Short reviews of plays that have closed, all worthy of comment.
A Doctor’s Visit
Produced by The Chekhov Collective, the Page to Stage Theatrical Reading series. Played at VideoCabaret, 10 Busy Street, from Feb. 26-March 2, 2025.
By Anton Chekhov
Written by Anton Chekhov
Directed by Rena Polley
Cast: Susan Coyne
Rena Polley
Brenda Robins
David Storch
It’s always a rich adventure in stage-craft, acting and Chekhov to see one of the Chekhov Collective’s readings.
A Doctor’s Visit tells the story of a physician apprentice who travels outside Moscow to treat the daughter of a wealthy factory owner. Nothing appears to be the matter, until the family convinces him to stay the night. The doctor (a wonderful David Storch) is judgmental of the people in the house—from their looks to their attitudes to the fact that he feels the patient (an equally compelling Susan Coyne) should be married (she’s single). Attitudes change when the doctor and the patient kneel on the floor, look at each other, and quietly talk to each other.
Rena Polley has directed with great sensitivity. This is more than a staged reading—the cast has mainly memorized the text. The space is used as are props. Wonderful. Be on the lookout for their next show by going to www.thechekhovcollective.com.
Big Ticket
At Theatre Kingston, Kingston, Ont. Played from Feb. 6-23, 2025.
www.kingstongrand.ca
Written by Jim Garrard
Directed and set by Rosemary Doyle
Lighting by Will Smith-Blyth
Sound and music by Richard Feren
Cast: Susan Del Mei
Reece Presley.
A world premiere. I went because Jim Garrard, a theatre pioneer, wrote it, and Rosemary Doyle directed it and invited me. Fine acting; space well used; but the script could use another pass because it’s confusing and contradictory.
David Morrison (Reece Presley) owns a towing company. He meets Annie Polito and brings her to his office—he seems to live there—to get ‘to know her better.’ She seems willing. He shows her around the small office including ‘the cage’, an enclosure made of chain link fencing. There is a desk inside the cage and a combination lock on the door of the cage.
Annie shows how willing she is to get intimate with David when she seductively takes off his clothes to his briefs then pushes him into the cage and locks the combination lock. Annie had ulterior motives for ‘coming on to David.’ It seems she has 100 parking tickets because the signage regarding the hours one can park is confusing. She has been towed four times, by David. And she’s going to get even with him. She sets fire to his beloved truck. She wants publicity for her cause. The police and fire department arrive. She wants to speak to the mayor and the media.
The story is confusing, murky and thin. Annie is in real estate. She either wants to bring attention to the unfairness of parking laws or she wants people to be kind to each other. She fluctuates. At two hours with an intermission the story is thin and so is one’s patience to source the truth. While Rosemary Doyle uses the space well, there are too many obvious moments of eye-brow-knitting. When Annie is out of the room (bathroom) David climbs on the desk perhaps to try and escape but changes his mind. Why? There is no fenced in top to the cage. He can climb over easily and overpower her. He frantically works the combination lock almost to opening it, when Annie comes in the room and he stops. Yet he doesn’t continue to unlock it when she isn’t looking and there were plenty of times. Both Susan Del Mei as Annie and Reece Presley as David Morrison have a lovely rapport and acquit themselves well. Disappointing play though.
MONKS
Played live at the Theatre Centre, Toronto, Ont. that ran from Feb. 26-March 2, 2025.
Co-created and co-directed by Veronica Hortigűela and Annie Luján
MONKS was a hit at the Toronto Fringe and the Theatre Centre brought this irreverent clown show back to cheer us up during the dreary winter.
Veronica Hortigűela and Annie Luján play monks in a monastery. Both are named “Brother.”
Veronica Hortigűela has a uni-brow and Annie Luján has a droopy moustache that at one point takes on a life of its own. It’s an old gag—a moustache that becomes unglued. But Annie Luján is ingenious in working this ‘planned mistake’ by running her tongue over the unhinged part of the moustache to try and reconnect it.
The other monks have gone off for the day leaving these two to fend for themselves and watch the donkey grazing in the field. But first they engage with the willing audience; give out precious ‘bundles’ of dried lentils; asking a member of the audience to volunteer to participate in various endeavors, one of which is to re-attach the tail on the back of the donkey (Luján).
MONKS was silly, irreverent, deliberately rough in places, as a fringe show is, very funny and illuminates the beautiful chemistry between Veronica Hortigűela and Annie Luján. They are accomplished clowns and improvisors, quick witted, poignant and a delight.
The programme didn’t include a link to any website for the duo, so just be diligent in seeking them out whenever they next play.
Fly Me To The Moon
Played at the Red Sandcastle Theatre, February 19 to March 2, 2025. Produced by Shillelagh Theatre Company.
Written by Marie Jones
Directed by Wayne Ward
Designed by Leslie Wright
Sound by Joe Taylor
Lighting by Mike Slater
Cast: Sarah Evans
Melee Hutton
Smart. Funny and a wild Irish story set in Belfast Northern Ireland. 2012.
Loretta (Sarah Evans) and Francis (Melee Hutton), are professional caregivers in Belfast. They both chatter in the bedroom of their client, while he’s in the bathroom. Both women dream of going on vacation to Barcelona but money is tight. Loretta’s husband is out of work. It’s tough. And the patient is still in the bathroom. He’s really quiet and doesn’t answer when Loretta yells through the door. She checks to see if he’s ok. He’s not. He’s dead. Panic. What to do? Call the police? Fire department? But his pension cheque is expected that day, and they deposit it in the account cause the patient is house-bound. And there is his winnings from the bookies. Who would know if they took the money for themselves?
Marie Jones has written a comedy that ratchets up the tension, complications and the laughs. Both Sarah Evans as Loretta and Melee Hutton as Francis bring a sparkling chemistry, an easy wiliness, and an irreverence to the story. These are two characters who just want to catch a break and the two fine actresses, easily win over the audience and make the play pop.