Dark comedy at the Fringe

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This article was published 16/7/2018 (554 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Imagine NBC’s The Office meets George Orwell’s 1984. That’s a good starting point for the premise of The Last 48, a dark comedy written by Camille Intson and co-directed by Raffie Rosenberg and Wolseley’s Simon Miron.

The story, which takes the stage at Rachel Browne Theatre as part of this year’s Winnipeg Fringe Festival, tells the tale of five ambitious associates who are forced to compete for spots at a top ad agency. And as Jack Maier, who plays Dan, the annoying little brother of the office, likes to point out, it also has a sex leash, conspiracy theories, robots, wrestling, and a love affair … and comfy chairs.  

"The Last 48 is as funny as it is thought provoking and I think there’s merit to seeing a show that leaves you with something to think about," Rosenberg said.

"It’s witty and dark. With more twists and turns than the Red River, this play is sure to make mature audiences laugh while questioning their own moral integrity," adds Emily Meadows, who makes her Fringe debut as the full-of-surprises Rebecca.

Much like the characters who have to compete for a prized gig, the actors who appear in the production know a thing or two about competition.

"As a working actor I compete for parts in shows regularly. It usually works out in my favour less than 50 per cent of the time," says Miron, who’s worked on about 13 different Fringe shows in Winnipeg, Edmonton and Edinburgh.

Meadows, clearly the comedian of the bunch, is the only newbie to the Fringe circuit — the other actors and co-directors have worked on approximately 23 Fringe Fests combined. With that many productions under their cumulative belts, the cast has plenty of experience to draw on to relate to their characters, according to Charleswood resident Chris Sousa, who plays Brian Beagle, son of Frank Beagle, a world-renowned entrepreneur.  

"Brian, like everyone else in the play, has secrets that get unraveled as the show progresses," he says. "My relationship to Brian is interesting. Though I didn’t grow up in a family that had lots of money, I can still understand why he would want to take a chance on himself. Being an actor that’s what you bank on every day. The hope that someone will take a chance on you."

Maier is hoping Fringe-goers will take a chance on this raunchy workplace satire.

"There are a lot of laughs in the show, but I hope people will also come away from the show considering what they would do in a similar situation," he said. "In a lot of ways, this is a show about human nature, and thinking critically about the decisions the characters make can lead you down quite the philosophical rabbit hole."

The Last 48 runs from July 18 to 29.