MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.

 

In High Park, Toronto, Ont.

Written by William Shakespeare

Directed by Liza Balkan

Set by Joanna Yu

Costumes by Anna Treusch

Lighting by Rebecca Picherak

Composed and sound by Richard Feren

Choreography by Monica Dottor

Cast: Emma Ferreira

Can Kömleksiz

Richard Lam

Allan Louis

Nora McLellan

Christopher Morris

Natasha Mumba

Rose Napoli

Jamie Robinson

Heath V. Salazar

Helen Taylor

Emilio Vieira

Charming, bright, smart, wonderfully acted and directed in enchanting surroundings, but boy were most of the men in the play dumb. Not Benedick, he was a sweetie and wise, but the rest of them, Oy!

The Story. Beatrice and Benedick have a prickly relationship. They were a couple years before but he dumped her and she’s still smarting. She never misses a chance to throw a smarmy remark his way and he returns it. They of course are made for each other but how to make them realize it? Another plot line is the love of Claudio for Hero and she him. He wants to marry her but is easily duped by the dastardly Don John into thinking Hero is untrue. Oh Lord, what fools these men are! But I digress.

The Production. It’s the 36^th year of Canadian Stage doing Shakespeare in High Park. Canadian Stage is collaborating with the Department of Theatre, School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design at York University.

The two directors, Liza Balkan for Much Ado About Nothing and Severn Thompson for Measure for Measure, are respected actors transitioning to directing and took the Director’s MA Program at York.  After they finish the program, they each direct a Shakespeare in High Park. Both women have been directing elsewhere, but the York training takes them to another level.

The main structure of the set is multi-leveled with walkways off here and there. Joanna Yu’s set is festooned with colourful streamers and other notes of celebration. The army is returning from battle.

Much Ado About Nothing is directed by Liza Balkan who is gifted in realizing the great humour in the play as well as the pathos and the anger. For Much Ado About Nothing Liza Balkan has the cast engage the audience with respect but it’s not all played only to the audience. Characters interact with each other as well. There is nothing phony about playing to each other and the attentive crowd.  The production is lively, energetic and wonderfully funny.  

 Initially Rose Napoli, who plays Beatrice, appears on stage in rustic top and jean shorts and does about 10 minutes of stand-up it seems and discourses on women, politics, men, gender issues etc.  She’s abrasive, funny, powerful and takes no prisoners.  When the play proper starts she has a good handle on the language and the feisty personality of Beatrice. Liza Balkan has directed Napoli to always be on the move, flitting energetically here and there. Beatrice loves sparing with Benedick played with bemused good humour and a bit of warranted confusion by Jamie Robinson. He is less energetic than Beatrice. He’s more tempered, cautious, but still with lots of confidence. And when they realize they love each other she doesn’t need to flit so fast and so often. Lovely transformation.

Emma Ferreira plays Hero as a gentle, loving soul. She shows lots of backbone when she ‘reappears’ as ‘another Hero.’ She is firm, confident and stands her ground with Claudio who is repentant. Allan Louis as Leonato is courtly, gracious, but hot-headed when he thinks his daughter has been untrue—not maligned, but untrue. OY.

Christopher Morris is a gracious Don Peter and a calming presence. Natasha Mumba is a wonderfully oily, creepy Don John unapologetic and angry at the world. Emilio Vieira does a lovely turn as Claudio, easily influenced, quick to judge and just as quick to realize he’s wrong. You just wish that the character would learn a few things from his mistakes….but that’s men, eh? (ooops, sorry, digressing again). Nora McLellan plays Dogberry dressed as a scout master it seems—khaki shorts and shirt tucked in and a wide hat. She has all the wonderful officiousness of a man with a little power and a wonderful set of malapropisms. McLellan is very serious and therefore very funny.

There are wonderful dances during the production and at the end choreographed by the gifted Monica Dottor. Loved this production.

The cast of 12 play in rep with Measure for Measure.

Comment. Lord what fools these men be, with apologies to Shakespeare. Claudio is told by the shifty Don John that Don Peter (head of the regiment in which Benedick and Claudio were a part) was wooing Hero for himself and not Claudio. And Claudio believed him and was in a rage. When the truth came out, Claudio calmed down and proposed to Hero and she readily accepted (oh dear!).

Then Claudio is told by the dastardly Don John that Hero is unfaithful and he can prove it by showing Claudio that Hero is seen talking to a man at her window at midnight the night before the wedding. Don Peter was there too as a witness. Claudio then brings this up at the wedding, just before he is to accept Hero. He humiliates her in front of everyone. He doesn’t talk to her in private to get her side of the story. (I guess if he did ask her side she would tell him that it wasn’t her at the window and could he really see that well since IT WAS MIDNIGHT AND DARK!!!). And Hero’s father, Leonato also takes Claudio’s side and further humiliates his daughter in public. Only Benedick is thoughtful and reasons out various sides of the story.

The truth outs, but boy is it painful to women. And Hero marries Claudio in the end when he is contrite for a few seconds. I fear for that marriage.

The natural setting in the park, surrounded by trees with the terraced hill where the audience sits and eats their picnics, is magical. Sure planes fly overhead, dogs bark, kids playing elsewhere are loud, but when the show starts, nothing matters. The audience is silent. I note some people can’t help recording the show on their devices. Attentive ushers quietly scurry down the aisle to get the attention of the person, and in a smiling sign language of hands making a box and a shake of a head, the person puts the device away.

Presented by Canadian Stage

Began. July 4, 2019.

Closes: Sept. 1, 2019.

Running Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes, no intermission.

www.canadianstage.com

 

Measure for Measure.

High Park, Toronto, Ont.

Written by William Shakespeare

Directed by Severn Thompson

Set by Joanna Yu

Costumes by Michelle Bohn

Lighting by Rebecca Picherak

Composed and sound by Richard Feren

Choreography by Monica Dottor

Cast: Emma Ferreira

Can Kömleksiz

Richard Lam

Allan Louis

Nora McLellan

Christopher Morris

Natasha Mumba

Rose Napoli

Jamie Robinson

Heath V. Salazar

Helen Taylor

Emilio Vieira

A terrific production, both directed and acted, of a woman trying to survive quietly in a world full of men with power who want to compromise her.

 The Story. It’s Vienna and morals are going to hell in a hand basket.  Duke Vincentio has allowed this to happen and doesn’t want to come down on the people with stringent laws to get things back on the right track because then they won’t like him.  So he says he’s leaving the city and is putting Angelo, his second in command in charge.  Except the Duke doesn’t leave but disguises himself as a priest so he can see how things are going in the city.

