The WeeFestival.

May 10 to June 9 2024.

This is a festival of 10 productions for very young audiences in music, theatre, dance, installation and shadow puppetry in intimate venues across the city.

Full programme and details at www.weefestival.ca

UP!

LagunArte (France)

May 10-12

Age range 6 months to 5 years.

Daniels Spectrum-Dance Arts Institute

As we enter the space Kristof Hiriart is there, barefoot and wearing a knitted cap. He is looking up at something in the distance, whistling to it, singing, making sounds. An illuminated balloon is floating in the air. In the playing space bordered by a rope is a step ladder, smooth rocks, small bowls, a beautiful tea pot, a bowl of water, a small harp/lyre and other stuff.

As the audience settles—kids in front on circular pads, parents close by—Kristof continues to make sounds, sings (beautifully), whistles to whatever is up there in the distance. He makes sounds that could be a mysterious language but it’s hard to tell what. At certain points in the performance he indicates, through this mysterious language, that the audience should also make sounds and they do. Babies are captivated and want to get closer to the action. Children a bit older are mesmerized. He plays the small harp/lyre, first making a sound by plucking one string. Nothing calms a fussy baby quicker than hearing a sound—a plucked string–that comes from somewhere mysterious.

Kristof engages completely with his young audience. No section of the performance—the singing, the mysterious language, the magical manipulation of the balloon and the making of sounds–lasts too long so the child is always involved.

At one point a baby crawled so close to him and seemed a bit cranky that Kristof bent down to pick up the child, looked at the mother and said, “May I?” And the mother said, “Of course.” Kristof gently picked up the baby and held him a few seconds, when the baby realized this was a stranger and Kristof instinctively passed the child to his mother. Respect all round. This was a wonderful show.

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Review: In Seven Days

Live and in person at the Harold Green Jewish Theatre. A co-production with the Grand Theatre and the Harold Green Jewish Theatre. Playing until May 16, 2024.

www.hgjewishtheatre.com

Written by Jordi Mand

Directed by Philip Akin

Set and costumes by Sean Mulcahy

Lighting by Siohbán Sleath

Sound by Lyon Smith

Cast: Mairi Babb

Ron Lea

Brendan McMurtry-Howlett

Shaina Silver-Baird

Ralph Small

NOTE: This is mainly a reprint (with some variations) of the review I did of In Seven Days when it played a few months ago at the Grand Theatre in London, Ont. with the same cast. I saw the production at the Harold Green Jewish Theatre at the second last preview.

A smart, funny, moving play about living even when one person chooses not to go on.

The Story. Rachel is a harried lawyer from Toronto, visiting her father and his partner Shelley in London, Ont. She’s brought Shelley the six dozen bagels she asked for to take to Temple the next day. They are the wrong kind of bagel. Who brings six dozen poppyseed bagels, I ask you? And then there is the little matter of Rachel’s father Sam deciding that since his cancer has come back and he’s in constant pain, he will avail himself of MAID (medical assistance in dying) in seven days. Rachel is not having a good day, and the bagels are the least of it.

The Production. The production is wonderful and has grown since I saw it a few months ago when it first played at the Grand Theatre in London, Ont. Sean Mulcahy has designed a stylish, neat set of Sam and Shelley’s living room/kitchen. The room is light-filled with comfortable furniture. The kitchen is pristine with everything put away. A tea-towel hangs over the oven door handle. There are doors up center and to the house right and house left side.

Rachel (Shaina Silver-Baird) arrives, calls out, flops the bags of bagels on the counter in the kitchen and calls out again. Shelley (Mairi Babb) comes out of one of the closed doors up center. She asks Rachel to be quiet because Rachel’s father Sam (Ron Lea) is sleeping. Then the two have an extended conversation about bagels, specifically sesame vs poppyseed. Rachel has bought six dozen poppyseed bagels when Shelley is sure she asked for sesame. They didn’t have sesame, there was only poppyseed. Shelley questions Rachel on when she bought them and chided her for buying them so late when they only had poppyseed that no one at Temple would touch. Shelley has to make a good impression because she’s responsible for the bagels. You can’t buy good bagels in London, Ont. Rachel can’t see the importance of it all. She’s exasperated. Then she has to explain that she didn’t bring ‘the boyfriend’ because they broke up. More interrogation.

