The content warnings for Vitals on Factory’s website are: “This play contains explicit descriptions of violence, gore, sexual assault, animal and child abuse and self-harm including suicide. It is not recommended for younger audiences.” As such, my review will also be touching on these topics.
If you’re planning to see the show, please heed these warnings. These are certainly warranted for this production.
Part of me has always wondered what it’d be like to be a paramedic – to have, what I affectionately call, a run-into-the-danger type of job. I know I’m not capable of it, but the questions linger. Rosamund Small’s Vitals takes us into the deepest, darkest, goriest parts of the job. This production, directed by Alaine Hutton, features a medical professional as its star, bringing a level of understanding and gravitas befitting of such a work. Though there are moments of light and humour, Vitals is an intense and haunting look at the life of a paramedic and the horrors they regularly witness.
Photo by Nate Colitto
Anna loves her job; she goes through every possibility of how to handle the call on the way there so that she’ll know exactly what to do when she sees her patient. There have, however, been a few surprises along the way, calls she never could have been prepared for, and those are the ones which linger the most in her mind. But when a few of those cases come one after the next, suddenly Anna isn’t as good at her job any more. She’s making mistakes and lashing out. If she’s no longer a paramedic, then who is she?
Photo by Nate Colitto
As previously mentioned, the content warnings for this show are almost an understatement considering what we hear about in the play. Though nothing is ever actually shown to the audience, much of what is described is so vivid that the images still give me the chills. What’s more, several of the cases which are discussed in this production are the results of suicide or self-harm, and there are times where it even feels like advice is being given as to how to complete such an act successfully, or at least more efficiently. I don’t think any amount of warnings could actually prepare someone for what they’re about to hear in Vitals; though it’s discussed in a professional and straight-forward way, the text is so detailed that you can’t help but see what Anna’s telling you in your mind’s eye. I was rather shaken after seeing this show; I cried on the way home telling my fiancé about the awful stories which had been told to me and how real they all felt. I actually had to tell myself several times that it’s just a play, and that none of it was real.
Photo by Nate Colitto
The problem, of course, being that this show is so deliberately grounded in reality. And with all of this being said, I can fully understand how it’s important to tell stories like the ones in Vitals. There are folks out there, working our front lines who see the worst of humanity every day. The play starts and ends with “I should have been a veterinarian. People are terrible.” and I’m inclined to agree. I know that this is a job I could never do – my empathetic, soft heart would not be able to deal with even one of the calls described in this play. I give such kudos and gratitude to the folks who are able to do run-into-the-danger jobs; I am not one of them, and I’m glad that the world has people like you who are. We need you, and we thank you.
Photo by Nate Colitto
Dr. Janet McMordie gives an impressive performance as Anna. For someone who’s not a trained performer to get up and do a 75-minute solo show of this intensity and depth is beyond what I can imagine. McMordie is clearly giving her all in this production, shedding real tears several times and really going on the emotional journey of her character. I truly hope I get to see more of Dr. McMordie’s performances in future.
Vitals is not for the faint of heart; I haven’t been so shaken up by a show in months. Though it’s an essential story to tell, Vitals goes almost too far in having its audience share the experience of its protagonist. However, I can’t help but imagine that there are medical professionals out there who would feel seen in a way they hadn’t before by witnessing this show; the power of art is breathtaking.
Vitals runs in the Studio space of Factory Theatre until May 10. For more information and tickets, visit: https://purchase.factorytheatre.ca/EventAvailability?EventId=52402&ref=bookNow&scroll=timeAndDates&_ga=2.126442315.791073551.1777988970-1316870179.1777303941
Cover Photo: Dr. Janet McMordie. Photo by Nate Colitto.
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