Angelo is a by-the-book man.  As lax as Duke Vincentio was about the law, that is how stringent and blinkered Angelo is. He is unmovable when it comes to the law. So he resurrects a law that says if a man gets a woman not his wife pregnant, he must die. (a bit harsh, that.) A man named Claudio got his fiancé pregnant.  Angelo condemns him to death.  Claudio’s sister Isabella is about to become a nun and is urged to go to Angelo to plead her brother’s case. She is so eloquent that she charms Angelo but he doesn’t budge. However he asks her to come back the next day. She does and Angelo suggests that he will save her brother if she sleeps with him. Let us all gulp in unison. She tells this to Claudio who is horrified. But then….he reasons that the sacrifice of her chastity is less than him losing his life. I love her line: “More than our brother is our chastity.” The play is full of moral dilemmas.

The Production. It’s wonderful.  Severn Thompson directs this with such confidence in bringing out those moments that make you gulp. There is a lot of humour, especially with a character named Lucio (a randy, sly Emilio Vieira) who is a shady character and is at home in the seamier side of Vienna.

Isabella is played by Natasha Mumba with conviction, pride and a sense of dread when she has to consider what Antonio wants from her. That wonderful line: “More than our brother is our chastity” was cut and I missed it because it says so much about Isabella and her hard convictions. She is preparing to be a nun. She is a woman. Who are we to condemn her convictions? But Mumba is so fearless and convincing in conveying Isabella’s convictions and beliefs that I can deal with the cut.

Antonio is played by Christopher Morris as an arrogant, matter of fact man, who is clear and firm in his reasoning. He is not pure evil because Christopher Morris illuminates his own convictions. He is steely when he challenges Isabella when she says she will report him, and he says who will believe you? Angelo has the law on his side and also power over this strong woman.  As the Duke Allan Louis is as shady as the others in the play but is more subtle. There is a lilting humour when he is in disguise as the priest. When the Duke reveals his own feelings for Isabella and takes her hand. When she hears his comments she immediately drops his hand. Such a resounding moment, in a production full of them.

Comment. Since the Duke knows what’s going on one can assume that Antonio gets his comeuppance. But this is Shakespeare.  He’s not finished when Antonio is exposed. The Duke also is charmed by Isabella and makes her an offer too.  The whole idea of men having the power even though women have brains and can try and stand up to them, is so clear in Shakespeare.  What a brilliant writer.  I wonder that because Shakespeare wrote with such authority about how men had such power over women and how smart women were in dealing with that overwhelming power, that perhaps Shakespeare was a woman.

But I digress.

Presented by Canadian Stage

Closes: Aug. 31, 2019.

Running Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes, no intermission.

www.canadianstage.com

 

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Live and in person, produced by One Four One Collective at the Assembly Theatre, Toronto, Ont. until May 8, 2022.

www.theassemblytheatre.com

Written by Michael Ross Albert

Directed by Marie Farsi

Set and costumes by Marie Farsi and design consultant, Alexandra Lord

Sound designed by Andy Trithardt

Lighting designed by Chin Palipane

Cast: Jamie Cavanagh

Breanna Dillon

Cass Van Wyck

A production that goes like the wind of a play that captures the cut-throat world of ‘the office’ with razor sharp dialogue and situations we all recognize.

The Story. There’s been a break-in at a tech company. The police have been called and the employees have been alerted that they all will be interviewed by the police to tell them what they know. Iris, one of the administrators of the company has called a company meeting for all the employees, including those around the world to address the situation. She has an important power-point presentation and needs the undivided attention of everybody. Iris has just returned from an extended leave and she’s raring to go to show people she is back and she’s in charge. Shelley (Iris’ temporary replacement) is also there to see that things run smoothly. Pete, one of the tech programmers is there but is anxious to leave for his bachelor party that will be at a destination. He gets married in a week. And then everything begins to go wrong with the meeting.

The Production. The set by Marie Farsi and Alexandra Lord is spare: two potted ferns, a long, white empty table with three chairs, with a phone and a remote control on the table. The remote control is for an unseen screen needed for Iris’ presentation. The remote is not working. Iris (Breanna Dillon) is livid. She calls tech support and reams them out only to have to back up because she’s being rude and the person on the other end of the phone does not appreciate it. She is impatient to know how this could happen. Shelley (Cass Van Wyck) nervously tries to explain itemizing all the things she has done to ensure things worked smoothy. Pete (Jamie Cavanagh) is impatient to leave, and thinks this power-point presentation is a waste of time. Emotions between Pete and Iris ramp up. He thinks she’s a micro-manager and a control freak and much prefers Shelley. He says that the whole office likes Shelley (who is there on a contract just until Iris returns), that she is efficient, pleasant and approachable. Territory is marked out.

Playwright Michael Ross Albert and Andy Trithardt the creative sound designer for The Huns load the conference call with every conceivable glitch that we’ve all come to expect from such technology: people are late joining the call; others don’t show up at all (such as the travelling CEO of the company), he sends his wife instead to be on the call and she has interference with high winds—she’s outside–; others have tech problems resulting in wabbly voices and the messages are distorted; some leave the meeting for other meetings; somebody calling remotely wants a little recap because he’s missed some information. Iris tries to field all this with ever diminishing patience. Shelley calmly tries to be helpful and Pete just wants to get out of there.

I did think that while all that techno-glitch stuff was very funny because we’ve all experienced this before, and did present challenges to Iris, I had the slight feeling this was a bit of padding to the production. I realize it was important to extend what was supposed to be a 15-minute power-point presentation by Iris, but less would have been just as effective. Just an observation.

Playwright Michael Ross Albert has proven with his previous plays: Tough Jews and Two Minutes to Midnight that he is a gifted writer of cutting humour. His dialogue is divine. He has a keen ability to make perceptive observations of people in various situations and illuminating seemingly ordinary situations to show how extraordinary they are when they come all in a rush.

Each of his characters is a case in point. Iris has been away for some time and the rumors are rife as to why. She knows she has to come back and make a definite statement that she is in charge. She is chic, sleek and dressed for success and to suggest power. She wears high heels that would announce her coming and going on the hard floor. She has been up since 5:30 am sending e-mails to the staff, arranging the conference call and preparing her multi-page power point presentation. She is controlling and one realizes very insecure.

As Iris, Breanna Dillon gives orders with a barely concealed irritation. She is quick to suggest that all these problems are Shelley’s fault (they aren’t); she never thanks her for taking over for her while she is away, and like every insecure person is very watchful of the weaknesses of others and how to chip at them.

As Pete, Jamie Cavanaugh, knows the culture of that company and knows the kind of controlling bully that Iris is. He is a bold adversary to Iris’ conniving. He calls her out “you’re throwing Shelley under the bus.” Cavanaugh has an engaging energy and plays Pete with arrogant impatience because he knows Iris’ tricks and just wants to get out of there to get his plane and go to his destination bachelor party.