Sam (Ron Lea) appears from the same room that Shelley appeared from. He walks slowly with a cane, and is obviously in pain. He’s happy to see Rachel but has something to tell her. His cancer has come back and it’s spread. He can’t face more chemo treatments. He’s decided to avail himself of MAID (Medical Assistance in Dying) in seven days. Rachel is horrified and goes into overdrive to change his mind and call all sorts of experts to offer an alternative. As Rachel, Shaina Silver-Baird is direct, take charge, impatient when challenged because she feels that she is doing right and yet unsettled by this turn of events.

And so playwright Jordi Mand begins her buoyant, moving play with the setup of humour about bagels and making an impression and then drops the bombshell of Sam using MAID because he’s tired and hurts and wants to decide when he will leave this earth, on his terms. And of course Shelley is not really upset about the bagels. This is misplaced anger. Shelley is upset because she’s already had the conversation with Sam about his wanting to end his life, and she has to face the fact that this man she loves, wants to die. Still playwright Jordi Mand sets up the first scene beautifully.

This all happens in about the first 10 minutes so this is not a spoiler alert. In Seven Days is a serious comedy. It’s a comedy about living not dying and it will move you to your toenails.

Over the course of the 90-minute play people will gather to offer comfort. Rachel’s ‘former’ boyfriend, Darren, (Brendan McMurtry-Howlett) will arrive from Toronto, hoping to offer her support, even though they broke up. Sam’s boyhood friend Eli, (Ralph Small) now a rabbi, drops by both as a friend and to put things into a Jewish perspective. What Sam is planning to do is murder. It’s a sin. Sam knows it. The discussions between these two old friends, performed by Ron Lea as Sam and Ralph Small as Eli is to watch two acting pros play these two Jewish characters, who know the body language, the nuance and the profound eloquence of a perfectly placed shrug.

Ron Lea plays Sam as a man who is content with his life and his decision to end it. He’s loving to those around him, certainly Rachel and Shelley. He even comes to appreciate Darren, and that’s because Brendan McMurtry-Howlett as Darren won’t let him off the hook. There is a wonderful scene involving ice cream in which both men learn about the other and form a respect and appreciation. Brendan McMurtry-Howlett gives a charming, boyish and accomplished performance as Darren.

Mairi Babb plays Shelley as a woman who has done all the heavy lifting before we arrive. We assume that Shelley has had the gut-wrenching conversation with Sam when she first got the news of his recurring cancer and his decision to end the pain. Shelley is a woman who loves her partner and will support his decision, no matter how she feels about it.  She goes about her duties with determination and an effort to focus on doing well for the Temple when she brings the bagels, albeit the wrong kind! Mairi Babb plays Shelley as a woman who has to put up a good front, both for herself and for Sam. One can see the reasonings behind it. Mairi Babb gives a delicate, subtle performance of a caring woman.

Director Philip Akin digs deep into this play that is so suffused in Judaism and being Jewish. The relationships are beautifully illuminated, not just between father and daughter and loving partners, but also between two old guys who have known each other since they were little kids when they traded baseball cards while sitting on the curb. There is a physical expression of that close relationship late in the play between Sam and Eli that is perfect—it leaves you limp in your seat with the quiet emotion of it all. As I watched that scene and others again with this present production, it brought home the physicality of expression between Sam and Eli was so familiarly Jewish. In Seven Days is a play about ceremony, ritual, tradition and making a hard decision that is right. Jordi Mand and her gifted cast and director, will have you thinking about it long after you leave the theatre.

Comment. In Seven Days Jordi Mand has written a play about living, grabbing life, showing up when a friend or loved one needs you there, no matter how dire the circumstances. It’s about changing your mind, but not in the way expected and changing your perspective but not in an easy way. It’s about doing what’s right for our loved ones. Terrific play. Cause for celebration.

A co-production with the Grand Theatre and the Harold Green Jewish Theatre

Plays until May 16, 2024.

