Claire Shenstone-Harris and Will King in “Dead Broke”, Photo by Calvin Peterson
After switching his major from engineering to music production, university student Oliver (Will King) finds himself financially cut off from his parents. His girlfriend, Charlotte (Kiera Publicover) is sticking by him though, even when his destitute position lands them—and a handful of their twenty-something friends—into a horror-comedy scenario. Dead Broke, presented by Lost Dreams Collective, was a highlight of my 2022 Toronto Fringe experience (my review), though I found this remount underwhelming.
This is due, in large part, to the fact that the story’s surprises—one of its best features—have already been spoiled. But I have a more abstract disappointment with the energy and aesthetic here. The creative team is the same—Calvin Peterson (director), set and costume designer (Julia Kim) and lighting designer (Chin Palipane)—but this staging seems… flatter. Its been two years, so my memory is vague, but this lacks the spontaneity I remember.
I am still very fond of King’s clever script, which gives us endearing characters in a narrative bursting with genre tropes lifted from slacker comedies and horror movies. Haunted house squatting, frat-party drinking, a serial killer backstory and people getting trapped in eerie liminal spaces gives this a palpable Halloween-y vibe.
King and Publicover are suitably earnest and the duo bookend the story. Following King from the Fringe production are Gordon Harper as Oliver’s adorable, drug-dealing friend Johnny and Claire Shenstone-Harris as his best client (and sort-of girlfriend?) Irina. Their dynamic is very cute. Shenstone-Harris is a stand-out here, called upon to display the most range. (Possession plot points are a great opportunity for that sort of thing.) Though I also found myself very invested in Diana Del Rosario’s Laura, Charlotte’s snarky, confident and over-protective friend. All of my heartiest laughs were thanks to her absolutely owning the role.
King’s sound design also gives some hilariously effective jump scares involving a mysterious door and there is some neat visual stuff happening with hanging fabric panels. The string lights and milk crates are very dorm-room chic, but overall, this doesn’t convey the same palpable sense of place the original production did. I was glad for the return of some campy elements, like a dollarstore toy gun that’s supposed to be real. And that telekinetic puppetry (you’ll know it when you see it) is a special bit of goofball creepiness.
Though I preferred the Fringe production, if you haven’t yet seen Dead Broke yet, it’s fun with some cool tricks up its sleeve.
Dead Broke
running October 31 to November 10, 2024
The Theatre Centre, BMO Incubator (1115 Queen St. W)
running time: 75 minutes (no intermission)
Gordon Harper, Claire Shenstone-Harris, Diana Del Rosario, Kiera Publicover and Will King in “Dead Broke”, Photo by Calvin Peterson