As Shelley, Cass Van Wyck is controlled, accommodating, efficient, calming, and juuuust about at the end of her tether with all these shenanigans. She knows how she figures into that office culture, how she is appreciated, how efficient she is, but she also is facing the person she was replacing. There is that delicate dance of not seeming to be taking over, but also to show she is efficient.

And then Michael Ross Albert adds a twist to his play that goes deeper into the office culture that is a surprise but not unexpected, it’s a deeper look at work in this modern age; there is no such thing as an 8 hour workday for these people; there is the expectation of doing more for less. You can feel the pressure. And Michael Ross Albert illuminates that too.

The production is beautifully directed by Marie Farsi who keeps on ramping up and ramping up the stakes of these characters, in which even silent moments of watchfulness are charged. Voices raise imperceptibly; patience is slowly lost. The audience grips the chair or their butt cheeks as the inevitable happens.

Comment. The Huns is a terrific comedy with lots of deep observations about work, success, and deciding whether or not all the angst is worth it. The production has been invited to perform at the Brighton Fringe Festival in Brighton, England. I suggest that Michael Ross Albert take a large supply of Valium to give to the audience after the performance to relax them. It’s a production that goes like the wind and leaves you breathless.

One Four One Collective Presents:

Plays until: May 8, 2022.

I saw it May 3, 2022.

Running time: 1 bracing hour, no intermission.

www.theassemblytheatre.com

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From the Next Stage Festival, Toronto, Ont.

Pearle Harbour’s Agit-Pop

Presented by Pearle Harbour

Written by Justin Miller

Directed by Rebecca Ballarin

Musical director, Steven Conway

Lighting by Logan Raju Cracknell

Video designer, Adam Miller

Pearle Harbour is described as “sweet-as-pie and tough as nails.” She is a formidable “drag tragicomedienne” with a sharp sense of humour and a laser-gaze on the way of the world. She needs a sharp sense of humour to deal with the ills of the world we cope with.

In her latest show, Pearle Harbour’s Agit-Pop the frightening state of the world is examined through song, humour and perception. Pearle Harbour usually has a dark perspective on what is going on but now matters are extreme. She reckons it’s two minutes to midnight before it all blows up.

She prepares us with songs of cheer but with an edge. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” has an ironic meaning when Pearle sings it wistfully but with a smile. She has her audience in her sights and can hear a delicate ping of a cell phone no matter where it is in the audience. And when she spies the light of a phone in the balcony she notes that to the owner with her dulcet but pointed tones. She finds the humour in the dark. She has us up on our feet and the reluctant participant in the second row is brought up on stage with her, to perform some body exercises.  It’s good for a laugh before doomsday. She is ably accompanied by Steven Conway on guitar. She also had Kritty Uranowski join her as her special guest. Buoyant, breezy, full voiced.

Justin Miller is the writer and ‘alter-ego’ for Pearle Harbour. Pearle is trim and elegant in a simple stripe-patterned dress, cinched at the waist, gold gloves, and tasteful shoes, exaggerated makeup and eyebrows that look like they are in a constant state of surprise. The body language is elegant and tasteful. The voice is a gravelly purr and the smile is teeth and attitude. Pearle is respectful of the audience but beware if you misbehave or don’t participate. This isn’t aggression; it’s urging her audience to rise to the occasion.

Pearle can be self-deprecating, commenting on how in previous shows the transitions between scenes could have been better. Perhaps the same can be said here. They seemed a bit lax. A little adjustment can’t make them tighter and the pace smoother. Quibbles. Pearle Harbour is one of our best chroniclers of our dark times. We need humorous voices and visions like hers to get us through past midnight in one piece.

The Next Stage Festival continues to Jan. 19.

www.fringetoronto.com/next-stage

 

Kitne Saare Laloo Yahan Pey Hain

Created and performed by Bilal Baig

Directed by Tawiah M’Carthy

Movement coach, Virgilia Griffith

Lighting by André du Toit

Sound by Steph Raposo

Set by Sebastian Marziali

From the press info: “Escaping to the West, a young trans woman runs away from Bangladesh with only one suitcase and a secret. As she fears for her life in her new surroundings, can she trust you to keep her safe? Bilal Baig offers a truthful drama that authentically and unapologetically puts queer and trans bodies at the centre of the storytelling.”

Actually, the young trans woman doesn’t even have a suitcase. She has an orange plastic bag that contains her clothes, a bottle of water and other necessities. We see a young person who looks like a slim man in pants and a jersey running in the moody light of André du Toit. The person looks around, breathless, as if chased by some unseen predator. The person turns around and yells in a language I don’t understand (and with no translation) at someone we don’t see. The yelling is angry, and desperate (I was so curious to know what was being said. What a strange decision not to inform the audience, but I figured there might be a reason. I just wished I knew what that reason was).

When the person feels safe, the person (sorry, I’m not sure of what pronoun to use) goes behind one of three structures on the stage and changes into clothes more comfortable. The person who emerges from behind the structure wears bangled-bracelets, a filled-out form fitting top, a slim, short skirt and heels. The black hair is long and luxurious. (Now that this woman has emerged, I’ll use the pronoun ‘she’). She talks in a delicate voice with a lilting accent. She says she is from Bangladesh and is ‘lost.’ She has landed in Vancouver and is waiting to be picked up at the airport.

Her story emerges and later her deeply held secret. At one point she dances and sings in a language I don’t understand and I hear “Kitne Saare Laloo Yahan Pey Hain”, the lyrics of the song. There is no note of explanation in the programme. (The admin staff of the festival don’t know what it means but someone says it’s in Urdu).

Bilal Baig’s piece has grown and expanded so much since I saw it in a much shorter form, last year as part of Welcome to My Underworld where Baig also performed it. Baig has created such a fascinating, sensitive, complex character in this young trans woman. The woman at once wants to be invisible and yet seen. I love that contradiction. Baig is a poetic, gifted writer. One line alone took my breath away: “My delicate hands hold all my nights and days.” Baig is also a vivid, graceful compelling performer. This is a terrific piece and should be seen. I just wish I knew what the title meant.

The Next Stage Festival continues until Jan. 19.

 www.fringetoronto.com/next-stage

 

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Short Bits on the Toronto Fringe Festival, Toronto, Ont. Until July 15, 2023.

www.fringetoronto.com

JUNE

Written and directed by Gillian R. Edwards

Set by Daniel Bowden

Lighting by Duaa Zahra

Sound effects/video by Kevin Quain

Cast: Bonnie Anderson

Daniel Christian Jones

Jacob Klick

Jesse McQueen

We hear five gun shots at the beginning of the production of this intriguing play. It’s 1958, the Midwest of the United States. June (Jesse McQueen) shot her lover Richard (Jacob Klick), stood trial and was found guilty of murder and sent to prison. She develops a friendship with a woman prison guard name Parker (Bonnie Anderson). They talk about children—June has a son and Parker doesn’t have children. Parker can’t believe that June would not reveal that her lover beat her and her son. She had her reasons—who would believe her?

