Remaining Show:
Aug 29, 7:30 pm
Intrepid Studio
Although little is known about the Victoria-based performance troupe Plastik Theatrik, their play Popurrí is easily the most surreal show I’ve seen this year. It offers more than a series of strange ideas—it felt like watching The Muppet Show on acid, complete with a few Beaker-style moments that had me laughing out loud. As for the fly-like scenes at a dining table or heads poking out of a pool of plastic… I won’t even attempt to make sense of them.
I raised an eyebrow higher than Mr. Spock more than once. A surgical, alien-like set piece clearly functions as metaphor, with parts of a human body (represented by a doll) removed. The bizarre creatures conducting the operation meep and emit odd sounds, making me wonder if uno, dos, tres carries a hidden meaning. The numeral references are obvious even to those who don’t speak Spanish. During a scene reminiscent of an alien abduction, a deck of cards marked “uno” appears—later research revealed it’s apparently a game.
The show also includes a “birthing” sequence as wild as a 70s-era Ralph Bakshi animation. Heavy Metal came to mind, though the play never directly references it—except perhaps when an orb, representing the soul, leaves a body and drifts into the cosmos.
Ultimately, Popurrí is the strangest piece of experimental theatre I’ve seen in years—and I loved it. That’s exactly what performing arts should do: challenge, provoke, and delight. The audience is invited to interpret these abstract moments for themselves rather than being spoon-fed meaning. Even the operatic segments impress, though don’t expect a Bohemian Rhapsody-style spectacle.
If Plastik Theatrik takes this show on the road, I’d be eager to see how other theatre critics respond. Strangely, there are only two shows, which makes me think this is still a work in progress. Watching this one performance defies simple explanation—and I’d be curious to see how it might expand into something larger. While its current iteration is wholeheartedly bizarre, that’s also its charm.
3½ Stars out of 5
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