Sardines: Resemblance Uncanny

How Deep is It?

I share nothing in common with Chris Grace except for the fact that we are both human and we will both eventually have lived the entirety of our lives. Our Venn diagram overlaps with just a tiny crescent of a moon, but that crescent is significant even if my life seemingly isn’t particularly. I am the one in the audience after all and Grace is the one and only on stage captivating us all for a full, emotional hour that seemed too short and yet packed tight like a can of sardines. He had me at Sardines, but then the subtitle: a comedy about death really had me intrigued. We each approach life and death in a variety of different ways, but we rarely talk about it. While Grace’s Sardines is a very personal story, it dusts off some of the feelings and thoughts that perhaps we shelve for another day. There is, however, no time like the present. With one caveat.*

The Number of Cast Members is Greater Than It Seems

I have been to many plays throughout my life from a very young age going to see The Potato People with my mom to seeing as much as I can in Boston solo or with friends and family. I used to cringe a little at the term “one-(wo)man” show because they just were not good. Lately though, some of my favourite shows have had one actor. The set was, shall we say, somewhat minimal yet very effective. I enjoyed this play so much more than other plays with elaborate set designs, sound, and lighting which is not an easy feat. The combination of Chris Grace‘s writing and acting along with Eric Michaud’s directing was a sweet spot of theatre.

Bittersweet Symphony

Sardines is a bittersweet hour with a good number of laughs, thoughtful moments and, for me, tears that I just could not keep in. I appreciated the whole experience and loved the ingenuity of the performance, the vulnerability of the writing and acting, the music references, and audience interactions. We all have lives and families and coming together to process that is a very worthy use of your time, Sardines is at The Huntington Theatre’s Maso Studio black box theatre through November 16th and tickets can be purchased here.

So, while actor and writer Chris Grace and I have almost nothing in common, I saw so much of my life reflected back to me. The resemblance was uncanny. And for goodness sake go see Sinners, Mr. Grace so we can have one more thing in common.

*If you are dealing with a recent death or have a particular sensitivity to the concept or reality of someone’s death then Sardines may be exactly what you need right now, however, if you are feeling raw then it may be salt on a wound. I still recommend giving Sardines a try, but to be safe bring some tissues, shades, and perhaps take a seat by the door if you feel like you need a quick escape.