Running time: 90 minutes (no intermission)

www.hgjewishtheatre.com

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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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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Live and in person at Young People’s Theatre, Toronto, Ont. Playing until May 16, 2024

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Directed by Herbie Barnes

Cast: Tim Blair

Lisa Merchant

Paloma Nuñes

For audiences 11 years old up.

Improvisation (improv) for young audiences, now that’s brave. But the student audience with whom I saw this show was game. Many knew what improv was; they had seen an improv show, or they had participated in an improv show.

The three experienced improv actors: Tim Blair, Lisa Merchant and Paloma Nuñes, engaged with enthusiasm with the young audience.  They talked about little trick they learned doing improv that acted as tools to perform an improve show. They talked of having to build a character, situation or story that was funny, fully developed and didn’t-over stay its welcome. The audience certainly would tell the performer if the sketch was working or not—they would either laugh at the situations and seat of the plants performing or they wouldn’t. I noted both in the student matinee I attended.

One skit involved Lisa Merchant being the centre of the piece as a student who was called to the principal’s office. Merchant had to leave the theatre while the other two polled the audience for suggestions about why she was sent to the office, what accomplices were involved and where the transgression took place. Biting her nails and Taylor Swift factored heavily. Then Lisa Merchant was called back into the theatre and had to guess the transgression, the celebrity and where the transgression happened.

Another sketch was more elaborate. Before the show, the students had to note on slips of paper their favourite villain, a saying, and various other things. The slips of paper were then divided into categories and put in a separate box by categorty. As the three actors improvised a situation they would regularly take a slip of paper from a box and use what was written to progress the story. A favourite villain proved interesting. The Joker was very popular but one student listed “my mother” as the favourite villain. I don’t know what to make of that. The skit seemed to go on past its best ‘end-time’ but the audience was appreciative.

Tim Blair, Lisa Merchant and Paloma Nuñes are inventive, tenacious and charming. Director Herbie Barnes instilled a sense of pace and energy into the show. Unwritten: The Improv Show is an intriguing production from Young People’s Theatre’s usual fare. It was an interesting effort.

Young People’s Theatre Presents:

Playing until May 16, 2024.

Running time: 60 minutes with a Q & A (no intermission)

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I’m interviewing Lynda Hill, the Artistic Director for the WEE Festival on CRITICS CIRCLE, CIUT.fm 89.5 on Sat. May 11 at 9 am, live to talk about this year’s WEE Festival.

It’s a wonderful festival for very young children from 0-6 years old. It runs from May 10 to June 9

https://weefestival.ca

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Live and in person at Koerner Hall April 11-14, 2024. Now closed.

https://www.operaatelier.com

This is a preprint with new comments from a piece I wrote when this first played in Feb. 2022.

Conductor, David Fallis

Stage director, Marshall Pynkoski

Choreographer, Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg

Resident set designer, Gerard Gauci

Lighting designer, Kimberly Purtell

Choreographer (Inception), Tyler Gledhill

Composer (Inception), Edwin Huizinga

Singers: Colin Ainsworth

Jesse Blumberg

Measha Brueggergosman-Lee

Meghan Lindsay,

Danielle MacMillan

Cynthia Akemi Smithers

Karine White

Douglas Williams

Dancers: Eric Cesar Del Mello Da Silva

Juri Hiraoka

Elizabeth Kalashnikova

Kevin Law

Courtney Lyman

Julia Sedwick

Edward Tracz

Dominic Who

Xi Yi

This production is a remount (with some cast changes) of a shorter run of All Is Love that ran Feb. 2022, but it is worth comment to give a sense of how exquisite the production was in every single way.

And as I have explained when reviewing other Opera Atelier productions, I will concentrate on the theatricality of the performance and not technically on the dancing or singing—not my forte.

The program was composed of songs and dance pieces from Henry Purcell, Matthew Locke, George Frideric Handel, Jean-Babtiste Lully, Raynaldo Hahn, Edwin Huizinga, Claude Debussy and others.

The evening began with Measha Brueggergosman-Lee appearing, as if out of the air, at the top of two small staircases that met from stage left and right. She sang “All Is Love” with an incandescent glow of the transporting power of love, the euphoria of it, the intoxication of it, as she wrapped her arms around her as if enveloped with it.

