“A Open-Ended Run, A Memoir” by Layne Coleman, University of Regina Press.

I thought I would end the year with a bang of a gift. I’m not reviewing a play. I’m reviewing Layne Coleman’s memoir entitled, ““An Open-Ended Run, a Memoir” by the University of Regina Press.

Layne Coleman came on Critics Circle, CIUT.fm 89.5 on Dec. 21, to talk about theatre, art, grief and his memoir. He said in our interview and in the first chapter that it took him 23 years to write.  I was part way through it last week, and finished it, and it’s raw, heart-breaking, funny and illuminating about the theatre, life, grief and Layne Coleman.

‘An open-ended run’ is a theatre term that refers to a production that does not have a closing date. The production will run until people stop buying tickets, whenever that might be—hence open-ended. Layne Coleman likens that term to his life.  Every day is a new day, a performance that is examined, revised, perfected and learned from, until the inevitable—death—happens.

It took Layne Coleman 23 years to write “An Open-Ended Run, A Memoir” because that’s how long he has been grieving his late wife, Carol Corbeil.

While Layne Coleman writes about the various milestones of his life—growing up on a farm in Saskatchewan, discovering his love of theatre, coming to Toronto to work in the theatre—It’s clear in his elegant, whimsical writing, that meeting Carol Corbeil, a journalist and arts critic, falling in love with her with some angst involved, marrying her, becoming a father, and losing Carol Corbeil to cancer in 2000 when she was 48—was the center of his life. And when she was taken from him, he grieved for 23 years, in a way to hold on to her, it seems to me.

Pop psychologist here—I can only surmise from reading the book and talking to him, that if he got over the grief, he might think he would get over her…and of course he didn’t want to get over her. Carol Corbeil was a force.  Her columns for the Globe and Mail were thoughtful, perceptive and she wrote beautifully. She published two novels. She isn’t someone you ‘get over’. She is someone you have on your shoulder.

Layne Coleman was a single dad raising a curious, smart daughter—Charlotte–and so often through the book he would wonder what Carol would think of a situation he was in; how would she handle it?  He was a loving father wanting to give his daughter the space to grow up and not hover too much. Hard decisions. Charlotte was nine when her mother got cancer. And 15 when her mother died.

So two people were grieving here in their own way. Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman went on to study theatre at the National Theatre School in Montreal majoring eventually in playwrighting. She wrote a play about her experience of losing her mother, in her play Scratch. And through it all, father and daughter became very close. Both had their ways of coping.  Layne Coleman drank. Charlotte developed an eating disorder. He challenged her at one point that he would stop drinking if she stopped purging.

Layne Coleman is so self-aware of himself as a flawed man that he knew he might not keep the bargain. But he also knew his daughter and wondered about her resolve.  I love Layne Coleman’s perceptions of himself, his flaws, his attempts at being a better man and father, knowing when to ease up on himself and not be so hard, but not wallowing in self-pity.

Layne Coleman’s writing is exquisite.  He has a quirky style of writing with his descriptions and turns of phrase that leave you limp they are so poetic.  He wrote a lot about being cast as Hamlet at Theatre Passe Muraille by his best friend Clarke Rogers, who was also directing. Clarke Rogers’ girlfriend was Carol Corbeil. Needless to say, Layne Coleman was mighty conflicted, being in love with his best friend’s girlfriend.

But he also has a stunning understanding of the character of Hamlet and how audiences perceive the role. There is this quote: “I knew the audience would be fixated by a somnolent familiarity with the story, that their preconceptions would be like cataracts in their eyes. I had to pierce their assumptions and memories of great Hamlets of the past. The task would be to gather them all into the present, because my Hamlet was soft and humble, most confident when alone in the privacy of his mind, which was where he would share his truths with the audience.”

Stunning assessment. “…their preconceptions would be like cataracts in their eyes.” What an image, and the book is full of such wisdom put as elegantly.

I’ve described the book as “raw” because Layne Coleman opens himself up to the most personal of memories.  He spilled his guts to write the book. He bared his soul, revealed transgressions, regrets, expressed his doubts as a husband and father, but also recognized his successes as both.  He takes the reader on the journey with him. At times it’s so moving you want to look away and put the book down. Layne Coleman won’t let you.  In a way we remember our own journeys with grief, self-doubt, love, joy etc. And you are caught up short in a moment when you least expect it. There is a section devoted to Charlotte’s 18^th birthday party and Layne Coleman wrote her a poem. It’s of a father so devoted to his daughter, so aware of her blossoming as a woman and so grateful to her for teaching him so much, that at the end, I burst into tears. And it was not just being moved easily, it was like a torrent, so overcome with the beauty of what he wrote, I sobbed—ugly sobs. Breathless, gasping. And then a few pages later, I’d be laughing out loud.

“An Open-Ended Run, A Memoir” by Layne Coleman is a wonderful, moving, graceful, beautifully written book about a man trying to be the best that he can be, stumbling, getting up, trying again and observing the world in the most poetic, thoughtful way.

Layne Coleman is a treasure and so is his memoir.

“An Open-Ended Run, A Memoir” by Layne Coleman can be ordered at University of Regina Press, Chapters-Indigo, McNally Robinson books, or you can order it where you buy fine books.

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As many of you know, I have been giving out Tootsie Pops for many years to people in the theatre as a way of saying ‘thank you for making the theatre so special for me.’ Instead of doing top 10 lists of the best theatre and performances of the year, I do The Tootsie Awards that are personal, eclectic, whimsical and totally subjective.

Here are this year’s selections:

PEOPLE

The Guts of a Bandit Award

Layne Coleman

Layne Coleman earns this one for being one of the Toronto/Canada theatre’s early movers and shakers, as an actor, playwright and artistic director of Theatre Passe Muraille from 1997-2007. At present he is interim artistic director of VideoCabaret where he programmed with impish delight, Alan Williams’ one man show on his acting journey, Once in a Lifetime, Sometimes Never, and Dear Robert by Jim Garrard, founder and first artistic director of Theatre Passe Muraille, part of a double bill along with Special Delivery about letter writing. Alan Williams and Jim Garrard would be described by the blinkered and thoughtless among us, as “old white guys.” In fact, they are the guys on whose shoulders subsequent generations stand, who paved the way in theatre.

Layne Coleman just directed Madame Minister for Talk Is Free Theatre, in Barrie, Ont, a wild Serbian farce, in which he illuminated that whole world by having it played in the small hallway of a private home.

AND…Layne Coleman has recently published his memoir, ‘An Open-Ended Run” in which he spills his guts about grief, joy, theatre, his late wife Carol Corbeil and his gifted playwright daughter Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman. A brilliant book. All done by a man with the guts of a bandit.

How Did He Ever Learn All Those Lines Award

Mike Nadajewski

For his herculean performance of Valere in La Bête by David Hirson, at Harbourfront for Talk Is Free Theatre. Never mind the 35-minute monologue at the top of the show, this was a bravura performance of an arrogant, totally in control, hilarious, quixotic character who commanded the room at all times. Mesmerizing.

