Let Me Freeze Your Head
FOUR STARS | Neil MacArthur's debut show is filled with intriguing ethical conundrums
Rating: ★★★★
Company: Neil McArthur, Winnipeg
Genre: Play — Dramedy
Venue: 11 — Red River College (Roblin Centre)
How far would you go to extend your life? To give yourself more time with your loved ones?
Would you, say, let someone sever your head and freeze it?
This is the thorny question that Neil McArthur's strange, and strangely compelling, solo show Let Me Freeze Your Head asks.
Here, McArthur — who is a philosophy professor at the University of Manitoba — plays Neil, a former philosophy professor from the university who now works as a salesman for a cryonics company. Their promise: let them freeze your head after your death, and as soon as science discovers a way to revive you, a more-or-less eternal life will be yours.
It's weird and funny at points — but also quite touching, and filled with intriguing ethical conundrums.- Joff Schmidt
It's a pretty kooky idea (which doesn't mean people aren't doing it). But McArthur, rather than just playing it for laughs, explores why someone might actually be drawn to the concept. As Neil presents one frozen head after another, we hear the stories of people who just wanted a little bit more life. Yes, it's weird and funny at points — but also quite touching, and filled with intriguing ethical conundrums.
This is McArthur's first time onstage, and while not the most dynamic or polished performer at the Fringe, he delivers an intriguingly understated performance that engages.
Go, and see if you don't want Neil to freeze your head.
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