The evening flowed from dance excerpts involving the Artists of Atelier Ballet, Tyler Gledhill’s thrilling solos along with Eric César Del Mello Da Silva’s beguiling angel of love, to vocal solos with Colin Ainsworth, Danielle MacMillan, Cynthia Akemi Smithers, Jesse Blumberg and Measha Brueggergosman-Lee among others. Composer-violinist Edwin Huizinga played from his “Inception” with Tyler Gledhill dancing to the choreography he created for the piece.

The beauty of Marshal Pynkoski’s direction is that each separate piece always looked like it was part of a whole. Transitions from one scene to the next never seemed jarring and always flowed seamlessly. Projections above the stage always enhanced a scene and never detracted from it. Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg’s choreography established that world of form, beauty, elegance and grace.

I do have a quibble. The male singers are dressed in the same kind of costumes as the male dancers: leotards, flowing shirts etc. Why then can’t the singers be guided/directed to be as graceful as the dancers. The dancers enter silently, whether running or jumping. The singers seem to ‘clump’ on. It sounds jaring. It’s a quibble since the whole is exquisite, but still…..

Presented by Opera Atelier

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Live and in person at Theatre Aquarius, Hamilton, Ont. playing until May 11.

www.theatreaquarius.org

By Tom Wilson and Shaun Smyth

Inspired by the book “Beautiful Scars: Steeltown Secrets, Mohawk Skywalkers and the Road Home” by Tom Wilson.

Directed by Mary Francis Moore

Music supervision and Orchestrations/Arrangements by Bob Foster

Set by Jay Havens

Costumes by Yolonda Skelton

Lighting by Kevin Fraser

Sound  by Ranil Sonnadara

Movement by Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo

Cast: Phil Davis

Sheldon Elter

Kristi Hansen

Brandon McGibbon

Valerie Planche

Jeremy Proulx

Thompson Wilson

Band: Bob Foster—Keyboards

Gary Craig—drums

David Gray—Guitar

Anna Ruddick—Bass

Beautiful Scars is a moving musical about identity, finding it and embracing it especially with its challenges.  

The Story.  Beautiful Scars by Tom Wilson and Shaun Smyth (who are both listed as playwright and co-creator), is about how Tom Wilson learned in his early 50’s that he was Indigenous. This was a deep family secret. First, Tom Wilson learned that the woman he thought was his cousin Janie, was in fact his mother. Janie was from Quebec. She got pregnant as a teenager and the man responsible took off.  The idea of having a baby out of wedlock was humiliating for the family so Janie gave up her baby to her aunt Bunny and uncle George. George was blinded in WWII which also complicated matters. Bunny could not have children, and probably didn’t want them, but took Tom and raised him as if he was her own.

Janie would visit, but had to swear that she would never tell Tom the truth about his birth. There was a rapport between Janie and Tom. When Tom learns the truth, he learns that he is of the Mohawk tribe. Being told he was Indigenous sent Tom into a tail spin.

In a way this was not a surprise because Tom had a sense that something was not right as he was growing up. It meant that he felt that he didn’t belong in the world he thought he was born into, a white one. He found music and became a successful rock and roll singer, with five Juno Awards for his albums. He’s a painter. Has written two autobiographies. He is a member of the Order of Canada.

Along the way Tom Wilson went to Los Angeles fell into the world of drugs and spiraled out of control. Beautiful Scarsis a musical that chronicles Tom Wilson’s journey to self-discovery of who he is, who his family is and what his identity is.

The Production Comment. The rule is that in the first five minutes of a musical you have to establish the theme, tone, idea etc. through the first song.  At the beginning of Beautiful Scars is the ‘song’ “RABBIT DANCE” which is a traditional Haudenosaunee song, played on the drum and sung by Phil Davis who is an Indigenous collaborator. That first song beautifully establishes the Indigenous world of Tom Wilson played with mournful detail by Sheldon Elter. There is a melding of Wilson’s music and traditional Indigenous music and dance to give the sense of the two worlds that he inhabited, even though he didn’t know about the Indigenous world until his early 50s. Then he embraced his Indigenous identity fully.