The Jon Kaplan Mensch Award

Thom Allison

Thom Allison, again this year. He imbues his productions with humanity, kindness and compassion. In La Cage Aux Folles at the Stratford Festival, he not only brought out the wild humour of the piece with a sweet irreverence, but also, he illuminated the deep feelings of love between the characters.

In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Young People’s Theatre, just a simple touch of the mother to the various grandparents before she went to work for the evening, speaks volumes about the love the characters feel. All created effortlessly by Thom Allison.

Steve Ross

As a playwright, in 12 Dinners this year at Here for Now Theatre in Stratford, Ont., Steven Ross wrote about his troubled family due to his mother’s depression, with such understanding, compassion and insight it left one breathless. He did not avoid the harshness and damage done, but he handled it with the understanding of a mensch.

As an actor this year, he played Shylock in Something Rotten at the Stratford Festival and played him with a bit of naivety and the result was hilarious. But it was as Albin in La Cage Aux Folles, also at the Stratford Festival, that Steve Ross excelled. Whether Albin was performing as his drag queen character or presenting as his adoptive son’s absent mother, Steve Ross never made fun of the characters. Rather, he filled them with a graceful femininity that presented them as women with kindness, understanding, patience and love.

Jani Lauzon

Jani Lauzon has been a towering, creative presence in the theatre for decades, illuminating Indigenous stories with integrity, respect and dignity. She has both written plays and acted in them, celebrating that world and communicating its vibrancy and importance to the wider world.

Recently there was a hateful, agenda-driven essay in “The Walrus” questioning Jani Lauzon’s Indigeneity and that of her father. (One wonders, if your father told you when you were a kid that he is Metis and went to a Residential School, do you question him and ask to see proof and his status card?)

Jani Lauzon wrote a long Facebook post addressing the accusations, admitting when facts might have been incorrect and asserting the accuracy of her Indigenous heritage. She did it in a calm, thoughtful, respectful way, proving you can be the best example of an Indigenous life, lived as a mensch.   

The Arkady Spivak Gifted Theatre Creator Award

Arkady Spivak (again!)

He is the artistic producer of Talk is Free Theatre in Barrie, Ont. and he keeps on re-inventing how and where to do theatre. He decided to do the whole 2024-25 season, including a wild festival of short plays, anywhere but in a theatre.

He organized tours last year of Talk is Free Theatre productions of: 

• Tales of an Urban Indian to Suriname and Fiji
• Tales of an Urban Indian, into the Woods and What she Burned to New Zealand
• Tales of an Urban Indian and For Both Resting and Breeding to Chile

     –    For Both Resting and Breeding to Argentina

     –    La Bête played in Toronto

     –    Boy Falls from the Sky to Hamilton and Montreal

     –    Cock will tour to Japan in February 2025.

She Writes Nothing but the Truth Award

Kanika Ambrose

She has lived up to her gifts and written Truth a wonderful play based on the novel “The Gospel Truth” by Caroline Pignat. It played at Young People’s Theatre. Kanika Ambrose’s play Truth, about a slave girl named Phoebe who works on a plantation, is about resilience, tenacity and the belief in hope. It’s emotion-charged and beautifully written.

The Jaw-droppers—They Can Do Anything–Award

Allan Louis

He has played Dracula, Ira Aldridge, unassuming characters, characters with attitude, all with dignity and flair. This past summer he played Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady at the Shaw Festival and reinvented the character. His Henry was not just socially inept, he was conflicted and caught up short by Eliza Doolittle. This was a subtle, beautifully created performance of a man reluctant to change, until he met the person who made him reconsider, in order to find ordinary happiness.

Jacob MacInnis

Jacob MacInnis has played a gender fluid character who goes from being a caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly in Alice in Wonderland for Bad Hats Theatre, to playing Mrs. Gloop, a doting, sweet mother with joy, yodeling and a soprano voice in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for Young People’s Theatre, to playing a man conflicted of his sexuality in The Full Monty at the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope, to the title role in Dion, a Rock Opera for Coal Mine Theatre, in which they were seductive, dangerous, compelling and sang with heart and distinction. Jacob MacInnis makes every part they play, memorable and compelling.

The One(s) to Watch Award

Josh Palmer and Chloe Matamoros who played Nick and Honey respectively in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee produced by zippysaidproductions at the Red Sandcastle Theatre.

Both Josh Palmer and Chloe Matamoros displayed a keen presence in these tricky parts; both brought a distinctive flair.

Josh Palmer as Nick was confident in his sexuality and suggested that might have been how the character got ahead to a certain extent. His Nick was no pushover.

Chloe Matamoros as Honey was an innocent but was watchful too and that brought a complexity to the part that was refreshing.   

Tavaree Daniel-Simms and Jadyn Nasato who played Nick and Cara respectively in Four Minutes Twelve Seconds writtenby James Fritz and produced by Studio 180 Theatre.  

Both young characters are caught in the middle of a social media storm involving a video of Cara having non-consensual sex with her boyfriend Jack (who we never meet). Nick is a friend of both the boyfriend and Cara—in fact Nick liked Cara first.

Jadyn Nasato as Cara is terrific. She gives a nuanced, subtle performance full of detail and richness.

As Nick, Tavaree Daniel-Simms is also impressive. One can see this character loves Cara and wants to protect her. It’s a lovely performance.

Robert Gerow

In the Saviour by Deirdre Kinahan, at Here for Now Theatre in Stratford, Robert Gerow played a mysterious stranger and a woman’s concerned son. This young actor has depth, ability and a touch of danger.

Finn Kirk

He played Ralphie in A Christmas Story, the Musical for Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton. Ralphie isa young kid who just wants a Red Ryder Carbine Action BB Gun for Christmas.  Finn Kirk can act and sing a treat for such a young person. Charming,

PRODUCTIONS

Growing Old Gracefully Award

Age is a Feeling

At the Yonge Centre for the Performing Arts.

Written and performed by Haley McGee. About a woman through the ages, experiencing life, gaining wisdom, forming relationships, losing them. Haley McGee is wise, perceptive, very funny, moving and submerges us in the world of the play giving us oxygen and illumination as well.

Don’t Haul a Bale of Hay in Shorts Award

The Farm Show: Then & Now

At the Blyth Festival, Blyth, Ont.

Written by Theatre Passe Muraille with new additions by the company of the Blyth Festival Production, celebrating its 50^th season.

This is an homage to the production that Paul Thompson and five city-slicker actors created in 1972 by going to farmland in Clinton, Ont. and learning about farming and the world of the farmer. It was also an homage to the farmer. As Miles Potter, one of the city-slickers learned, you must wear long pants to haul bales of hay or it will shred your thighs. Miles Potter wore shorts, once doing that task. It was wonderful seeing the new generation of actors paying its respects to the show and reimagining the stories, and also seeing people in the audience who had been in that first show—and missing those no longer with us. Canadian theatre history, burning bright and just as relevant.

Language Did Not Obscure the Important Message Award

Toba Tek Singh

Dramatic Jukebox presented this as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival.

