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THE ELEPHANT SONG
Drama — 75 minutes / 2M, 1W
synopsis
An eminent psychiatrist has vanished from his office. The last person to see him is Michael, a troubled patient obsessed with all things elephants. Dr Greenberg, the hospital director, is determined to interrogate Michael, ignoring the head nurse's cryptic warnings. Michael speaks of elephants and opera — with the occasional hint of murder and foul play. Fraught with mind games and verbal tugs-of-war, The Elephant Song is a cat-and-mouse game that will keep you guessing until its haunting conclusion.
reviews
“The Elephant Song could be the start of a major career. It certainly shows an unusual poise and sense of theatricality and is an always-absorbing character study of Michael Aleen, a patient in a psychiatric hospital.”
– Robert Crew, Toronto Star
“The Elephant Song is a dark, savagely funny three-hander about a mental patient, a psychiatrist and a nurse. Crisply written, it has echoes of Edward Albee's The Zoo Story, or perhaps something by Harold Pinter.”
– Michael Posner, The Globe & Mail
“Canadian playwright Nicolas Billon's The Elephant Song is a 4 o'clock in the morning play: You wake up at 4 a.m. and everything makes sense.”
– Martin F. Kohn, Detroit Free Press
“[The Elephant Song's] rapid-fire dialogue escalates psychological tension in a style reminiscent of Edward Albee.”
– Matt Radz, Montreal Gazette
full production history
June 25, 2009
Crossing the Divide Festival (London, England)
Bridewell Theatre (Public Reading)
Cast: Corey Turner, Mac McDonald, Claudette Williams
Director: Guy Unsworth
May 18, 2008
Workshop Theater Company (New York City, USA)
Jewel Box Theater (Public Reading)
Cast: Jeff Wills, David Ian Lee, Letty Ferrer
Director: Daryl Boling
March 6 – 8, 2008
Beothuk Street Players (St-John's, Canada)
Holy Heart Theatre
Cast: James Macdonald, Bruce Doulton, Bev Doyle
Director: Darrel Brenton
January 26, 2008
hotINK International Festival (New York City, USA)
Burrows Theatre, NYU (Public Reading)
Cast: Theo Stockman, Kevin Kuhlke, Suzy Fay
Director: Terry Knickerbocker
May 9 – 12, 2007
Cairns Little Theatre (Cairns, Australia)
Cairns Little Theatre
Cast: Thomas Quirk, Frank Joel, Lynn Cropp
Director: Lynn Cropp
January 18 – February 11, 2007
Infinitheatre (Montréal, Canada)
Bain St-Michel
Cast: Gianpaolo Venuta, Howard Rosenstein, Julie Tamiko Manning
Director: Guy Sprung
January 18 – February 12, 2005 (French Production)
Théâtre d'Aujourd'hui (Montréal, Canada)
Grande Salle
Cast: Vincent-Guillaume Otis, Jean-François Pichette, Jasmine Dubé
Director: René Richard Cyr
July 22 – September 26, 2004
The Stratford Festival of Canada (Stratford, Canada)
Studio Theatre
Cast: Mac Fyfe, Stephen Ouimette, Maria Vacratsis
Director: Jim Warren
Saturday, September 6, 2003
The Stratford Festival of Canada (Stratford, Canada)
Studio Theatre (Public Reading)
Cast: Nicolas Van Burek, Stephen Ouimette, Chick Reid
Director: Jim Warren
Saturday, March 16, 2002
Infinitheatre (Montréal, Canada)
Infinite Space (Public Reading)
Cast: Brett Watson, Harry Standjofski, Janice Kirshner
Director: Carolyn Guillet
