Live and in person at Theatre Orangeville, Orangeville, Ont. Playing until Nov. 3, 2024.
Written by Chris Rait, Mark Williams and Jeannine Duwyn
Directed by David Nairn
Set by Beckie Morris
Costumes by Alex Amini
Lighting by Chris Malkowski
Sound by Brian Bleasdale
Cast: Sweeney MacArthur
Stephen Sparks
Sometimes you get a second change to make things right as Gordon and Archie find out. They also find out about true friendship, taking chances and enjoying life to the fullest. Tip of the Iceberg is a funny, irreverent, joy-filled play and production that might jolt us into taking some of its wisdom with us into our lives after the play.
The Story. From the website of the play: “Gordon and Archie have been friends for over 70 years, living and working in the remote fishing village of Murphy’s Harbour, Newfoundland. Through some internet research, Archie believes that he has figured out a way to physically reclaim his vigor. All that remains is the key ingredient to this elixir: Glacial ice. Gordon decides to join his mate for an excursion out to sea, where a large iceberg is drifting a few miles offshore.”
The Production. I think there is some unwritten law that says that you can’t do a story set in Newfoundland without having singing of local/original folksongs dealing with the sea, or solitude etc. And this production of Tip of the Iceberg has plenty of songs sung by Chris Rait with the help of the audience at times.
Beckie Morris’s set is evocative of the sea. There is a rough-hewn dock over there; a boat with a motor on the other side of it with a rope attached to a pillar on the dock; and a backdrop of a painted outline of an iceberg very reminiscent of Lauren Harris. And the boat moves as if on water. Love that detail.
Archie (Sweeney MacArthur) is the more irreverent of the two friends and Gordon (Stephen Sparks) is the more practical of the two. But they have been friends for years so while Archie has this hair-brained idea that glacial ice holds the secret to youthful vigor, Gordon is the kind of friend who would go with Archie out to that iceberg there to get some of that ice for Archie’s experiment. Archie knows that 90% of the iceberg is below the surface of the water and what is showing is ‘the tip.’ The same could be said for the play—it looks like it’s an irreverent comedy, but there is a lot going on underneath the jokes and humour.
There is a bit of a glitch when the friends get to the iceberg because ‘one of them’ realizes he forgot to fill the boat with oil and they are ‘stranded’ on the iceberg.
The friends don’t panic. They don’t blame each other for being a fool. They tell stories and reminisce. Both regret that they weren’t better husbands to their faithful wives. Gordon, a tempered, open-hearted performance by Stephen Sparks, regrets not taking his wife on a vacation she wanted. Archie, an irreverent and impish performance by Sweeney MacArthur, which includes a kind of strip-tease on the iceberg, has squandered lots of savings and hasn’t told his wife. Both realize how precious their wives are, that they now have a second chance if they survive, and how lucky they are to have each other as friends.
Tip of the Iceberg is directed by David Nairn with a wink and a smile bringing out all the humour and whimsy to the story. But he is also respectful of the quiet wisdom of the play and never overpower it with funny business.
Chris Rait, Mark Williams and Jeannine Duwyn have written a sweet, wise and funny play about friendship, loyalty, taking chances and getting second chances when things don’t work out the first time.
Comment. Chris Rait also lends his musical talents to the mix by providing the music, playing and rousing the audience to join in. Again, the songs are both familiar and irreverent. Perfect for an outing to Orangeville.
Theatre Orangeville presents:
Plays until Nov. 3, 2024.
Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes (approx.) (1 intermission)