Toba Tek Singh is a stunning piece of theatre about a terrible time in history—the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 and how it affected so many people with just a line drawn through a country, displacing hundreds of thousands. I so appreciated the company’s efforts to make this story clear for their audiences by improving the fonts, sharpness of focus and the increase in the commentary. I also respected their need to be true to their story and convictions by telling it mainly in Hindi and Punjabi. It was very clear. Bravo.

Make Your Own Luck Award.

Girls Unwanted

Bravo to the feisty, young company of The King Black Box Theatre who reached out to George F. Walker for a play and he not only ‘offered’ them Girls Unwanted, but he also directed it as well.

It’s about women in a half-way house trying to get by. The language is taut and raw. The emotions are high. Pure George F. Walker country. The tiny space was in a third-floor walk-up and the folks who have been supporting this edgy kind of theatre for years, made the trek to King Street in Parkdale to see it. Bracing theatre.

Is It Real Or Is It Memorex Award

Dana H.

A Crow’s Theatre Production, written by Lucas Hnath, directed by Les Waters, starring Jordan Baker.

Jordan Baker ‘played’ Dana Higginbotham, Lucas Hnath’s mother. She sat in a chair and told the audience of the five months she had been held captive by a man who kidnapped her. What she did was mouth the words to the actual recorded voice of Dana Higginbotham, complete with pauses, laughs, coughs, stammers, even the shifting in the chair and rearranging of her bracelets. It was a meticulous, nuanced, gripping performance and after a while we were certain Jordan Baker was Dana Higginbotham and she was doing the talking.

The Maturity and Grace Award

Mary’s Wedding

At the Thousand Islands Playhouse, Gananoque, Ont.

Written by Stephen Massicotte, directed by Brett Christopher.

A memory play about the love of Charlie and Mary before and after he goes off to fight in Europe in WWI. It’s an ache of a play; funny and moving. But this production had such resonance because of the stunning acting of Maev Beaty as Mary and Wade Bogert-O’Brien as Charlie. They brought maturity and grace to their parts and the play. Sensitively directed by Brett Christopher.

The Delicate and Fierce Award

Wonderful Joe

At the Jane Mallett Theatre.

Using hand puppets and marionettes creator/performer Ronnie Burkett focuses his perception, wit and anger on a world gone mad. He touches on gender issues, pronouns, friendship, loyalty, optimism, climate change and love, generally through the eyes of Joe.

Ronnie Burkett is concerned about the sad, angry, beautiful world we live in. Nothing escapes his perceptive ire, but he handles it all with compassion and an open heart. That is especially true towards these characters who populate his play. Each of these characters is broken in some way or another but they are fixed/healed/put back together with the gold that is Wonderful Joe.

Ronnie Burkett is a treasure. Wonderful Joe is a gift.

Powerful Even In Yiddish Award.

Playing Shylock

In Playing Shylock, Saul Rubinek ruminates on acting, being Jewish, how tough it is for Jewish actors to play leading parts in Canada, and certainly at Stratford. He notes that no Jewish actor has ever played Shylock at our Stratford—actually Paul Soles did in 2001 replacing Al Waxman who died during open heart surgery.

But then Rubinek does look at the question of who should play what parts? He talks about the accusation of “appropriation” when an actor plays a part different from his ethnicity/background etc. Rubinek’s answer is that all acting is appropriation. I loved that.

Saul Rubinek recites long swaths of The Merchant of Venice during the play and it’s full of vigor, anger, emotion and conviction, especially the “…if you prick us do we not bleed” speech.  But it’s at the end of the production, when Saul Rubinek says the same speech in Yiddish, conjuring his Yiddish-actor-Holocaust survivor-father, that the performance is particularly chilling and insightful.

The Serbian World in a Hallway Award

Madame Minister

Produced by Talk Is Free Theatre

Based on “The Cabinet Minister’s Wife” by Branislav Nusic.

Adapted by Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman.

Directed by Layne Coleman

About a social-climbing woman who feels she is owed more respect in her small Serbian town than she is given. Then she hears that her husband might be made a minister in the new government and she goes into over-drive ordering people around and acting as if she has made it. A farce that puts you in that Serbian world, performed by a gifted cast in the small hallway of a private home in Barrie, Ont. The adaptation by Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman and the direction by Layne Coleman bristled with comedic invention. A treat.

Shows from away that rocked my world:

My Neighbour Totoro

At the Barbican, London, England.

Based on the Japanese animated film. About loss, longing, holding on, puppets, imagination, joy.

Operation Mincemeat

At the Fortune Theatre, London, England.

Book, Music, and lyrics by David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, Zoë Roberts.

About the British secret operation to fool Hitler into thinking the invasion of Europe was coming at a certain place and it wasn’t. Men played women; women played men with swagger, arrogance and the pomposity of the upper-class twit. Everybody sang about it and it was brilliant. The programme cover is inspired.

Here There Are Blueberries

At New York Theatre Workshop, New York.

By Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich. Conceived and directed by Moisés Kaufman.

This is about a book of photographs. All the photographs took place in Auschwitz. They aren’t of the misery experienced by the prisoners. They are of the joy, humour and good times experienced by the guards, administrators and support staff of the place. The ‘play’ explores who these smiling people actually are. Gripping and devastating.  

The Years

At the Almeida Theatre, London, Eng.

Based on the Memoir by Annie Ernaux

Adapted and directed by Eline Arbo

About Ernaux’s life, discoveries of men, heartache, abortion, marriage and children, full of intense emotion.

A stunning piece of theatre that left people faint at the graphic nature of the effects of the abortion, and gripped because of its emotional power.

The Blood Quilt

At Lincoln Center Theater, New York.

Written by Katori Hall.

Directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz

From the play’s description: “Four sisters gather at their childhood island home off the coast of Georgia for their annual reunion. They are creating a family quilt to honor their recently deceased mother. But when their reunion turns into a reading of their mother’s will, everyone must grapple with a troubling inheritance. Stitched with history, ritual, laughter and tears,” truths and accusations are told as the sisters stitch the ‘blood quilt.’ The language of Katori Hall shimmers and is vivid. One character says of her sister: “You’re a whole bucked of sour.” Angry, bitter, loving and embracing the play is an explosion of emotions, performed by a stunning cast lead by their gifted director.

Cherish the Future Audience Award

Sonia and Alfred

Teatro Gioco Vita (Italy), presented at the Wee Festival, which should get its own award.

From the show information: “Alfred is a bird searching for a place to be. For refuge. He carries with him his one possession, a little red chair. None of the other birds will welcome him and tell him to go away! But one day he arrives at Sonia’s house and a beautiful friendship begins. A wonderful and moving story about finding home, belonging, friendship and family told through exquisite theatre and shadow puppetry.”

This was an exceptional and yes, exquisite piece of theatre, as were all the selections of the Wee Festival.

The Wee Festival (Lynda Hill, Artistic Director) caters to very young audiences (0-6 years old). The young audiences are treated with respect, care, consideration and kindness. They are our future audiences. We must cherish them.