Gillian R. Edwards has written an intriguing play about what women put up with in abusive relationships; why they pick the partners they do and not more suitable ones—June was also loved  by Geoff (Daniel Christian Jones), and what they will do to protect their children.

But Gillian R. Edwards introduces a topic at the end—the inhumanity of the death penalty and the process—that comes from no where and is not supported. That could make an interesting play on its own.

The production is efficient but the scenes between Jesse McQueen as June and Bonnie Anderson as Parker are spoken so quietly, not projected, that one can’t hear much of what they are saying. The words are important; please speak up! Interestingly, when Jesse McQueen had scenes with the men, audibility was no problem.

JUNE continues at Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace July 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15. 60 minutes.

A programme is provided.

www.fringetoronto.com

CORPORATE FINCH

Written and directed by Taylor Marie Graham

Designed by Matthew Ivanoff, David DeGrow, and Terre Chartrand

Cast: Matthew Ivanoff

Rainbow Kester.

It’s midnight and two teenagers are breaking into an abandoned factory. He is Jacob (Matthew Ivanoff). She is called Corporate Finch (Rainbow Kester) by him (he misheard her real name Courtenay, when they first met years before. Now he mostly calls her Finch. She sometimes sleeps there. She does not get along with her father. While they appear to like each other, Finch has other reasons for daring Jacob to come with her to break into the factory. Something happened to them that tested their friendship and he failed. He has a ‘touch’ of narcolepsy so that anytime he might be needed to help her, he’s conveniently asleep.  And she’s going to set it right.

It’s interesting how Finch (Rainbow Kester) toys with Jacob (Matthew Ivanoff) in such a deceptively playful way. He seems completely in her thrall, if not afraid of her. While he is alone in the factory—Finch has gone to get something—Jacob calls a mutual friend named Liam and indicates that he is afraid of Finch.

Taylor Marie Graham has written a dramatic tale that slowly evolves and grips us on the way. We learn some important information about Liam and his relation to the two friends. That should be developed because of what we learn happened in the past to Finch. The playing of Rainbow Kester and Matthew Ivanoff is playful and then steadily spooky when the truth is revealed. The pace seemed laggy on the opening, but I have faith it will tighten as the run progresses.

CORPORATE FINCH continues at Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace July 7, 8, 10, 12, 15, 16. 50 minutes.

www.fringetoronto.com

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Lots of great stuff coming up.

Sunday, March 28, 2021.

From Factory Theatre

March 28-April 22, 2021.

You Can’t Get There From Here is a brand new collection of audio dramas from Toronto’s Factory Theatre. A limited series featuring five commissioned audio theatrical works from some of our country’s most creative minds (Playwrights Anusree Roy, Matthew MacKenzie, Yvette Nolan, Keith Barker, and Luke Reece), You Can’t Get There From Here offers listeners fresh perspectives on familiar Toronto landmarks and neighbourhoods and glimpses into the micro-dramas occurring each day around us, hidden in plain sight.

Each episode offers a new, self-contained story and a vivid audio experience from each of our five playwrights and the series features the vocal talents of over 20 artists. Audiences can choose to listen from the comforts of their own rooms, or take a journey across the city – either way, they are sure to see the land on which we live and work anew.

Episodes will released once a week over the course of 5 weeks beginning March 25, 2021 and will be available online for free everywhere podcasts are available including: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

The first audio drama was Sisters by Anusree Roy. It was 15 dazzling minutes of the gripping drama one has come to expect from Ms. Roy.

Sunday, March 28-April 11, 2021.

Nightwood Theatre and Native Earth Performing Arts present

EMBODYING POWER AND PLACE

Curated by New Harlem Productions

March 28 – April 11, 2021

(Toronto)—This spring Nightwood Theatre and Native Earth Performing Arts are honoured to present Embodying Power and Place, curated by Donna-Michelle St. Bernard and New Harlem Productions. In 2019, the federal commission on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls released their final report, Reclaiming Power and Place. In 2020 over a dozen artists from a wide range of disciplines were commissioned by New Harlem Productions to read and respond to specific chapters of the report. This digital iteration of Embodying Power and Place offers twelve audio-visual works that seek to honour the lives of the missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, Trans, and Two-Spirit people, and strives to create a sacred space in which to reflect, heal, and find renewed hope.

Incorporating text, sound and imagery, Embodying Power and Place features work by incredible Indigenous creators such as Janet Antone, Reneltta Arluk, Tara Beagan, Yolanda Bonnell, Darla Contois, Deborah Courchene, Aria Evans, Eekwol Lindsay Knight, Jessica Lea Fleming, Falen Johnson, Émilie Monnet, Yvette Nolan, Michelle Olson, Natalie Sappier, jaye simpson, and Aqua Nibii Waawaaskone. 

This digital experience, launching on World Theatre Day (March 27th), will feature twelve 5-10 minute pieces directed by Cole Alvis, Jessica Carmichael and Katie German and starring Cole Alvis, Reneltta Arluk, Tara Beagan, Samantha Brown, Eekwol Lindsay Knight, Monique Mojica, Joelle Peters, Tara Sky, and Michaela Washburn, with Sound Design and Composition by Olivia Shortt and Cosette Pin, and Multimedia Interpretations by Kaylyn and Kassiday Bernard of Patuo’kn.

All performances are free to access, though we encourage donations to the Native Women’s Association of Canada –  an aggregate of Indigenous women’s organizations across Canada, advocating for Indigenous women, girls and gender diverse people and It Starts with Us – a community initiative that was founded to honour and document the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, Trans, and Two-Spirited people.

Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) reports, “The number of missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls in Canada is disproportionately high. NWAC’s research indicates that, between 2000 and 2008, Aboriginal women and girls represented approximately 10% of all female homicides in Canada. However, Aboriginal women make up only 3% of the female population.”

Playwright, director, dramaturg, former Artistic Director of Native Earth, and creator of the piece Caribou Fence for Embodying Power and Place Yvette Nolan shares, “When Donna-Michelle told me I was using Chapter 4, Colonization as Gendered Oppression, as a jumping-off point for Embodying, I had to sit and think a long time. We all know the cost of colonization, but to have to drill down, to recognize that colonization was even more oppressive for women…I wondered how to deal with the knowledge without performing our trauma. How could I make this chapter into a way of healing? In the end, it is the art – the dance, the song – the resilience of women…We make sense of the world through art, through theatre. We keep our stories and our teachings there. Embodying does all of that.”

