Rosebud production of The Fever by Wallace Shawn

This was a 4:30 pm show, so that meant that dinner was afterwards. Spoiler alert, the buffet after the show was wonderful. I have come to expect a great selection of food at Rosebud, and I am never disappointed.
The other difference between this and most other shows was that it was not in the Opera House, but rather at the Rosebud Studio Stage. It’s a bit of a walk down the road from the mercantile, but you can park closer if need be. It’s a lovely walk, but I wouldn’t want to do it in fancy shoes. Fortunately, my fashion sense is directed by comfort, so my shoes were entirely appropriate for the walk, if not the runway. The seats aren’t quite as comfortable as those in the Opera House, but I have very fond memories of this theatre. This is where I saw ‘The Syringa Tree’, which was an amazing one woman show.
The set was made up of a lovely seating area complete with side table on one side and a grungy looking toilet on the other. This seemed contradictory, but once the play started, it made complete sense. One woman appeared on stage, and we were immediately swept away into her thoughts and feelings. I found myself fighting the urge to blink so as not to spill the tears that were welling up in my eyes. This was 60 seconds into the story. I marvel at that kind of emotional depth and range. Heather Pattengale goes from terror, rage and disdain to childlike joy and a sense of wonder.
While having a terrible time with an illness, including a fever, she recounts the events of her life and questions her actions as well as those of others. She tells of death, torture and pain and tries to make sense of how and why fancy birthday parties, classical music and coffee shops bring her so much joy. She loves the feeling of fresh clean sheets in an upscale hotel room. How is it that she can experience these joys of life when others are left to suffer indignities and circumstances beyond what most of us can even imagine? This felt raw and real, and she questioned the way the world works. This woman was angry, sad, silly, naughty, childlike, judgy and sorrowful. Mostly she wondered. She wondered how to make sense of life, death, pain and suffering, and rich versus poor. What is fairness, equity, or the worth of a human life? Why is it that some of us have so many chances and others are sentenced to a life of unimaginable circumstances? She notes the beauty of the land in contrast to so much death and blood. She speaks of the fortunate ones as having had ‘delicate, precious, breakable things’ for soft delicate breakable children. In the end she left me wondering how I could live better. How can we fight inequality? I recycle and use water responsibly. I make donations to charities who help the less fortunate. I buy fairtrade chocolate and coffee. But where are my clothes made and was there suffering and child labour used to make them? What was my spinach packaged in and is there a better option? Who picked that avocado and were they properly compensated? I don’t have the answers, but I appreciated the reminder to ask these questions.
Heather Pattengale took us all on a journey riddled with questions of ethics and self discovery. What is my story? Who am I…really? How and why is there such inequality and what can I do about it?
I left the theatre feeling emotionally exhausted and grateful for the thoughtfulness that was put into this show. I wanted to sit and ruminate on what I had just seen. I’m still feeling those emotions as I write. I love being forced to think and rethink. If you don’t want to be moved and taken on an emotional journey, stay away. If you want to feel, think and appreciate how fortunate you are, then this is a must see.