Happy holidays and all good things in the future.

Lynn

NOTE: Respectful comments are accepted on this site as long as they are accompanied by a verifiable name and a verifiable e-mail address. Posts that are slanderous, libelous or personally derogatory will not be approved.

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I’ve got three reviews of shows for the family for the holidays because this time of year, theatres are hopping with shows for the whole family.

I’m reviewing: A Christmas Story, The Musical based on the movie, and playing until tomorrow at Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton.

The Wizard of Oz the Ross Petty Panto, is playing at the Winter Garden Theatre until Jan. 5.

And Alligator Pie based on the beloved book of Dennis Lee silly poems is playing at The Young Centre for the Performing Arts until Dec. 29, produced by Soulpepper.

A Christmas Story, The Musical.

Live and in person at Theatre Aquarius, Hamilton, Ont. produced by Theatre Aquarius. Playing until Dec. 22, 2024.

www.theatreaquarius.org

Book by Joseph Robinette

(Based on the motion picture A Christmas Story).

Music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

Directed by Mary Francis Moore

Choreography by Robin Calvert

Music direction by Patrick Bowman

Set and costume design by Brandon Kleiman

Lighting by Jareth Li

Sound by Ranil Sonnadara

Cast: Hailey Balaz

Dharma Bizier

Adam Brazier

Karen Burthwright

Mark Crawford

Eric Dahlinger

Finn Kirk

Ha’Keena Maneso

Andrew McAllister

Jamie McRoberts

Madelyn Miyashita

Nicole Norsworthy

Shakeil Rollock

Nick Sheculski

Lee Siegel

Addison Wagman

www.soulpepper.ca

The book is by Joseph Robinette with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. It’s based on the 1983 film, which in turn is based on the childhood memories of Jean Shepherd, a humourist and radio personality in New York City.

It’s 1940 in Indiana and Ralphie Parker, aged nine, wants only one thing for Christmas, the Red Ryder Carbine Action BB Gun with an additional watch mechanism to tell time. That’s all he wants. He schemed to get it, hinting to his parents that’s what he wanted. When it looked like it wasn’t going to happen, he hinted to his teacher he wanted it in an essay, in the hopes she would tell his parents. Nothing worked. Ralphie was frantic.

He also had other issues at school, with bullying for example. And his parents also had concerns. His father was an irritated, insecure man who just wanted to win something so he kept entering contests, in the hopes of winning something. The mother was stay at home, always cooking, cleaning and picking up after her inattentive family. A younger brother seemed carefree. It was definitely a family with emotional issues.

As a musical it works a treat because the book by Joseph Robinette captures the essence of a family in the 1940s but makes it applicable to 2024. The music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are sharp and evocative. They know how to write angst filled songs— after all, they wrote Dear Evan Hanson.

So while the Mother (the wonderful Jamie McRoberts)  was stay at home and ‘invisible’ as the cook and bottle washer—she has a song “What A Mother Does” with a lyric, “I sit down to stand up” that says everything.  It beautifully shows that she rarely has the luxury of eating her dinner with her family undisturbed because she’s always tending to her family’s needs, getting up to give another serving of food to her children or husband, etc. I loved that inner life of the mother expressed in song, for an audience in 2024. The Father is played by Adam Brazier with barely contained anger at some irritation in his life. The Father is a disappointed man in every way and comes home for some peace if that’s possible. Brazier also sings beautifully and with power.

It’s also directed beautifully by Mary Francis Moore. She focuses on the angst, the emotional bubbles of each character and keeps them simmering at an even pace.  

The cast is terrific lead by Mark Crawford as Jean Shepherd as an adult and the narrator talking about his younger self, here named Ralphie. Crawford invests Jean’s involvement with the same attention that Ralphie has. Crawford is always there beside Ralphie when Ralphie is in the scene. Finn Kirk as Ralphie the young kid is a marvel. Ralphie is 9 and is played by the remarkable Finn Kirk who is a bit older—and a wonderful singer and actor.

Robin Calvert has choreographed this so that the ensemble bubbles with energy and joy.

A Christmas Story, the Musical is a charming, edgy musical for the holidays.

The Wizard of Oz, The Ross Petty Panto.

At the Winter Garden Theatre, Toronto, Ont. Produced by Canadian Stage, playing until Jan. 5, 2025.

www.canadianstage.com

Written by Matt Murray

Directed by Ted Dykstra

Choreography by Jennifer Mota

Conductor/musical director/keyboard player, Mark Camilleri

Set by Michael Gianfrancesco

Costumes by Ming Wong

Lighting by Bonnie Beecher

Sound by Brian Kenny

Cast: Jordan Bell

Georgia Bennett

Andrew Broderick

Dan Chameroy

Jonathan Cullen

Saphire Demitro

Eddie Glen

Sierra Holder

Tyler Pearse

Julia Pulo

Kirstyn Russell

Vanessa Sears

The Ross Petty Pantos, such a mainstay of the holiday season, stopped about two years ago when Ross Petty retired his sneers and invective to his adoring, booing audience. But Brendan Healy, the Artistic Director of Canadian Stage, saw a gap in their holiday shows and called Ross Petty to resurrect the Pantos. Ross Petty was there opening night to say a few words—we booed him roundly because he always played the villain—and he said how glad he was that this holiday tradition was continuing.

As one expects, the story is not the straightforward Wizard of Oz story, since it’s a Ross Petty Panto. The script is by Matt Murray who has written these the Ross Petty Pantos for years. It’s a wild story that sort of keeps to the main story of the Wizard of Oz.

Dorothy does live on a farm but has doubts about who she really is and where she belongs. She is loved by the people there but still there are those doubts. There is that tornado and she is transported to a neon coloured city that looks strangely like Toronto with a CN Tower in the background and various landmarks with “Oz” in the title: such as OZZZZington St.  There is a witch who wants to rule over everybody and needs those shiny red shoes to do it. So there is a tug of war between Dorothy and the witch to see who outsmarts whom to get them.

Dorothy is beautifully played by Julia Pulo—plucky, resourceful and a strong voice. And there are some regular characters from other Ross Petty Shows.

Plumbum (Dan Chameroy) for example has returned in all her frizzy hairedness and skewed lipstick and makeup. Dan Chameroy plays Plumbum as an irreverent woman with sass and a lovely sense of style. Chameroy gives a subtle but detailed performance of this awkward but feminine character, that is quite captivating to watch.  Eddie Glen plays an optimistic Scarecrow.

And Vanessa Sears, new to the panto, plays the witch with wonderful disdain for the booing audience. She knows how to whip the audience into a loud frenzy.   

I’ll say the outline of the basic story is the same, but we have a new director in Ted Dykstra and the look of the show is eye-popping neon. The projections of places in Toronto OZZZZZington, and any other name they can apply OZ to are funny and witty too. It looks like a psychedelic dream.

They usually get kids to come on stage for a small bit, and that didn’t seem to be well thought out as to why they were there….perhaps a bit more thought there. But on the whole, it’s a fun time in the theatre.  And we get to boo the villain. And she gives it right back.