SHOW DETAILS:Available through the Embodying Power and Place site: embodyingpowerandplace.com

Sunday, March 28-April 4, 2021.

The link for Deer Woman via Azimuth Theatre’s Expanse Festival is this:

https://chinookseries.ca/event/deer-woman/

DEER WOMAN

By Tara Beagan.

Part of the Azimuth Theatre’s Expanse Festival.

an ARTICLE 11 and Downstage production
On-Demand on FringeTV from March 25 – April 4

“My name is Lila and I am a proud Blackfoot woman. What I am doing is illegal.” 

So begins Deer Woman, a solo-warrior-woman story of righteous vengeance created by ARTICLE 11. Written by Tara Beagan, directed and designed by Andy Moro, sound design collaboration with Luca Caruso-Moro, with original songs by Lacey Hill, performed by actor and activist Cherish Violet Blood.

Deer Woman tells the story of a young, missing and murdered girl in a country where over  1,600 Indigenous women and girls are officially recognised as being missing or murdered.

Lila, one missing girl’s big sister, refuses to stand idly by. She is the daughter of a hunter who taught her all he knew. She’s ex-army, too. When circumstances converge, Lila finds the perfect opportunity to avenge her baby sister’s murder while exercising the skills taught by the Canadian government.

Because of some violent scenes this filmed drama is restricted to people 16+.

Deer Woman is a stunning play. Hard-hitting, sobering, funny and unforgettable. Her is my review:

Review: Deer Woman

The link for Deer Woman via Azimuth Theatre’s Expanse Festival is this:

https://chinookseries.ca/event/deer-woman/

Sunday, March 28 onwards, 2021.

From A Distance

From the Chekhov Collective. A charming improvised filmed drama of how a couple copes with COVID-19. Improvised and performed by Stewart Arnott and Susan Coyne.  

http://www.thechekhovcollective.com

Sunday, March 28, 2021

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

Free from Lincoln Center Theater.

Full-length streams of acclaimed LCT productions FREE! PRIVATE REELS: FROM THE LCT ARCHIVE LEARN MORE »

YOUR REGISTRATION IS ACTIVATED! WATCH IT NOW!   VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE Stream our production of VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE (2012, Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater), by Christopher Durang, directed by Nicholas Martin, featuring Genevieve Angelson, Shalita Grant, Billy Magnussen, Kristine Nielsen, David Hyde Pierce and Sigourney Weaver. This Tony® Award-winning Best Play (2013) takes 3 mismatched siblings (played to the hilt by Kristine Nielsen, David Hyde Pierce and Sigourney Weaver), adds 1 boy toy (Billy Magnussen), throws in themes from Chekhov, pours it all into a blender and mixes it up. The result? An utterly hilarious, touching work by a master of comedy. FREE streaming available now through April 11 only on Broadway on Demand! WATCH NOW »

How to Watch PRIVATE REELS: VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE will stream for FREE on Broadway on Demand through April 11 at midnight. 1. Click the Watch Now button to go to the show on Broadway on Demand. 2. If you don’t already have a free Broadway on Demand account, you will need to create one. 3. Be sure to use the promo code VANYAFREE on the payment page. That will make it free to view! If you have further questions, view our FAQ here or contact info@broadwayondemand.com. WATCH NOW »

Monday, March 29, 2021- 6:00 pm

Trouble in Mind by Alice Childress

Streaming

American Conservatory Theatre has announced casting for its upcoming filmed reading of Alice Childress‘s Trouble in Mind, directed by Awoye Timpo and streaming on demand March 29-April 4. The company will be led by Patrice Johnson Chevannes, alongside David Harbour as Al Manners, Lauren Spencer as Millie Davis, Anthony Fusco as Bill O’Wray, Kadeem Ali Harris as John Nevins, Dakin Matthews as Henry, Steven Anthony Jones as Sheldon Forrester, Eliza Kaye as Judy Sears, and Johnny Rice as Eddie Fenton. Childress’s masterpiece would have been the first play by a Black woman produced on Broadway if she had agreed to the producers’ demands that she soften its message. For tickets and more information, click here.

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A packed week of intriguing theatre events. On-line and live!

Mon., Oct. 19, 2020 (anytime during Oct. 19)  to Nov. 1

ON LINE:

CONFLICT

From the Mint Theatre in New York City (a company focusing on rarely done, almost forgotten plays

Available for Free On-Demand Streaming through November 1st

Conflict is a love story set against the backdrop of a hotly contested election. Miles Malleson combines his two great passions: sex and politics. The result is a provocative romance that sizzles with both wit and ideas. Don’t miss out! Stream Conflict byusing the password vote!           Click here for details on How to Watch             HOW TO WATCH:  CLICK HERE be taken to the Production Archive Page for CONFLICT. Click on the first image under the Videos heading. You will be prompted to enter the password, vote! You will also be prompted to enter your name and a valid email address. Click the four arrows in the bottom right corner to watch the video full screen. For Closed Captioning, click the CC button in the toolbar located at the bottom of the video viewer, and select “English CC”. You may be able to watch CONFLICT on your TV, depending on your specific equipment. Here’s a web page from “wikiHow” with a variety of articles that may help.          MORE ABOUT THE PLAY: It’s the Roaring 20’s, London. Lady Dare Bellingdon has everything she could want, yet she craves something more. Dare’s man, Sir Major Ronald Clive, is standing for Parliament with the backing of Dare’s father. Clive is a Conservative, of course, but he’s liberal enough to be sleeping with Dare, who’s daring enough to take a lover, but too restless to marry him. Clive’s opponent, Tom Smith is passionate about social justice and understands the joy of having something to believe in. Dare is “the woman between” two candidates who both want to make a better world—until politics become personal, and mudslinging threatens to soil them all.

Mon. Oct. 19, 2020. 7:30 pm

KEENE

On Line:

Did you love American Moor from Red Bull Theatre?  Then you might want to check out KEENE.  And yes, Paul Gross, is OUR Paul Gross who is involved in the reading as is Sara Topham.

A Benefit Reading KEENE By Anchuli Felicia King Directed by Ethan McSweeny Presented in association with American Shakespeare Center This Monday, October 19, 2020 7:30 PM EDT | LIVESTREAM It’s love at first sight for Kai, a Japanese musicologist, when she spies Tyler, the only student of color in his PhD cohort, at a Shakespeare conference. Each night, while Tyler dreams he is the subject of his thesis: Ira Aldridge, the first black man to play Othello, Kai dreams of Tyler. As dreams start to merge with reality, Tyler and Kai are brought closer together. Yet Tyler, like Ira before him, can not perceive the inevitable betrayal of his closest ally. The livestream benefit reading will feature Grantham Coleman, Paul Gross, Carol Halstead, John Harrell, Chris Johnston, Sam Lilja, Amelia Pedlow, Sam Saint Ours, Sarah Suzuki, and Sara Topham.

