Review: Odyssey Theatre's THE GIRL WITH NO HANDS at Strathcona Park

By its nature, Odyssey Theatre’s Theatre Under the Stars is at the whim of the weather.  With increasingly unpredictable weather patterns and extreme heat and humidity, the opening night of The Girl With No Hands had to be postponed. On The Girl With No Hands' new opening night, the weather gods smiled upon Odyssey Theatre and provided the cast, crew, and audience with picture perfect weather.

Ottawa's Strathcona Park is beautiful and if you have extra time before the show, I encourage you to take a stroll along the park pathway. The park's multitude of birds provides a calming oasis so close to the heart of the city. If you are planning a pre-show walkabout, checking in with the desk on arrival is recommended, as many people were unaware of this requirement before entry onto the theatre site, which caused confusion (and consternation) among guests with virtual tickets.

The Girl With No Hands is inspired by The Handless Maiden, a folktale by The Brothers Grimm. In her vision of the story, writer and director Laurie Steven, wanted to create a heroine that was angry and forced to find her own path, rather than a damsel in distress that must rely on the kindness of men to save her, as is generally the case in traditional fairy tales. On the verge of desperation, the handless maiden (Erin Loretta Mackey) ventures into an imaginative world to discover her self worth, after some encouragement from a sylph (Valerie Buhagiar), a mythological air spirit. There, she finds a world of warring kingdoms, fighting over lands being battered by earthquakes caused by the mining of crozone, a valuable, but dangerous substance. Three bumbling outcasts (Scott McColloch, Chandel Gambles, Marlow Stainfield) entreaty the maiden to help them and she reluctantly agrees. Soon after, she encounters a king (Nicholas Koy Santillo) and her plans are momentarily derailed by love, but the Devil in disguise (William Beddoe) conspires with the king’s mother (Buhagiar) and an unwitting security guard (Bruce Spinney) in a plot to have the girl killed. The handless maiden realizes she must fend for herself and find a way to restore peace to the kingdom.

The stage is relatively small, but well placed, with a layered platforms providing height (set designed by Brian Smith). Blocks serve as set pieced that are easy to manoeuvre and contain slots where design elements can be added, which is a clever way to include scenery without requiring a traditional staging area. A covered arch at the back of centre stage serves as a focal point that allows the cast to enter and exit the stage and hides the backstage from view.

The original score, composed by Venessa Lachance, features electronic-industrial, neo-goth style music. The music sometimes sounded a little too faded, likely because of the challenges of an outdoor setting. The musical style complements the show’s theme nicely and the choreography is well executed (movement coach Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière). While the show is not a musical, it does have some singing elements included; however, rather than enhancing the story, they make that part of the show come across as amateur, which is entirely at odds with the rest of the production.

Aside from the outdoor aspect, what makes this production unique is its heavy use of masks and puppets. Designed by Clelia Scala, they are impressive and are instrumental in creating the otherworldly feel of the set. The three wraiths that came swooping around the stage are visually stunning, with effective lighting (Graham Price) upping the spook factor exponentially. The detailed masks, wigs (Carmen Korpi) and costumes (Andrée-Ève Archambault) make the strumpets, harpies, and drudes come alive and help persuade the audience that they are mythological creatures, rather than actors in costumes. This cast has great chemistry; Mackey’s and Beddoe’s roles are the meatiest and most challenging, but performances are strong all around.  

There are many different characters and settings throughout the play; having knowledge of the original folktale or reading the program notes and the included character descriptions will immensely help audiences appreciate the story as it unfolds. You can also read my interview of Laurie Steven, where she shares the themes of the show, as well as an overview of the characters.

The show’s last scene was unexpected and inventive and, while I won’t spoil it here, I highly enjoyed the creativity and inclusiveness of this part. The Girl With No Hands is an ambitious project that showcases a strong female heroine who faces her demons and finds her own path without relying on a prince (or king) charming to “fix” her, which is a refreshing change from the original story.