Alligator Pie.

Live and in person at The Young Centre for the Performing Arts in the Distillery District, produced by Soulpepper, running until Dec. 29. 2024.

www.soulpepper.ca

Poems by Dennis Lee

Created by Ins Choi, Raquel Duffy, Ken MacKenzie, Gregory Prest, Mike Ross with new contributions from the 2024 Soulpepper Academy.

Directed by Severn Thompson

Music supervisor and Co-Music Director, James Smith

Costume designer, Ellie Koffman

Lighting designer, Logan Raju Cracknell

Sound designer, Olivia Wheeler

Props designer, Jessica Balyk

Cast: Alicia Barban

Belinda Corpuz

Ben Kopp

Ruaridh MacDonald

Haneul Yi

Alligator Pie isbased on the poems of Dennis Lee and was created a few years ago by Ins Choi, Raquel Duffy, Ken MacKenzie, Gregory Prest and Mike Ross. With new contributions from the 2024 Soulpepper Academy of actors, who also performed it.

It’s presented in the round with the audience on either side of the playing area. It’s wonderful looking around the space and seeing young kids with their mouth agape, captivated.

The talented cast recite and perform the many Dennis Lee poems and make them work in performance, by bouncing off boxes, twirling umbrellas in inventive ways and singing various songs of the poems.

It’s directed by Severn Thompson who keeps the pace going like the wind, and also trusts her gifted cast to be inventive and create moments of fun and silliness.

Alligator Pie is a great way of introducing young children to theatre and reacquaint older ones too.

A Christmas Story, The Musical plays at Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton until tomorrow, Dec. 22:

www.theatreaquarius.org

The Wizard of Oz plays at the Winter Garden Theatre until Jan. 5.

www.canadianstage.com

Alligator Pie plays at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts until Dec. 29.

www.soulpepper.ca

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Live and in person at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Toronto. Playing until Dec. 14.

www.buddiesinbadtimes.com

Created by Denim and Pythia

Ghostwriter, Lauren Gillis

Directed by ted witzel

Set, projections and lighting design by Cosette “Ettie” Pin

Sound by steph raposo

Costumes designed by Pythia

Choreographer, Elm Reyes

Cast: Denim (Emerson Sanderson)

Pythia (Christos Dariasis)

Sasha Velour

Kaleigh (of multiple spellings) owner and creator of a PR firm and her best friend Matt, a wannabe influencer, social media devotee, bitch and giggle at the way of the world of drag queens, hashtags, and psychics.

Kaleigh is getting married to Brad, but she’s not sure if he’s the one. Matt drags himself away from his cell phone long enough to suggest she see a psychic about it and names the psychic—Madame P. Kaleigh sees Madame P, who subtly steers her away from Brad, among other things. It’s hardly a surprise at who Madam P really is. Kudos to Pythia for the clever and inventive costume design.

There are a lot of drag queen references (Denim and Pythia are celebrated Drag Race stars). The physicality, snappy patter, bitchy retorts and constant references to social media and its essence and ethos are bracing for those up on the lingo and the insider info and jokes. For those who are rusty Oraculum might be a bit (?) A lot (?) out of the loop.

Director ted witzel’s production is technologically complex, with digital backdrops of Madame P in full drag splendor and larger than life or imagination. Kudos to Cosette “Ettie” Pin for the Madam P projections. Kaleigh looks out to the audience with Madame P being beamed in through the wonders of pre-recorded video answering Kaleigh’s questions of life, Brad and what to do. There are constant references to hash-tag notation with the hashtag being projected on surfaces above door stage left and stage right. If only one could read them, they are so dimly lighted and fuzzily projected. Can Cossett “Ettie” Pin work wonders here? Please.

There is a lot of atmospheric smoke, lighting, directorial dazzle and a story and performances that need masses of attention. It’s great to cast real, celebrated drag queens such as Denim and Pythia, but this is a theatrical event and audibility is a requirement. And one could not hear them properly, and certainly Pythia who talks quietly and quickly. So quickly one can’t get the jokes or the gist. I guess friends who stab trusting friends in the back for fun, might be funny in some quarters, as Matt does to Kaleigh, but surely there is more to a story than this superficial rendering? A character who is glued to his cell phone waiting for the next influencer moment and his insecure, whiney ‘friend’ just don’t seem worthy of such a complex, complicated production, that one can’t clearly hear.

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre presents:

Plays until Dec. 14, 2024.

Running time: 2 hours (no intermission)

www.buddiesinbadtimes.com

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Live and in person at the CAA Theatre, 651 Yonge St. Toronto, Ont. Presented by Mirvish Productions. Playing until January 19, 2025

www.mirvish.c

Book by Marla Mindelle Constantine Rousouli and Tye Blue

Directed by Tye Blue

Set designer, Gabriel Hainer Evansohn and Grace Laubacher for Iron Bloom

Costume designer, Alejo Vietti

Sound designer, Lawrence Schober

Lighting designer, Paige Seber

Orchestrations and arrangement by Nicholas James Connell

Music director, Nick Burgess

Choreographer, Ellenore Scott

Cast: Andre Anthony

Tess Benger

Constant Bernard

Mariah Campos

Veronique Claveau

Dave Comeau

Kaylee Harwood

Mike Melino

Rose Messenger

Christopher Ning

Erica Peck

Queenie

                                                                                                                                                                         Michael Torontow

Seth Zosky

Irreverent, bend-over hilarious, beautifully performed. It’s perfect for the holidays and after.

 The Story. Creators Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli and Tye Blue (who also directs this) say that Titanique is a “love-letter to Céline Dion.” And it’s a kiss-on-the-cheek to musical theatre.  It is also an uproarious send-up of the film Titanic directed by James (“The King of the World”) Cameron.

We start off at the “Titanic Museum.” A tour guide gleefully notes various artifacts that were found after that horrible disaster of the sinking of the “unsinkable” Titanic. He is interrupted by the one and only Céline Dion. He is puzzled because all she contributed was the theme song “My Heart Will Go On” of the film. She informs him that she was there!!!

This leads us into the story which is explained really well in case someone was on a deserted island and didn’t see the film or know what it was about. Rose, her cloying mother Ruth and Rose’s fiancée, the very rich, tuxedo-wearing Cal, are travelling to New York. Cal is hoping to sleep with the chaste Rose before they arrive. He gives her a huge blue heart-shaped jeweled pendant to sweeten the deal.  But Rose sees and falls in love with the poor, humble, and simply dressed Jack who is going to New York for a better future. They spend a lot of time below decks getting to know each other through singing and clutching. Cal finds out. It gets messy. Cal orders the captain, Victor Garber—that in itself is an inside joke of the show—to go as fast as they can to get to New York because he has an important appointment he must not miss. The captain cranks up the speed. The seaman (lot of jokes about that) is fearful because there are all those icebergs out there. The ship is unsinkable says the captain. They plough on. And hit an iceberg.  And Céline Dion keeps narrating, commenting and singing.