GET FREE TICKETS

“I wrote Keene as a submission to American Shakespeare Center’s New Contemporaries prize. The prize invites playwrights to write a response play to one of Shakespeare’s works, with his original staging conditions in mind. I felt compelled to respond to Othello because I had such complicated feelings about the play; I found the text and its performance history to be both profoundly rich and deeply fraught. My entry point to Othello’s problematic legacy was to begin researching the life of Ira Aldridge, one of the first black actors to play Othello. The more I read about Aldridge’s career, the more parallels I began to identify between his struggles and modern Shakespearean scholarship, as contemporary academics of color attempted to reclaim a discourse that had historically vilified and excluded them.” KEEP READING

This program is part of OTHELLO 2020, a multi-part online initiative to provide an engaging and educational experience for all who are interested in Shakespeare’s Othello and its relationship to the world in which we live today. The benefit series continues through October 28.

Tues. Oct. 20-30, 2020 at 7:00 pm

Bedtime Stories and other Terrifying Tales

Live in the fields and meadows of 4^th Line Theatre:

https://www.4thlinetheatre.on.ca

Ten-year-old Samuel Deyell goes out into the dark night in search of his missing mother.

NOTE: This production travels up and down dark paths and over uneven terrain of the Winslow Farm (home of 4^th Line Theatre) for approximately 1 km. Trail difficulty level: moderate to high. 

4th Line asks each patron to dress for the weather, wear appropriate, sturdy footwear and bring a flashlight to the performance. Masks and social distancing are required.  The performances will run rain, snow or shine. 

​

*Not suitable for people with mobility or health issues. Contains frightening scenes and mature content. PG. 
 

Wed. Oct. 21 7:00 pm

At the Beginning of Time.

Streaming live from Montreal on Centaur Theatre’s website:

New Work @ Centaur Opens With Latest Steve Galluccio Play  Free Event

Kicking off the first event under our New Work @ Centaur banner, fans of Mambo Italiano and The St. Leonard Chronicles will be elated to know that it will be the first public reading of Steve Galluccio’s newest play, At the Beginning of Time, streaming live on Centaur’s website at 7PM,  Wednesday, October 21th.   Dramaturged by the Shaw Festival’s former Artistic Director, Jackie Maxwell, who directed last season’s multi-META-nominated Paradise Lost, Quebec’s elder and health care systems are in the spotlight in this very personal story about losing a spouse to Alzheimer’s in the midst of a pandemic, told with Steve’s characteristic blend of heartache and hilarity.   Click HERE to learn more about this highly anticipated event from one of Centaur’s most beloved playwrights.  If you’re not able to join us live, the performance will remain on our website until October 28.   Wed. Oct. 21 + other dates: 8:00 pm.

HEROES OF THE FOURTH TURNING.

MULTIPLE DATES

Jeremy O. Harris presents HEROES OF THE FOURTH TURNING Live

Free

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Free

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Event Information

a LIVE theatrical event

About this Event

Jeremy O. Harris Presents

the Playwrights Horizons production of

Will Arbery’s Pulitzer Prize Finalist

HEROES OF THE FOURTH TURNING

Directed by Danya Taymor

Performed LIVE by the original cast: Zoë Winters, Julia McDermott, John Zdrojeski, Jeb Kreager and Michele Pawk

Designed by: Isabella Byrd, Justin Ellington and Sarafina Bush

Showtimes: October 21st @ 8pm, October 22nd @ 4pm, October 23rd @ 8pm, October 24th @ 2pm + 8pm

—–

Winner of ….

2020 Obie Awards for Creative Ensemble + Playwriting

Three Lucille Lortel Awards, including Outstanding Play

New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play

New York Times “Best Theater of 2019”

——–

It’s nearing midnight in Wyoming, where four young conservatives have gathered at a backyard after-party. They’ve returned home to toast their mentor Gina, newly inducted as president of a tiny Catholic college. But as their reunion spirals into spiritual chaos and clashing generational politics, it becomes less a celebration than a vicious fight to be understood. On a chilly night in the middle of America, Will Arbery’s haunting play offers grace and disarming clarity, speaking to the heart of a country at war with itself.

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ALL TICKETS FREE

All donations will be distributed to NYC-based theater artists in need

Stage Manager: Ryan Kane

Assistant Director: Joan Sergay

Original Scenic Design: Laura Jellinek

Dramaturgy: Ashley Chang

Line Producer: Danya Taymor

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus

Artwork: Jeff Rogers

Thur. Oct. 22, 2020 7:00 pm

Skeleton Crew

Atlantic Theater Company, New York City.

www.atlantictheatre.org

Streaming:

Reunion Reading Series: Skeleton Crew

by Dominique Morisseau Directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson

Atlantic Theater Company

From the Atlantic Theatre Company in New York City

Fri. Oct. 23, 2020 7:30 pm

CONTRACTIONS by Mike  Bartlett

Streaming from Studio 180 www.studio180theatre.com

Contractions by Mike Bartlett AN ONLINE PRESENTATION Friday, October 23 at 7:30 PM Directed by Sabryn Rock Starring Virgilia Griffith & Ordena Stephens-Thompson

Emma’s been seeing her coworker Darren. She thinks she’s in love. Her boss thinks she’s in breach of contract. In a series of cordial but increasingly tense conversations, the two dissect the differences between “sexual” and “romantic,” negotiate the length of Emma’s interoffice relationship, and face the consequences of shrinking privacy and binding contracts. Following the play, join the cast and Director of Youth and Community Engagement, Jessica Greenberg, for a unique interactive post-show experience in which audience members will share their responses; examine the themes, characters and big questions of the play; and participate in break-out group discussions.

RESERVE YOUR FREE SPOT

Virgilia Griffith has worked with Tarragon Theatre, Soulpepper Theatre, Crow’s Theatre and Obsidian Theatre.  Winner of the Meta Emerging Artist Award for Gas Girls. Winner of the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Performance for Harlem Duet. She was also a Dora Mavor Moore nominee for Outstanding Performance in the Independent Division for Honesty directed by Jordan Tannahill and Iphigenia and the Furies (On Taurian Land).

Ordena Stephens-Thompson has worked with The Grand Theatre, Tarragon Theatre, Young People’s Theatre, Obsidian Theatre, Soulpepper Theatre and Factory Theatre. Selected film and TV credits include: Umbrella Academy, The Handmaid’s Tale, Designated Survivor, da kink in my hair, Rookie Blue, Committed and The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe. Ordena is grateful for the opportunity to continue to pursue her passion and for the continued support of her family.