The rock band acts as spirits and characters in Wilson’s life who waft in and out of the action. Kristi Hansen usually in black leather, and singing, also plays Tom’s mother Bunny wearing a prim wig and comfortable clothing. Brandon McGibbon gyrates and rocks to the music but then morphs into George, Tom’s blind, respectable father.

And there is a wonderful character of Bear (Jeremy Proulx) who shadows Tom everywhere—because he is a protective presence who was with him even in the bad times. This is not a trickster who is impish, but an imposing presence in black leather and a black top hat.  He is beautifully played by Jeremy Proulx; imposing, commanding and yet calm.  Tom Wilson is played with anger and a sense of heart-break by Sheldon Elter. He has a haunted look in his eyes for much of the play until Tom Wilson realizes his long lost identity.

The production is directed by Mary Francis Moore with respect and sensitivity. She has paid homage to the Indigenous tradition by giving her production a sense of ceremony. Jay Havens’ set looks like a collage almost in miniature of important items in Tom’s life: the Bridge commemorating the Mohawk Skywalkers who build such bridges; stars that look like ceremonial lanterns; flowers, a moon, buildings suggesting a big city—all served the whole picture.   The production plays like an Indigenous ceremony full of tradition as well as a rousing rock and roll story.  The band and singers are rousing. Occasionally it was hard to make out the lyrics because the band drowned out the singers—always tricky to balance the sound.

Still, Beautiful Scars is a tribute to Tom Wilson who made a life for himself in the world of music and found his Indigenous roots and a sense of belonging in Hamilton, Ont. where he is revered.

Theatre Aquarius presents:

Plays until May 11, 2024.

Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes (1 intermission)

www.theatreaquarius.org

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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Live and in person at Theatre Orangeville, Orangeville, Ont. Playing until May 12, 2024.

www.theatreorangeville.ca

Written by Leslie McCurdy with Cassel Miles

Directed by David Nairn

Musical director, Nicholas Mustapha

Choreographer, Candace Jennings

Co-set designer, Beckie Morris and Lisa Lahue

Costumes by Alex Amini

Lighting by Chris Malkowski

Cast: Leslie McCurdy

Cassel Miles

Band: Matthew Leombruni-Bassist

Nicolas Mustapha-Piano

Matteo Romaniello-Drums

An important musical revue told with insight, sensitivity and joy.

The Darktown Stutters’ Ball is about identity in a way, finding it and embracing it especially with the challenges that come with it.

The show is billed as a ‘compelling new musical revue’ which chronicles the contribution and stories of Black artists in the 20^th century and how they paved the way for other Black artists to tell their stories and those of others. The Darktown Strutters’ Ball by Leslie McCurdy with Cassel Miles chronicles the contributions of Black artists to music, theatre etc.

Of course, the title is ‘borrowed’ from the song “At the Darktown Strutters Ball” that was written by Shelton Brooks, born May 4, 1886 – September 6, 1975. Shelton Brooks was a Canadian-born African American composer and performer of popular music and jazz.

He was known for his ragtime and vaudeville style, and wrote some of the biggest hits of the first third of the 20th century; including “Some of These Days” and “At the Darktown Strutters’ Ball“.  Brooks was born in Amherstburg, Ont. His father was a minister and Brooks taught himself music on their church’s pump organ. His family moved to Detroit in 1901. This is where Brooks first made his name in music and comedy.  Brooks sang, played piano, and performed on the vaudeville circuit (notably, as a Bert Williams imitator) as well as having a successful songwriting career. His first hit song was “Some of These Days” which became the signature song for Sophie Tucker. He had a radio show on CBS in the 1930s. Shelton Brooks had a huge career. Shelton Brooks’ song, The Darktown Strutters’ Ball  was the earliest jazz recording and it made Shelton Brooks the first superstar in the music business.

The show also notes the huge contribution of Florence Mills (who was the partner of Shelton Brooks until she died), Bert Williams, Bojangles Robinson, Billy Holiday with her devastating song, “Strange Fruit’, Josephine Baker who went to France because America was not hospitable, Nina Simone, Paul Robeson, Nat King Cole, Harry Belafonte, The Supremes, Gil Scott Heron, Sly and the Family Stone, James Brown, Bob Marley, Queen Latifah and ends with fittingly with Canadian Oscar Peterson.