The Performance. Writers Marla Mindelle Constantine Rousouli and Tye Blue have written a show that is funny, witty and irreverent towards the film, and so loving to Céline Dion that it is eye-popping. It is also a love-letter to musical theatre with references that are both familiar and obscure. There are jokes in the writing, sight gags in the direction and ad libs in performances that are so funny you cover your eyes and shake your head in disbelief. And joy.

Much is made of the Seaman as a play on words with the character and uh, well, uh another meaning. Lots of inuendo. The song list includes many of Céline standards. For the musical theatre aficionados there are snippets of music that one would recognize from Gypsy, Beauty and the Beast, a wonderful obscure one from Chicago, and even a snippet of the disingenuous song “For Good” from the dishonest and exhausting show “Wicked.” (please keep the invective; it’s just not that important over which to lose it.)

Tye Blue’s direction is meticulous. Every gesture is thought out. Every reaction and over-reaction are deliberate. The cast plays everything broadly and it works a treat for a show that is a send-up of everything one holds dear: Céline, the movie Titanic, musical theatre and the devotion of the gay audience of which much is made. Those not of that sexual orientation will be embraced as well for being ready for a laugh and a good time.

The performances are wonderful in their own way. Veronique Claveau is divine as Céline Dion. She is dressed in Céline’s iconic shimmering, formfitting silver gown and knows how to sashay around the stage with confidence. Her reaction when the audience applauds her arrival and the cheers in recognition is a mix of surprise, humility, humbleness and an “oh you are too kind and I love you all” reaction. And there are the expressions of love and devotion for the audience, followed by the tapping of her heart, the subtle flipping of her hair, the gentle brushing away of ‘non-existent’ tears she is so moved, the smiles, the laughs and all the other calculated gestures that render this a wonderful performance of Céline. And Ms Claveau has a strong, clear voice that is less an impersonation of Céline Dion’s voice and more a dandy performance of her various iconic songs.

Mariah Campos as Rose and Seth Zosky as Jack are wonderfully passionate and determined as the two lovers. Michael Torontow as Cal brings a lovely arrogance to the role but never manages to ‘get’ the girl. As Ruth, Constant Bernard is a pearl-clutching, fretting creation. But it’s in the moments of free-wheeling adlibs/improving that he shines. The jokes are topical, (so topical that one left the opening night audience stunned at the quickness—and no I won’t repeat it because it’s so brilliant, and besides, it might be gone in place of others over time.

Even the presentation of the title of the show is clever. The letters are formed in such a way that the “look” of the word “Titanique” resembles the ship. Brilliant.

 Comment. Titanique  is laugh-out-loud funny. A sweet, irreverent gift of a show for the holidays, and every day after.

Mirvish Productions presents:

Playing until January 19, 2025.

Running time: 2 hours approx.. (No intermission)

www.mirvish.com

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Live and in person at the Studio at the Streetcar Crowsnest, Carlaw and Dundas. Baram and Snieckus presented by Crow’s Theatre. Playing until December 22, 2024.

www.crowstheatre.com

Big Stuff, is a little show about big, important things written and performed by Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus. Both are celebrated comedians and improvisors who have worked at Second City and in many comedy venues. They are also married, to each other so their comedy chops are very finely tuned.

It’s about the stuff we keep and the stuff we let go. Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus are polar opposites when it comes to stuff. He has no problem with tossing anything no matter  how sentimental. Naomi Snieckus on the other hand keeps everything and she has a good reason to justify holding on. While Matt Baram tosses stuff, he holds the memory of it close to his heart. He remembers the nickname his father called him when he was a kid.  He has fond memories of his mother but no mementoes.

Naomi Snieckus has her late grandmother’s crochet needle even though Snieckus does not crochet. It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t crochet, according her, it was her grandmother’s crotchet needle and she needs to keep it to keep her grandmother close.

Toaster’s, Naomi Snieckus keeps toasters whether they work or not because it has a memory. There are several toasters around the set. There is a childhood book, a mug etc. She even begins to save mementoes that might have been important in Matt Baram’s life too—such as a framed example of a parent’s needlepoint.

There is a story framing all this. They are driving a UHAUL full of a late parent’s stuff back from LA. They are at the Canadian border and Snieckus remembers that there might be a baggie of pot in the back of the truck. Snieckus and Baram do some role playing about how they are going to handle the questions of the border guard. They are master improvisors but have to get their stories right. There are about 100 cars in front of them in line before they are questioned.  They are nervous and creating what they will say, but not mentioning the pot. And then they go off on a tangent, explaining why they are in a UHAUL driving from Los Angeles in the first place.

That leads them to tell how they met (at Second City), fell in love as a result, and how they delt with it—they were both married to others at the time.

While it is a polished script, Baram and Snieckus do improvise. When we enter the theatre there is a folded card and pen on each seat. The card says to note a thing you have that reminds you of someone.

The audience dutifully writes about all manner of stuff they have that reminds them of someone. The cards are then collected in a cardboard box and will be used during the show—and we turn in the pens too. During the show, when Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus are talking about items that are memorable to them, they take a card from the box and read it. They then ask gently who wrote the card and to tell them about the item. Sometimes the cards and memories are poignant—one woman noted her father’s handkerchief and she got teary remembering how important it was to remind her of her father.  Baram then took out a cotton handkerchief from his pocket to show that he too uses a cotton handkerchief and not a Kleenex He then says he’s been using it since the opening. It gets a laugh but this is the kind of quick wit these two comedians have. Naomi Snieckus is just as quick with a quip as Matt Baram it. Their patter is good natured, teasing, loving and kind. They don’t throw barbs at each other.

I love the whole notion of memory and stuff that nudges us to remember. Big Stuff is similar to Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe in that it twigs the audience to remember the things that gave them joy. The premise of the play is that when the narrator was a young boy his mother tried to commit suicide and was in the hospital recovering. The boy then started a list of every beautiful (brilliant) thing that he thought would twig her to joy. The first item was ice cream. Each member of the audience was given a card with an item and a number on it. When the narrator called out a number, the person with the card with that number said what the item was out loud. The audience then became complicit in the story-telling. And of course, it got us to think of things that were ‘brilliant’ to us. I thought of that show while watching Big Stuff.

The production of  Big Stuff is terrific. It’s funny and very moving. The basic story is quirky but so resonant. We can all picture ourselves in that situation—picking up the parent’s stuff and having to get rid of it. What do you keep? What do you toss? What memories does it all dredge up? What games are played to make a person move to make a decision?

The set by Michelle Travey is wonderful—a whole side wall is loaded with brown cardboard boxes one uses to more stuff.  They are stacked one on top of the other.  There are ledges within the stacking that has a toaster a book a glass, a jar, a memento. There are two chairs in which Baram and Snieckus sit when they are driving or recalling another sketch.

It’s directed by Kat Sandler, with speed, clarity and enough time for the humour to breathe. Baram and Snieckus are often on the move to keep the vision varied.  And the programme credit that Rebecca Northan is the improv consultant, speaks volumes.