Sabryn Rock is an actor, singer, arts educator and director. She directed for the Summerworks Festival, Shakespeare in Action and Musical Stage Company’s Banks Prize Cabaret. She also has assisted on productions such as Intimate Apparel (Obsidian), The Wizard of Oz (YPT) and Next to Normal (MSC/Mirvish). She is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, The Birmingham Conservatory at Stratford and the Canadian Film Centre.

Sat. Oct. 24, 2020 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm

The School for Wives

Live Streaming:

https://www.eventbrite.com/signin/?referrer=%2Fmytickets%2F1469906151%2F%3Futm_campaign%3Dorder_confirm%26utm_medium%3Demail%26ref%3Deemailordconf%26utm_source%3Deventbrite%26utm_term%3Dviewmanageordersummary

Tony Award–winner Tonya Pinkins stars in the beloved comedy about gender dynamics.

About this Event

Free Virtual Performance + Q&A

The School For Wives

by Molière in the Park

Saturday, October 24 at 2 & 7pm ET

In English

Closed captioning in English & French

Livestream link will be sent via email on the day of the event

Molière in the Park and the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF), after the success of virtual productions of The Misanthrope and Tartuffe, co-present a radically inventive and refreshing take on the classic play, The School For Wives.

At its core, Molière’s biting 17th-century satire about a privileged and misguided man so intimidated by women that he grooms his own ward for marriage, is about gender power dynamics. In this contemporary retelling, Tony Award–winner Tonya Pinkins (Jelly’s Last Jam, Caroline, or Change) stars as the patriarch Arnolphe, obsessed with keeping 17-year-old Agnès ignorant so that she will remain faithful to him.

Director Lucie Tiberghien examines this classic tale through the lens of an all-woman cast to shine a light on the ultimate absurdity of similar American systems of oppression. Like Agnès, no one’s humanity can be snuffed out.

Performance: 90 minutes

Q&A: 20 minutes

Starring Tonya Pinkins​, Tony Award-winner for Jelly’s Last Jam, writer-director of the upcoming socio-political horror film Red Pill, and host of the podcast You Can’t Say That on BPN.fm/ycst

Co-starring Mirirai Sithole, Kaliswa Brewster, Cristina Pitter, Tamara Sevunts, Carolyn Michelle Smith, and Corey Tazmania

Translated by Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Wilbur

Learn more at fiaf.org.

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation when you RSVP. Your gift makes programs like these possible and sustains FIAF and Molière in the Park during these unprecedented times.

Produced by Molière in the Park. Co-presented by FIAF in partnership with Prospect Park Alliance and LeFrak Center at Lakeside.

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At the Factory Theatre, Toronto, Ont.

Swordplay

Presented by Sex-T-Rex

Created by Sex-T-Rex                                                                                 Directed by Alex Toller                                                                             Cast: Jon Blair

Conor Bradbury

Julian Frid

Kaitlin Morrow

Seann Murray

The beginning of the wild, raucous, joyful swashbuckling story is right out of The Princess Bride. A grandfather baby-sits his grand child and shows him a video game that was big in his, the grandfather’s, day. As they look at the screen, both are transported back in time when three friends fought battles for people’s honour and for doing right against dastardly people. The story involves two nations that have been in constant war against each other. There are fire-breathing dragons, fires that kill best friends, a damsel in distress, and two swordsman who pine for their long-dead third friend.

The physicality of the show is athletic, bold, muscular and inventive. The sword fights are fast, furious and hilarious. Dragons are created out of swaths of material. Fire is created by reconfiguring the material into bursts of flame. The gifted actors are serious and breathless in their various quests to right wrongs, get the bad guys and one driven woman, slay dragons and do all manner of swordplay. It’s buoyant, funny, dazzlingly creative and a joy from top to bottom. A friend at the same performance said she had not seen “anything this silly in a long time. God bless them.” Amen.

 JONNO

Presented by Rabbit in a Hat Productions

Written by Alix Sobler

Directed by Paul Van Dyck

Costumes by Christine Urquhart

Set by Chandos Ross

Lighting by Steve Vargo

Composer and sound by Richard Feren

Fight and intimacy choreographer, Jade Elliot

Cast: Parmida Vand

Erica Anderson

Glenda Braganza

Alanis Peart

Allan Michael Brunet

Jason Deline

When Jonno begins his radio show with: “Why hello there. Happy Wednesday” then goes into a long esoteric essay; the reference to Jian Ghomeshi is unmistakable. We see Jonno, smooth-talking, charming, coming on to various women, turning on them, choking and hitting them. There is even a character named Mr. Donkey Long Ears, referencing the floppy-eared toy that witnesses it all.  Even though Jonno is a white American, we know who Playwright Alix Sobler is talking about.

The play aspires to be about the abuse of power by men over women; the power to be physically, sexually and emotionally abusive to women. Arrogance, hubris and having a seemingly untouchable place in his company drives Jonno to prey on defenceless women.

What is there to say about such a huge story (as the Jian Ghomeshi case was)  today? What new insight does the playwright want to reveal? Alas, one concludes Sobler doesn’t have anything new or provocative to say. The three women Jonno ‘hits on’, resort to philosophising about his background, his behaviour, his need to control. They engage in pop psychology but without much credibility. The characters are not properly fleshed out for us to ‘trust’ their assumptions. At no time does anyone actually ask Jonno why he hits and chokes the women, and liking ‘rough sex’ doesn’t cover it. The only one Jonno does trust is Mr. Donkey Long Ears and even he does not really take Jonno to task, except to remind him of “what happened in Denver,” which we assume must have been pretty serious. The acting is unremarkable so again, the argument is not strongly made. All in all, a disappointment.

 The Surprise

Presented by Christel Bartelse/Dutch Girl Productions

Written and performed by Christel Bartelse

Directed by Andy Massingham                                                                Sound by Sam Earle                                                                                    Choreography by Shawn Byfield

Ginger is very excited. She’s planning a surprise birthday party for a special person and the audience are corralled into being the guests who will shout “Surprise!”,  blow horns and even give her gifts. Ginger has supplied the party hats, the horns, name tags on which to write our names and even a bag of chips. It’s all festive and a bit frantic as Ginger checks to see if the guest has arrived, rehearses us in our expressions of greetings when the guest arrives and checking other details.

And while one does expect a good laugh from a clown show, The Surprise is unsettling. Three audience members have been selected to present the guest of honour with presents.

