Live and in person at Here for Now Theatre, at the Stratford Perth Museum, Stratford, Ont. Playing until Sept. 28, 2024.
Written by Nick Green
Directed by Kelli Fox
Set by Darren Burkett
Costumes by Monique Lund
Cast: David Keeley
Rosie Simon
Jan Alexandra Smith
Bracingly written, exquisitely directed and acted. A play about legacy, being remembered, celebrity and the truth.
I first saw a version of Dinner with the DUCHESS in 2019 at the Next Stage Festival in Toronto. Nick Green has rewritten, expanded, solidified and refocused his play since then, and the difference is marked. The result is gripping, layered in subtext, and delves into the world of music and celebrity with precision and keen observation.
The Story. From the programme: “Fame. Power. Sexism. At the end of a storied career, a violin virtuoso Margaret gives her final interview to Helen, a young, savvy reporter. Aided by her ever-charming husband, David, Margaret must confront secrets and ghosts of the past to face the impossible question: how will she be remembered?”
The Production. Classical violin music plays as the audience files in. I assume it’s one of Margaret’s records playing, which is dispelled when the play starts. Margaret says she never plays music in the house and doesn’t own any of her records. We learn that’s not true.
As Margaret, Jan Alexandra Smith enters quickly, a bit agitated, flipping her perfectly coiffed hair back in nervous gestures. She wears a stunning black neck to toe dress/coat of sorts. It looks like she’s cocooned in it, protecting her against the outside world. She nervously lights a cigarette, takes a few puffs and puts it out when she goes to meet Helen. Kudos to Monique Lund for the costumes which beautifully complete the characters.
The interview takes place in the condo Margaret (Jan Alexandra Smith) shares with her husband David (David Keeley). Margaret gives Helen (Rosie Simon) a tour of the condo, as if this is a very informal situation, friendly even. Hmmm. Margaret is trying to ease Helen into liking her, her home etc.
Darren Burkett has designed a very chic, minimalist set of the dining room/kitchen; a round glass table with black placemats is off from the kitchen, with three black candleholders with white candles. There is a colourful bold painting on the wall of the ‘dining room.” A grey bank with black high chairs separates the kitchen from the rest of the room. I assume people can eat at the ‘bank’ as easily as the round table.
Margaret’s speeches are peppered with little darts of comments that are self-deprecating, playful and very telling as the play goes on. David enters wearing beige linen: a loose shirt and comfortable pants. As David, David Keeley is buoyant, charming, watchful of Margaret and liberal with some snide remarks. Margaret shoots back a barb, with a smile. It’s the kind of cutting conversation that makes the observer suck air and hold on tight to something sturdy, as these two bait each other. This is not the example of a loving couple that Margaret wants to convey to Helen.
As Helen, Rosie Simon is smartly dressed in a top, skirt and stylish flat shoes. She has a notepad and tape-recorder. (Note: Rosie Simon also played in the previous production of Dinner with the DUCHESS that I saw in 2019. Her performance has grown and it was terrific in 2019.) Rosie Simon as Helen is also watchful of the situation, assessing what is going on with a clear eye. Helen has done buckets of research and knows deep background on Margaret that she might want to keep private.
To continue this up-close-and-personal-let’s-get-to-know-each-other tack, Helen is invited to dinner that is store bought but David will add his little touches, lemons and their zest factor. Margaret has snide comments about that too.
Helen has pitched the idea to her editors to do this interview. With no fanfare, announcement or celebratory party, Margaret is retiring from performing both in the orchestra where she is first violin and performing solo etc.
Margaret is assuming the interview will be easy and unchallenging but with questions that veer away from the usually banal, “how did you get started?” etc. We soon learn Helen has other ideas. Helen is very cool, confident and focused. She is not an easy pushover. She asks Margaret uncomfortable questions. At the top Helen asks: “How did she get the nickname “The Duchess”? Margaret is startled by the question and won’t answer it. Margaret’s demeanor becomes wary and cold. We are therefore curious about what is beneath Margaret’s charming veneer. Margaret is hiding a lot of secrets. She feels that she has fought tooth and nail against the men for her position in the music world. She feels she has been slighted and not given her due. This is a bitter woman who wants to control the agenda for this last interview about her legacy and Helen won’t let her.
Kelli Fox has directed an exquisite production that is sensitive yet bristling with shimmering emotions, bitterness, regret and the search for the truth. While Margaret and Helen challenge each other in the interview, David Keeley as David is in the kitchen, but he is riveting as he watches the arguments. His stillness is compelling. The subtle touches of a character’s side-long glance at something being said speaks volumes.
Jan Alexandra Smith plays the part of Margaret with sleek sophistication and classiness that slowly gives way to the cracks in her veneer. This is a character driven by perceived slights and humiliations, both real and imagined. Her arguments about a woman in a man’s world are convincing, but the play goes deeper. But when Margaret goes into rapturous ecstasy in describing a piece of music and her playing of it, Jan Alexandra Smith takes her character into another world of musical perfection.
As David, David Keeley is a charming man who is not timid about lobbing a well-placed cutting remark. As I said, all is not rosy in that relationship. Rosie Simon is quietly fierce as Helen. She senses a story there—a virtuoso musician retires without fanfare, is a story that goes deeper than credits and recordings. Rosie hears rumours about Margaret and hunts down the sources and the truth. The truth drives Helen, but she is not without compassion.
Nick Green has fashioned a fascinating story of an artist obsessed with playing and making music and what she had to endure to get to the top. His dialogue is bracing. He writes about the artist and the glorious music they make. He also makes us question if we can separate the glorious music from the less than generous, bitter person who makes it; and their lack of acknowledging that they might also be responsible for their situation.
Nick Green’s development of his play is a powerhouse work about art, music, beauty and the harshness of the truth. It is both eloquent and elegantly written. Terrific.
Here for Now Theatre presents:
Plays until September 28, 2024.
Running time: 1 hour 20 minutes (no intermission)
www.herefornowtheatre.com