Rebecca Northan is a master improvisor and her care and respect for the audience is legendary. She never talks down to an audience and she never humiliates them for a laugh. She knows who wants to engage and who doesn’t and respects that. She has passed that care to Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus, it seems to me. They are gentle and respectful when they read a card and ask who wrote it, and then to tell them about the memory. Sometimes they engage with the audience member and when they are finished with the encounter they say “Thank you.”

I love that care….so different from lots of comedians who look on the audience as fodder. Baram and Snieckus look at the audience as equal partners in a community.

Big Stuff makes you think of al the stuff in your life—clutter, mementoes, stuff to toss etc. and stuff to keep and why regarding both. It’s a sweet show with a big heart. Liked it a lot.    

Baram and Snieckus with Crow’s Theatre presents:

Plays until December 22, 2024.

Running Time: 90 minutes (no intermission)

www.crowstheatre.com

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Live and in person at Theatre Orangeville, Orangeville, Ont. Playing until Dec. 21, 2024.

www.theatreorangeville.ca

Written by Debbie Collins and David Nairn

Directed by David Nairn

Music director, Nicholas Mustapha

Choreographer, Candace Jennings

Set designed by Beckie Morris

Lighting designed by Chris Malkowski

Costumes by Wendi Speck

Cast: Debbie Collins

Christina Gordon

William Lincoln

Andrew McGillivray

Ben Skipper

Annika Tupper

Shamelessly over-the-to-silly-fun.

The Story. You know the basic story. In this version Bella is a princess who is cursed at her christening by Maleficent, a really mean, grumpy witchy kind of person. It seems Maleficent was sweet on Bella’s father (the King) years before and the King blew her off and married someone else. So, at the christening of Bella, Maleficent blew in with her grumpy ways and horned helmet and put a curse on Bella: on her 18^th birthday she would prick herself and be plunged into a deep sleep for 100 years. Well, this is a fractured fairy tale and there are twist and turns and laughs and three fairies who take it upon themselves to spirit Bella away and raise her so that Maleficent won’t know where she is. Bella meets Monty, a prince in disguise, well, really, in the forest. He’s riding his horse (a lovely tricycle with a small horse’s head on it) and sees Bella and she him and they fall in love…And eighteen years later things happen but not as you know they would.   

The Production and comment. Director David Nairn has a loose but tight ‘grip’ on the mayhem that ensues. Larry the fairy is our guide and narrator. He enters and says “Hi Kids” and we are to say, “Hi Larry.” Many other characters have their own greeting to the audience with instructions on what to say, reminiscent of last year’s panto. It’s rather sweet. Annika Tupper is a confident, feisty Bella who knows what she wants but isn’t pushy about it. William Lincoln plays Monty with dash and charm. And Debbie Collins is a marvelous Maleficent. She plays the audience, goading them to boo her and gives back louder. With her twisty horned headgear, she is both scary and hilarious. The whole cast are shameless in playing it broadly as it should be.  Great Fun.

Theatre Orangeville presents:

Plays until December 21, 2024.

Running time: 2 hours 15 minutes (1 intermission)

www.theatreorangeville.ca

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Live and in person at a private residence in Barrie, Ont. Produced by Talk is Free Theatre. Playing until Dec. 7, 2024.

www.tift.ca

Based on “The Cabinet Minister’s Wife” by Branislav Nusic

Adapted by Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman

Translated from Serbian by Cintija Ašperger

Directed by Layne Coleman

Set and costumes by Varvara Evchuk

Cast: Noah Beemer

Laura Condlln

Aidan Desalaiz

Gabi Epstein

Brittany Kay

Mariya Khomutova

Cyrus Lane

Nolan Moberly

Original, outrageous and boldly presented.

The Story. Živka Popovič is a disappointed, self-absorbed woman. She feels she should be higher in station in her small town and resents she is not given her due respect by the other women in her circle. But then she hears that her husband might be made a minister in the new government and Živka is beside herself with glee and anticipation. Minions from the government come to call, thus ramping up her expectations. Matters are fraught. Živka is breathless with anticipation. How will it all end?

The Production. Imagine it–a Serbian play by a celebrated Serbian playwright, being adapted by a celebrated Canadian playwright, directed by an equally celebrated theatre mover and shaker, performed in a private home in Barrie, Ont. by a cast brimming with talent. It must be one of those surprises put together by Arkady Spivak, artistic producer of Talk is Free Theatre. And it is.

The play is performed in the heritage home of Pauline and Paul Stevenson. It’s an impressive mansion on a hill, which makes sense for a woman with Živka’s pretensions. The audience sits in two rooms on either side of the foyer. Each room can be shut off by a sliding door. All the action: the comings, goings, secrets shared and the arrivals and departures take place in that foyer and it’s not large. And being true to the style of farce that Madame Minister is, director Layne Coleman keeps the action going at breakneck speed without losing one clue, joke, sight gag or telling side-long look. Layne Coleman has such control on the comings and going that he also seems to be regulating how fast the audience’s heart is racing keeping up with all that whizzing activity.

As with all comedy and certainly farce, the cast handles this all seriously, as if it’s life and death for the characters, because in a way, it is. Reputations are on the line for these characters. Payback, revenge. Serious stuff. Leading the pack is Laura Condlln as Živka Popovič. This is such a beautifully modulated performance. You are never in doubt that Živka is almost overwrought with anticipation that her husband will become the Minister and so as his wife she will become “Madame Minister.” When Živka hears the news about her husband’s appointment she goes into overdrive giving orders, having people prepare things, chastising her daughter Dara (compassionately played by Brittany Kay) for not marrying ‘better’, and criticizing her son-in-law Ceda (a kindly Nolan Moberly) for not being more ambitious. Condlln is so nuanced, so detailed in her playing that we are never overcome with the angst of it all, we a ‘just’ mesmerized at the artistry of the performance. Cyrus Lane plays Pera, the person who very solemnly brings the news about the impending promotion. He also plays Doctor Ninkovič, a professional lothario who speaks with a French accent but mispronounces all French words. Hilarious. Opening and closing doors is Anka (Mariya Khomutova), the put upon maid. Anka never met a hairstyle she didn’t like and segues from a French twist, to braids, to seductively loose hair. Mariya Khomutova plays the part of Anka with a wink and a confidence of one who knows the nonsense going on in that house and plays along with it. Gabi Epstein plays Aunt Savka and Mrs. Nata with different levels of seriousness and arrogance that are funny in their own way. And rounding out the gifted cast are:  Aidan Desalaiz in various roles (Uncle Vasa, a policeman, a photographer) that are variations of kindly, nosey, and eager to be involved and finally Noah Beemer as Rista and a Young Man from the Ministry, brings a fresh exuberance that is endearing.

Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman has written a bracing, very funny adaptation that puts us in the world of the Serbian playwright as well as in our own of needing to be “liked”, seen, shared with, included, embraced and felt to be important. Social climbing is an art to these characters and Corbeil-Coleman has captured that beautifully in her adaptation.

