Jacqueline Graif

Arts and Culture Correspondent

Photo Via Imago Theatre

“What happens to a dream deferred?” – Harlem, Langston Hughes

As one enters Studio Mile-Ex, a wave of curiosity overcomes them while they observe their surroundings. Rocks, dirt, caution tape, old crates, empty shopping carts, and pieces of broken canvas and insulation hanging from the ceiling fill the space. What was an abandoned train workshop has been transformed into a theatrical experience. 

The immersiveness of Scorpio Moon (running with Imago Theatre March 27th to April 6th) begins as you enter the theatre, immediately encapsulating you in the story of Koa (Cameron Grant) and Lily (Bénédicte Bélizaire). The play begins with Lily alone on stage, awaiting the arrival of her old friend, Koa. As the play progresses, the audience witnesses a friendship that has been ripped apart, and sewn back together again. A reflection of Adjani’s own life, the story does an incredible job at resonating with its audience. Tying in themes of economic disparity, the struggles of creating art, and the Queer and Black experience, the story is complicated and ever-changing. Adjani had a “desire for people to feel reflected in the story and the themes.”

In an interview with playwright Adjani Poirier, I asked about the message she wanted to communicate when writing Scorpio Moon, to which she replied “There is no singular message.”  Scorpio Moon manages to incorporate many different messages about life, grief, and love while portraying the human experience. 

The lack of a central plot or singular message feels like an homage to the complexities of the human experience. The focus is the relationship of the two characters. Koa is a struggling studio artist with a distant personality, and tendency to correct others. Lily, a former artist with a victim complex, is making a living in a dreary corporate job. We learn that Lily  slept with Koa’s boyfriend, causing the friendship to pause for over two months. When they meet at the warehouse, it is their first reunion. 

The struggle between art and capitalism becomes evident. Koa is a wonderful artist, but is rendered homeless, and while Lily makes a decent living, she had to leave her artistic dreams behind. Koa mentions “Capitalism and art are like oil and water.” The audience is soon faced with the reality of being an artist in the modern world. As Lily says, “Everything interesting always gets destroyed.” 
Despite their intense fighting, the duo always progresses with love. That is the mission of Scorpio Moon; to portray the complexities of being human and loving someone else unconditionally, when it is easy and when it isn’t.