The Heist
The Heist is a homage to all the restaurant and small business owners who have fought for their lives during the pandemic. It is a melodrama, played with full-masks by a solo actor. The piece explores the plight of a man who loses everything. Using comedy, mask, music, and movement, "The Heist" criticizes an exploitative, capitalist world.
The story opens on the mundane but happy life of small bistro owner and chef, Steve, who is suddenly thrown into the maelstrom of a global pandemic. Without warning or reason, his business is at the mercy of various restrictions and closures, bringing him to the brink of ruin. He is forced into a life of crime, at which he fails miserably. He seeks to understand the reason for his fate and finding no answers, he spirals desperately to rock bottom. When he nearly succumbs to the hopelessness of human struggle, an ironic twist of fate lights the path back to what he truly loves, though that love is compromised.
Lee Delong masterfully dissects the human struggle for survival and its inherent meaninglessness in an alluring, charming way. She contrasts the wordless sufferings of a masked life with a heightened sense of poignancy. She puts Wetzel through all his moves to explore the play’s multiple characters. Since there is only one actor and four masks, Wetzel must change characters and physicality with great prowess. Wetzel jumps, rolls, tippy-toes, explodes, collapses, dreams, and agonizes in rapid-fire succession with enormous skill. Delong’s use of musical underscoring and sound effects elevate Wetzel’s interpretation. The resulting music, combined with Monique Laleeuwe’s adept contribution, adds colour to Steve’s emotional rollercoaster and provides a soundscape that fills the empty space. A general light, comedic style puts the story into greater value. This rare ensemble of elements renders a timely piece of melodrama, uniquely and tenderly delivered.
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written and directed Lee Delong with Ralf Wetzel music Monique Laleeuwe masks Ralf Wetzel song "Drowning" Lee Delong