Comment. Madam Minister is one of those treats produced by Talk Is Free Theatre as a matter of course. The programming is so adventurous that Arkady Spivak, the artistic producer of Talk Is Free Theatre has a loyal following who are up for any theatrical adventure and prove it by showing up show after show, whether they live in Barrie or elsewhere. Worth a visit.

Talk is Free Theatre presents:

Plays until Dec. 7, 2024

Running time: 80 minutes (no intermission)

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Live and in person at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, Ont. Crow’s Theatre and Soulpepper Theatre Company present:  The Master Plan runs until Jan. 5, 2025.

www.soulpepper.ca

Written by Michael Healey

Adapted from the book “Sideways: The City Google Couldn’t Buy” by Josh O’Kane

Directed by Chris Abraham

Set and props by Joshua Quinlan

Costumes by Ming Wong

Lighting by Kimberly Purtell

Sound by Thomas Ryder Payne

Video by Andrea Scott

Cast: Christopher Allen

Ben Carlson

 Philippa Domville

Tanja Jacobs

Michael Healey

Rose Napoli

Mike Shara

An impassioned remount with a few cast changes that are all committed.

The Story. The Master Plan by Michael Healey played last year at Crow’s Theatre and was a huge success. It’s being remounted this year only this time at Soulpepper in collaboration with Crow’s and with some new cast members.

It’s based on the book “Sideways: The City Google Couldn’t Buy” by Josh O’Kane, a reporter with the Globe and Mail. Crow’s artistic director, Chris Abraham, loved the book and asked playwright Michael Healey to adapt the book into a play. The book is full of politics and it’s right up Michael Healey’s alley.

The Master Plan is a kind of political-thriller-David vs Goliath comedy drama involving slick operators from New York City backed by Google, vs the hard-working, by-the-book civil servants in Toronto, who try to keep up with the shenanigans.

Larry Page was one of the young creators of Google—a monster of a search engine. What Page dreamed of was to create the perfect self-sufficient city using high tech to create automated vehicles, efficient waste management, sidewalks that don’t need shoveling because they would be heated to melt the snow and an efficient rapid transit system—that’s not an oxymoron. 

A subsidiary of Google was formed called Sidewalk Labs to work on this project. Sidewalk Labs was headed by Dan Doctoroff, a slick operator from New York City.

In 2017, Waterfront Toronto, which was the Toronto organization responsible for the development of the waterfront, approached Sidewalk Labs to develop 12 acres of underdeveloped waterfront to fulfill the experiment.

Dan Doctoroff came to Toronto with his shined shoes, smart suit and $50 million to get things rolling.  It was thought that the scheme for Toronto could then be marketed to other cities around the world and Sidewalk Labs would rake in the money.

Things did not go smoothly. After three years of squabbling, misunderstanding on the part of Sidewalk Labs about how Waterfront Toronto works, miscommunication, mishandling of details, and secret backroom deals, it fell apart in 2020. Globe and Mail reporter, Josh O’Kane wrote about the details of the scheme and the eventual debacle for two years. It resulted in his writing a book about it.

It’s interesting to see the slick and aggressive ways the New York movers and shakers approached the project vs the careful, collaborative and by-the-book ways the Canadians worked. Playwright Michael Healey can dissect a situation for its truth and also find the humour if not jokes, then satiric situations.

It’s a story full of facts and figures as one would expect a play about politics, development and the involvement of various levels of government. Added to that are the many and various participants with their own agendas, concerns and attitude toward the project.  The thing that’s intriguing about it is the tug of the rope with one side wanting to cut corners in the process—the New York contingent—and the Canadians who go by the book. It’s fascinating to see the backbiting politics of the process; the maneuvering; the games playing. So yes, it’s full of facts and figures which can be dry. But they are presented by different personalities, often volatile, fighting for their argument and the need to win. That makes the piece dramatic and even theatrical.

The Production. While every production of a show is different, this remount production, with a few cast changes, is similar to the production last year at Crow’s Theatre. The play is the same but there are cast changes and the configuration of the set is the same but seems to be smaller  to accommodate the space, or it seems to me.

The audience sits on four sides of the playing area designed by Joshua Quinlan, who also designed the props. When the audience enters there is an expansive model of wood configurations on a large table. One assumes this is the model of the ideal city.

Eventually the model is removed and characters sit at the table with their laptops, cell phones and other necessities. The floor of the stage is composed of octagonal shaped pieces that fit together and can be easily removed if one of the pieces wears away.

Suspended above the playing area is a frame on which is projected information, facts, headlines, timelines, meetings, maps, the area of the waterfront at stake and other areas that Sidewalk Labs wanted. There is also a running tally of the many and various people on boards, in jobs and positions that are constantly shifting. The use of tech is impressive.  At every turn you are bombarded with projected stuff. Kudos to Amelia Scott, the video designer for amassing such an array of videos.

The play is loaded with dates, meetings, facts, figures, reports, information and lots and lots of people being ignored while the folks in charge are running roughshod over everybody. I think director Chris Abraham does a brilliant job of realizing the dense, dizzying accumulation of facts, fiction and misinformation that went on over that time.  He has directed his stellar cast to deliver the information with conviction, urgency and a sense of absolute importance. The cast that is always on the move, lobbing information at us as well.

The blending of the new cast members with the original cast is seamless. Each one is inventive in their own way. A novel addition is that playwright Michael Healey, who wrote the play, is also an actor in the production. He plays the narrator and a tree that was slated to be chopped down. Healey has a fascinating sense of humour and throws it into the mix expertly, although I found he sounded a big hoarse and forced in his delivery.

Mike Shara plays Dan Doctoroff, the CEO of Sidewalk Labs. Doctoroff never met a back room he didn’t like for his secret deals.  Mike Shara plays Dan Doctoroff in a tailored suit, shined shoes and the most understated polka dot socks. He could not understand the Canadians with their adherence to rules, public town halls for the public’s input and process.  Mike Shara plays him with charm and a penchant for thinking quickly on his feet.

He is matched by Ben Carlson as Will Fleissig, of Waterfront Toronto who remembered exactly what was said and not. Fleissig’s control of information and the facts are always at odds with the seat of your pants thinking of Dan Doctoroff.  Ben Carlson plays Will Fleissig as tempered, contained and anxious to be accommodating. Philippa Domville, Tanja Jacobs and Rose Napoli play various parts and bring their own imagination and creativity to the many and various characters they play. Christopher Allen as Cam Malagaam continues to provide the heart to the story. Cam was really committed to the project because he felt it would be good for mankind. He was always trying to do good. Christopher Allen was heartbreaking when he realized the dream of this project was finished.

Director Chris Abraham has re-directed this with a strong sense of style and movement. I do think that the production seemed shouty at times. Lots of lines are pushed to give a sense of urgency, so the actor sounded strained. However, I think the play is a huge accomplishment. It’s tempting to be overwhelmed with the information.  Don’t. Look at the larger picture…how it pertains to the whole. The play and the production are worth the effort.

Crow’s Theatre and Soulpepper Theatre Company present

Plays until Jan. 5, 2025.

Running time: 2 hours 40 minutes (1 intermission)

www.soulpeper.ca

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