Once Upon a Time – Febe Coysman

Another Piece of My Heart

In the sunny months of summer, cinemas around Europe move outdoors, organizing open-air screenings and often giving a dusting to old classics in the fresh air. Once Upon a Time by Febe Coysman shows that not only screens can move outdoors, but their plots and props too can step out of screens. A street in Oostende is transformed into a theater stage with a car as its centerpiece. And so a Tarantino-inspired Thelma and Louise go on a fearful trip full of loathing, all the while centering female friendship.

Though frozen in place, this witty play doesn’t lack action. The story is simple; two women are on a road trip, running from their past, one has killed a man (Suzanne Ceulemans) , another had an affair with her best friend’s husband (Lena Majri). On their way they hit a man (Bartel Busschaert), a sorrowful suicidal loser with no purpose in life. Ingenious minimalist solutions recreate special effects usually seen on screen; actors moving in slow motion, the man rolling off the car while spitting blood, and a smoke bomb give an image of a car crash. The choice to use simple tools is a testimony to Coysman’s inventiveness, and it pays off.

“Soundtracked by the soaring voice of Janis Joplin, we see two headstrong women and a lost man carving a rightfully deserved place for women in this genre.”

Many theater tricks can be seen by the naked eye; we know that there really is no dead body in the trunk and the actor didn’t actually piss himself. However, in this case the lack of backstage is used as an advantage. It serves the greater message of the play – having no secrets, coming clean and being truthful to yourself and your best friend. Two friends admitting their secrets to each other and the only man being comic relief is no set up for a love triangle. The play seems to suggest that it’s time to sacrifice a piece of your heart for the sake of your friend and not for yet another Jack.

Soundtracked by the soaring voice of Janis Joplin, we see two headstrong women and a lost man carving a rightfully deserved place for women in this genre. At times inconsistent and simplistic, this play doesn’t take itself too seriously and follows as well as plays with the formula. Stepping away from the usually serious and heavy theater tradition, it entertains you with its unabashed straightforwardness, but it isn’t empty. While giggling the audience realizes that the skeletons of sex, drugs & rock ‘n’ roll really needed a good airing.

This review was written as part of the Summer School Art Criticism by rekto:verso and Etcetera, made possible by Theater Aan Zee and Het TheaterFestival. The illustrations are by Catalina Strauss.