The Darktown Strutters’ Ball is written by Leslie McCurdy, who had the idea, and she performs it with her great friend Cassel Miles. Both are Black.  Leslie McCurdy is a force of commitment and determination. She has done a one woman show on Harriet Tubman and one on various black women in Canadian history in her show, Things My Four-Sisters Saw.” I’ve seen Cassel Miles act in straight plays like Driving Miss Daisy and Spaciousness. He is a fastidious actor, paying attention to the smallest detail of his characters. Here he sings and dances as well.

Both Leslie McCurdy and Cassel Miles are training and they bring their considerable dancing, acting and singing training to create a fascinating show. Both friends work beautifully together, riffing off each other’s stories, adding to them or just being amazed at the information being offered on these notable talents in history.

Both performers had a trunk with props, costumes and other stuff. There was a rack of clothes from which to pick a costume to illuminate a character and his/her song. Both Leslie McCurdy and Cassel Miles were like kids in a candy story, dipping into the trunks with their many surprises and treasures.

One story was particularly harrowing. Bert Williams was a Black comedian and a member of the Ziegfield Follies in 1910. W.C. Fields called Bert Williams “the funniest man I ever saw, and the saddest.” Bert Williams was the first Black man to appear in the Follies and several members of the company went to Ziegfield and wanted Bert Williams fired because they didn’t want to perform on a stage with a Black man. Astonishing Ziegfield said that he could replace all the white performers but not Bert Williams. That settled the matter.

Interestingly, Bert Williams had to perform in Black face which was the norm when a white performer did a minstrel song. To illustrate this Cassel Miles carefully put on the black face over his own Black face and said, ‘can you imagine what that must have felt like for Bert Williams in a sense to hide his identity with this makeup?’ It was a sobering moment in a show full of them.

When you are documenting the contributions of Black performers in history, of course it’s serious, but there is also humour, tenacity, grit, bravery, and simple guts to perform. And these artists were celebrated and revered for their contribution.

Both Leslie McCurdy and Cassel Miles riff and dance together beautifully. They each brought information to the show that illuminated that time at the beginning of the 20^th century. Choreographer, Candace Jennings recreated the dances of that time and used the performer’s dancing versatility to great purpose. David Nairn directed this with sensitivity, never getting in the way of the narrative. There was nice interplay with the band who also brought their own contributions to the evening.

If I have a quibble it’s that at times the balance of the sound of the band drowned out the performers. While they wore head microphones occasionally it sounded as if one or both of the microphones was not on. It’s always so tricky to have a band that is microphoned accompanying performers who are supposedly microphoned, and sometimes the singers are drowned out and hearing the actual lyrics is a problem.

However, on the whole, I thought the commitment, scholarship, research and open-hearted generosity of the show was a revelation of the huge contribution Black artists made to the theatre, Broadway, comedy, music, songwriting and the civil rights movement.

The Darktown Stutters’ Ball is both entertaining and enlightening. I loved it and found it very moving.

Theatre Orangeville presents:

Plays until May 12.

Running time: 90 minutes (1 intermission)

www.theatreorangeville.ca

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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Live and in person at the Tarragon Theatre Extra Space, Toronto, Ont. Produced by Studio 180 Theatre in association with Tarragon Theatre. Runs until May 12, 2024.

www.studio180theatre.com

Written by James Fritz

Directed by Mark McGrinder

Set and costumes by Jackie Chau

Lighting by Logan Raju Cracknell

Sound by Lyon Smith

Cast: Tavaree Daniel-Simms

Sergio Di Zio

Megan Follows

Jadyn Nasato

Di (Megan Follows) and her husband David (Sergio Di Zio) are fretting. Their 17-year-old son Jack has been beaten up by the brother of his ex-girlfriend, Cara (Jadyn Nasato). There’s blood on his good shirt. It seems there’s a video of Jack and Cara having sex and some how it’s gotten onto the internet. It’s a mystery how such a thing got onto the internet, until it’s not a mystery at all.

