Echoes of a Vanishing World: Last Landscape at Buddies in Bad Times

The cast of Last Landscape. (Photo by Fran Chudnoff.)

A droning litany of environmental crises emanates from a laptop in a cramped, cardboard-walled apartment. Outside, a dog’s incessant barking punctuates the claustrophobic atmosphere. This unsettling opening of Last Landscape at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre thrusts us into a world teetering on the brink of ecological collapse, as envisioned by Toronto-based theatre artist Adam Paolozza, the show’s creator and director.

As a solitary figure sheds layers of protective clothing, dampened by an unseen hand with a spray bottle, the audience is catapulted into a future where nature exists only in memory. What unfolds is a wordless spectacle challenging our perceptions of time, nature and human impact, evoking Beckett’s absurdism and Ionesco’s surrealism – influences from Paolozza’s training at L’École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq.

At its core, the nearly two-hour production, running at Buddies until Jan. 26, grapples with our relationship with the natural world, exploring sustainability, extinction and interspecies care through the lens of posthumanism – a philosophy blurring distinctions among human, non-human, and technological entities. Last Landscape invites reflection on vanished nature and narratives that transcend human-centricity. This eco-dramaturgical approach embodies climate change through physical performance and immersive design, engaging audiences on a visceral level.

A skilled ensemble with backgrounds in dance, clowning and physical theatre breathes life into Paolozza’s non-verbal spectacle. Nada Abusaleh, Nicholas Eddie, Gibum Dante Lim, Annie Luján and Kari Pederson craft a rich narrative through grunts, gestures and animal imitations. Their seamless teamwork transforms the stage with “scenic marionettes” – found objects and oversized puppets producing fleeting natural tableaux. Repurposed cardboard becomes mountains, ladders form rivers and aqua tulle ripples into streams – a testament to creativity in the face of loss, yet a stark reminder of our alienation from nature.

Last Landscape. (Photo by Fran Chudnoff.)

This estrangement takes surreal turns in a production that often teeters between chaos and serenity. A colossal prehistoric sloth puppet lumbers across the stage, collapsing past and future. In a moment of unexpected hilarity, puppet seagulls on sticks swoop and squawk over a front-row audience member’s potato chip, mimicking nature’s unpredictability with uncanny accuracy.

Toronto’s SlowPitchSound (Cheldon Paterson) provides a live score that elevates the entire production. Visible at the stage’s edge, the composer’s “sci-fi turntablism” weaves bird calls and ambient noise with electronic textures. His deft manipulation of turntable and soundboard synchronizes perfectly with the on-stage action, the heavy footfalls of the sloth puppet echoing with well-timed “bam bam bam” sounds. This evocative soundscape transports us to places like Toronto’s Evergreen Brick Works at dusk, lending a meditative quality that contrasts with the visual tumult.

Yet for all its imaginative power, Last Landscape occasionally stumbles in its pacing. The compelling opening scene feels somewhat disconnected from the wordless exploration that follows, resulting in moments where the narrative thread threatens to unravel. Extended sequences of abstract movement sometimes test the audience’s patience, diluting the impact of more poignant moments. The production’s commitment to sustainability results in a clever, if sometimes haphazard, aesthetic that doesn’t always translate into visual coherence on stage.

The final tableau, however, offers a scene both amusing and profound. The cast huddles on a park bench, backs to us, angling reflector boards to catch rays from a circular “selfie light” on a tripod. This faux sun, designed to enhance rather than illuminate, becomes a striking metaphor for our estrangement from nature. As we watch this simulation of basking in sunlight, Plato’s cave allegory springs to mind. Are we witnessing a shadow of reality or merely an image of an image?

In this moment, Last Landscape transcends its imperfections, pushing us to contemplate our relationship with nature while maintaining a touch of whimsy. The performers’ earnest engagement with the synthetic environment is simultaneously comical and unsettling, forcing us to confront our increasing reliance on manufactured experiences. The production’s blend of philosophical depth and playful absurdism challenges us to reconsider our environmental future in unexpected ways.

Despite its occasional missteps, Last Landscape’s ability to provoke thought and stir emotions is evident in the audience’s enthusiastic response – from laughter to a standing ovation – and the buzzing energy of the post-show gathering.

While it may not always hit its mark, Paolozza’s ambitious vision reveals theatre’s unique capacity to address urgent global issues with creativity and intellectual impact.

– Deirdre Kelly is a Toronto-based journalist, author and internationally recognized dance critic and style writer on staff at The Globe and Mail newspaper from 1985 to 2017. She writes for Dance Magazine in New York, the Dance Gazette in London, and NUVO in Vancouver, and is a contributor to the International Dictionary of Ballet and AWOL: Tales for Travel-Inspired Minds. The best-selling author of Paris Times Eight and Ballerina: Sex, Scandal and Suffering Behind the Symbol of Perfection, she is a two-time recipient (2020 and 2014) of Canada’s Nathan Cohen Prize for outstanding critical writing. In 2017, she joined York University as Editor of the award-winning The York University Magazine where she is also the publication’s principal writer. In 2023, she published her latest book, Fashioning The Beatles: The Looks That Shook The World.