gillian english & ned petrie
photo by rob colburn
The Theatre Elusive’s Love in the Time of Time Machines has a fun premise and some really funny performers but the script could benefit from some further shaping.
It centers on the story of Klein and Gabrielle, who are destined to be together. When Gabrielle breaks up with Klein he is so heartbroken that he decides to use the Time Travel Machine that is in his family’s business to try to break things off earlier with Gabrielle, to spare himself the eventual heartache. Yet, every time he disappears back into the present/future, something goes wrong, and he and Gabrielle are still together- still on the road toward likely/potentially breaking up.
The one thing that I would encourage playwrights Ned Petrie and David Tichauer to consider is whether they want this play to be a Farce or a heartwarming comedy with dramatic moments, because at the moment it is in a murky middle ground between the two. If the play is about the absurdity of chasing yourself through time, I wanted crazier, farcical antics. If the play is about saving the relationship between Klein and Gabrielle, I wanted more depth and intimacy into the couple and who these people were as individuals. Brian MacQuarrie gives a strong performance as Brian, the bar tender, but his narration bits are too long, and not really needed to propel the plot forward.
TWISI Rating: 
Love In the Time of Time Machines plays at DanSpace (1531 Grafton Street) at the following times:
September 7 @ 6:30pm
Tickets are $10.00 and are available in advance online at this website or 30 minutes before each show at the venue on the day of the performance. All tickets bought in person must be purchased with either cash or credit. For more information please visit this website or call 902.422.7604 between 10:00am and 5:00pm.