Di wants to go to the police. David doesn’t want her to do that. He’s talked to Jack and David feels that the police don’t need to know. Di and David have big plans for Jack, who Di knows is an innocent in this situation. Both parents want Jack to go to a good university so they send him to private school. They never approved of Cara. They feel she’s lower class. She and her family true citizens of Scarborough, a tough suburb of Toronto. (British playwright James Fritz’s 2014 play was originally set in Croydon—a tough southern suburb of London, England).  

Di tries to reason with Cara who wants nothing to do with her or her son. She knows that no one would believe her. It seems the sex was not consensual, at least that’s what it appears on the video. At first David says he never saw it, then after waffling admits he has. He reluctantly tells Di that the video didn’t look like it was consensual sex.  Di notes with this reversal of the information from David, that she could usually tell when he was lying. Either she’s losing her touch or David is getting more adept at lying. Di also tries to find the truth from Nick (Tavaree Daniel-Simms), a friend of Jack’s. He wants nothing to do with Di or Jack. It seems Nick liked Cara first—he loves her—and when Nick introduced Cara to Jack, Jack made his move to become Cara’s boyfriend.

The mystery person is Jack, whom we never see, and it’s a mystery if Di ever talked to him about what happened. David seems to be running interference.

Four Minutes Twelve Seconds denotes the running time of the video that’s on the internet. Playwright James Fritz has a grand old time having his characters offering clues, information, mis-information and lies to each other and the audience, so that they are constantly trying to figure out where the truth is. One must consider the source of information. Is the person honest? Are they a liar? We know how to proceed or trust when we can ascertain where the truth is.

When Di says for a second time “I could always tell when you were lying” after David reveals yet another lie and it wasn’t because she ferreted out the truth, then we know what kind of moral bankrupt David is. That Jack videoed having what might not be consensual sex with his girlfriend and then discarded her, suggests he inherited his father’s lack of moral fiber.  We don’t know why Di has stayed with David if she needs to hone her lie-detecting-abilities.

Interestingly if we meet a consistent liar in life, we stop believing them. If we meet that person in a play we stop caring about them and those who are complicit. There is such a deliberate swirl of deceit in Four Minutes Twelve Seconds that the fun and frustration is seeing how often characters refuse to find the truth. “ASK JACK TOGETHER WHAT HAPPENED!!!” rather than trusting David with the information, you want to say to these hovering helicopter parents. “And, oh, yeah, CALL THE POLICE!”

The play is about the striving for class and social climbing by Di and David. Jackie Chau’s simple, stylish set and props suggest a family who think of quality labels and ritzy things. The clothes are tailored and rich looking. While the videoing of everything in one’s life is normal in this day and age, so is being devoid of scruples, conscience and character, at least in the case of Jack and his parents. While they look down on Cara and Nick as lower class, those two are the ones with character.

The cast is fine. As Di, Megan Follows is a committed, trusting mother whose son can do no wrong. She contends with a lying husband—who obviously has been doing this a lot in that shallow marriage—and puts up with it perhaps because David elevates her to another level of class. As David, Sergio Di Zio is boyish, easy-going and manipulates the situation with ease. He ties to keep the urgency down and not raise alarms. Jadyn Nasato as Cara is terrific. She puts on a tough front but is melting with the humiliation of it all. She is believed her by brother and father who take matters into their hands in the best way they know. Jadyn Nasato 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. He has respect for Di as an elder, but the situation with Jack makes him sick. It’s a lovely performance.

Director Mark McGrinder establishes the relationships between characters and the fine balance they all have to achieve so as not to tip the play one way or the other. It is interesting observing the play, rather than entering into the world of it, perhaps because the one character we want to see and hear from, we never do (Jack). I guess we get the full measure of Jack in just “four minutes and twelve seconds.” All we needed was to spend time with his parents to see where ‘he gets it from.’

Studio180theatre presents in association with Tarragon Theatre:

Runs until May 12 2024.

