbreak she portrayed spoke to the big sister in me. Callan Forrester’s Grandmother was powerful and terrifying, everything she was supposed to be in this story. Azaria Shams and Emma Woodside gave excellent performances; they were instantly recognizable in their roles, and I loved how Woodside’s Charlotte was always a little unhinged. I only wish they’d have come out for a curtain call so we could have shown them our appreciation for their hard work.

I look forward to seeing what When You Close Your Eyes will become; there is a well-done horror story here, however there is still more work to be done. Hopefully, with a few more workshops we’ll get to see an even more fully-fleshed out story with these fascinating characters. If you want to follow the exciting work that Makeshift Company is doing, check them out at: https://makeshiftcompany.ca

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Cover Photo: The inhabitants of The Middle. Photo by Grayson Crompton.

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