Huff finds poetic beauty amid the devastation of life on the reserve

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      By Cliff Cardinal. A Native Earth Performing Arts production. A Firehall Arts Centre and PuSh International Performing Arts Festival presentation. At the Firehall Arts Centre on Tuesday, February 2. Continues until February 6

      There’s talent here. Major talent. And the successes in Huff made me want it to be even better.

      In his solo show, writer and performer Cliff Cardinal tells the story of Wind, a teenage guy on a reserve. His mom left Wind and his two brothers with their alcoholic father, whose cruelty drove her to suicide. Wind’s older brother, Charles, probably has fetal alcohol syndrome and is a brutal sexual abuser. The youngest boy, Huff, is so sweet and eager that he says “Awesome!” to Wind’s every suggestion, including a game in which they take turns strangling each other until they pass out. The deadening thing about all of this is that Wind and Huff float through it. They’re used to it. This is everyday life.

      Cardinal is an audacious and innovative writer, and the script contains images of real beauty. Huff claims to have a gift from Creator: when he blows on a person, that person will feel the joy of laughter in his or her body. It works on Wind every time. And a porn rag that is soaked in cum and gasoline catches fire and turns into a flaming raven.

      Cardinal shoots surprising humour through his script. With a Ziploc bag taped to his head and his hands cuffed together, Wind says, “This is a suicide attempt,” then adds: “I say ‘attempt’, but it’s looking pretty good.” And, as an actor, Cardinal is all fluid beauty, transforming from Wind to Huff to their grandma to a Kiwi TV host.

      The thing that Huff is missing—from my point of view—is a satisfying structure. The framing device of suicide is moving, but the overall shape of the script is loose. Every scene helps to build a picture of life on the reserve and the ongoing devastation caused by the residential-school system—and there is a kind of accumulation in the layering on of hopelessness. But what is the central action of the play? What’s the specific story that would root us more deeply in Wind’s circumstances? Even though Cardinal’s imagery, humour, and performance are dazzling, the script started to bore me after a while because its information and entertainment value were dissipated in overly associative storytelling.

      But there is a lot to like. Cliff Cardinal is a serious artist.

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