Running time: 90 minutes (no intermission)

www.studio180theatre.com

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Live and in person at the Factory Theatre, Studio Theatre, Toronto, Ont. Playing until May 19, 2024. Produced by Pleiades Theatre.

www.factorytheatre.ca

Written by Peter N. Bailey

Director and dramaturg, Ash Knight

Set by Anahita Dehbonehie

Costumes by Des’ree Gray

Lighting by Dave Degrow

Sound by Stephon Smith

Cast: Jamar Adams-Thompson

Kyle Brown

Bryan (Jamar Adams-Thompson and Tyson (Kyle Brown) are close friends, like brothers. They are out on the town because Bryan will be moving to Vancouver the next day with his wife Natalie and daughter Essie. As they go from a party to the bus stop to take them to a restaurant, they talk a lot. And there is a lot of animosity in their banter. Tyson is a raging volcano of anger. He has lost jobs because of it. Has never had a happy relationship because of it. He’s been in jail which fed his anger. What Bryan and Tyson seem to do for the whole evening is argue about slights, both real and perceived, that have affected Tyson. He challenges everything about Bryan. Bryan never visited him in prison and that really played heavily on Tyson. Bryan takes Tyson to a party knowing someone is there that Tyson doesn’t like. They argue about that. They talk about God, hope, love, opportunities, self-worthy and not said, but certainly obvious, is living as a Black man in Toronto or anywhere, and what they have to endure.

And while the dialogue whizzes through the air, there does not seem to be a play there to hang all this on. There is the back and forth of Tyson’s rage for the world, and Bryan’s efforts to laugh it off or show him that’s not true, but the larger picture is missing.

Why didn’t Bryan visit Tyson in prison? Bryan is giving up a dream to go to school to be a graphic artist to go to Vancouver—why? Why did Bryan not tell his wife about his acceptance into the graphic arts program? Tyson feels he has no self-worth. That should be explored in the context of those around him. There are so many unanswered questions that when answered could strengthen the work.

To be fair, this is Peter N. Bailey’s first play. He’s a trained actor and I’ve been lucky enough to have seen him in many plays, the most recent in The Real McCoy at the Blyth Festival. With Tyson’s Song Peter N. Bailey shows a real facility with bracing language that uses street talk, the slang of “the Islands,” punchy dialogue and smart thinking and logic. Both Bryan and Tyson are equally matched linguistically and argumentatively.

Anahita Dehbonehie has designed a spare production with a bench, a pole with a TTC sign on it designating a bus stop, and a curb. The production put things in perspective. As Bryan and Tyson wait for the bus and banter, they have a six-pack of beer that they drink. But every time a car comes by, they both nervously stand up, either from the bench or the curb, in case it might be the police or others looking for a fight. And once Bryan hid the bottle of beer in his hand, behind his back.

That fear reminded me of the 2018 American play Pass Over by Antoinette Nwandu a Black version of Waiting for Godot in which two men are waiting on the corner for a better life on the other side of the road. In the meantime, they are harassed and threatened by a white policeman who terrifies them. I got that sense of fear with Tyson’s Song. Unsaid but so obvious is how the system has failed Black men like Tyson at least.  He obviously needs help with anger management but never got it.He never got help or protection in prison.He never got help when he was out of prison.We are led to believe that Tyson only had Bryan, his wife and daughter as positive presences in his life.Was there an effort to get him help or urge him to get it?His isolation has taken its toll.

Tyson’s Song is directed with verve and energy by Ash Knight. It’s almost as if they are in a boxing match and they keep challenging and circling each other.

Both Jamar Adams-Thompson as Bryan and Kyle Brown as Tyson are terrific. Jamar Adams-Thompson plays Bryan with humour, a jokiness and ease. As Tyson, Kyle Brown is liked a tightly wound coil ready to snap. He is consumed with pent up rage and passed transgressions. It’s a dangerous and heart-breaking performance. The dialogue goes like the wind between these two gifted actors who never let up the pace or miss a beat. It’s terrifically bracing.

I hope that Peter N. Bailey gives the play another re-write, fleshing out the dialogue to develop into a play, because he has the beginnings of an intriguing, important work.   

Pleiades Theatre presents:

Plays until May 19, 2024.

Running time: 75 minutes (no intermission)

www.factorytheatre.ca

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