Unfortunately these gifts are less than appreciated by her because each one reminds her that she is getting older and she doesn’t want to. As a result this also makes the giver of the gift rather embarrassed it would seem to me. Clowning with a touch of cruelty makes this one of my least favourite forms of performance.

 

Moonlight After Midnight

Presented by Concrete Drops Theatre

Written by Martin Dockery

Dramaturg, Vanessa Quesnelle

Cast: Martin Dockery

Vanessa Quesnelle

A man sits in a chair downstage. A woman enters the room upstage and sees him. He turns to her and tells her not to act as if she knows him. They begin role-playing going over and over in minute detail how a role changes, or shifts, how the relationship morphs into something else. She asks him questions because she has pre-knowledge of him we don’t know yet. He is evasive and coy. Getting a straight answer out of him is a challenge for her and after a while a chore to listen to for me.

They obviously know each other so why the games? Perhaps it’s how they passed the time when they weren’t in that hotel room. Who are they?  (They are not identified in the program with names) After a while of the endless role-playing I didn’t care. It’s one thing for two characters to engage in an activity they find interesting, it’s quite another to also engage the audience into sticking with them as they split hairs about points in a debate. At one point in this endless hour’s show I wrote one word on my program: “drivel.” We find out who they are in the last few minutes of the show but man, is it a long slog.

Vanessa Quesnelle plays the woman with an understated, quiet engagement. Martin Dockery as the man is another matter. From constantly ploughing his fingers through his hair, pulling at his nose and stroking his chin, I was aware it’s been a long time since I saw an actor as annoying as he is.

 

The “F” Word

 Presented by SaMel Tanz

Choreographed by SaMel Tanz in collaboration with the dancers

Cast: Ella Avila

Melissa Hart

Lilly Giroux

Kimberly Khawa

Holly Pocket

Irena Ponizova

Samantha Schleese

The “F” in the title stands for “feminism.” The show looks at how women are perceived in the work-place and society; how body-image comes into play; how they dress and what is appropriate.

The company is composed of women. Some dress in dresses and some in pants to suggest men and women. All are beautiful dancers. The various segments clearly investigate aspects of feminism. All are smart, accomplished and illuminating. One in particular is stunning. A man and a woman are on stage.  A waiter arrives with a tray on which are two glasses of water. One glass is full and the other is half full. He gives the full glass of water to the man and the half-full glass to the woman. Is there any better way of illuminating the inequality of the sexes in perception in society, in the work place, in relationships etc. than that.

A terrific dance piece that says everything about the subject with clarity and punch. Loved it.

www.fringetoronto.com

 

 

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At the Tarragon Theatre, Extra Space, Toronto, Ont.

Written by Gord Rand
Directed by Lisa Peterson
Sound and original music by Todd Charlton
Costumes by Charlotte Dean
Lighting and set by Kimberly Purtell
Cast: Phillippa Domville
Chris Earle
Allegra Fulton
Sydney Owchar

Gord Rand has written a bracing, jaw-clenching play about a man going through a mid-life crisis involving a 15 year old girl, convinced that everybody else has the problem.

The Story. The trouble with Gary Adams is that he’s a 45 year old gym teacher and the volleyball coach of the girl’s team, who’s smitten by his star player, Mercedes McPfefferidge. She’s 15. He knows she feels the same way about him. The day after the team wins the championship Mr. Adams comes home to his wife Peggy and tells her he’s leaving her and it’s for the best.

Peggy seems to know—it’s midnight; she’s in her bathrobe; and Mercedes’ parent called Peggy to tell her what their daughter told them about Gary. Gary and Peggy had been friends with the McPfefferidges (say that fast three times).

What follows is Gary’s intense defence that nothing dirty happened. He says it frequently and with such conviction we know something is not right. And conspicuous by its absence is any question about what Gary’s definition of ‘dirty’ is. Does he mean they didn’t ‘do it’ in the mud? Does he mean they ‘do it’ in the shower with the added benefit of bath gel? Peggy probes and probes with pointed questions as Gary continues to deny anything unseemly. He changes his story a few times still convinced that nothing happened.

The trouble with Mr. Adams is that the matter has escalated and he’s in trouble and needs a lawyer. His lawyer, Barbara puts him through the wringer to get at the truth. We find out the truth two years later in the last Act of this 80 minute production.

The Production. Director Lisa Peterson has directed a tight, taut production that never seems rushed but slowly grips you. Charlotte Deans’s spare set of two chairs, a small square table and two platforms that become a cadenza, a bed, sofa etc. are quickly and efficiently configured for each Act by the cast.

The play opens with Peggy and Gary staring at each other. It’s midnight. He’s just come back from the volleyball championships in another city. She’s in her bathrobe and he’s telling her he’s leaving. As Gary Adams, Chris Earle is buoyant at his new-found zest for living since Mercedes came bouncing into his life. He’s off-handed with Peggy. As Peggy, Philippa Domville is furious with him. While he ducks and parries to make his points. She is completely still, sharp-tongued and focused. Gary is a naïve middle-aged man going through a mid-life crisis. Peggy is an adult with a fury.

This segues into the next scene with Gary facing his straight-backed, tight-lawyer, Barbara. At times she seems like the prosecution she puts him through such a wringer. As Barbara, Allegra Fulton is masterful. She is calm and dangerous. She keeps chipping away and chipping away at Gary’s arrogance until we see further cracks in Gary’s story. We know he’s been lying and he’s glib and cocky about it. We just don’t know to what extent. Barbara gives us a clue.

We finally see Mercedes in a scene set two years later. If ever there is a person who can bring Gary to his knees it’s her. As Mercedes, Sydney Owchar is confident, relaxed and knows she has the upper hand.

There is a sex scene between Peggy and her husband Gary that is vigorous and raw. Neither Peterson nor her cast play it safe. You are gripped. In fact there is another sex scene besides the previous one. It involves Gary alone, eating cake—it is erotic, seductive, obsessive and heart-breaking.

Peterson and her gifted cast have captured the nuances and tricky footwork of a besotted middle aged man who can’t think straight because of the young woman who has bewitched him, and the effects on all those around him.

Comment. Playwright Gord Rand has taken a familiar subject—the male-mid-life-crisis—filled it with cliché situations, and yet has turned it on its head. He has created Gary as a boy-man, naïve and swaggering, and yet in a strange way we feel just a touch sorry for him at his delusion and desperation. Rand has a fine way with a phrase, clever, funny, and often zinging. He has a fine ear for how people hurt and one up each other.

The Trouble with Mr. Adams is a bracing, jaw-clenching play and it’s no trouble to recommend it.

Tarragon Theatre presents:

Opened: October 28, 2015
Closes: November 29, 2015
Cast: 4; 1 man, 3 women
Running Time: 80 minutes

www.tarragontheatre.com

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