Lynn

Live and in person at the Coal Mine Theatre, 2076 Danforth Ave, Toronto, Ont. Plays until July 30, 2023.

www.coalminetheatre.com

Written by Lucy Prebble

Directed by Mitchell Cushman

Lighting, set, and props by Nick Blais

Costumes by Cindy Dzib

Projection design by Jack Considine

Sound and composition by James Smith

Cast: Aris Athanasopoulos

Leah Doz

Jordan Pettle

Aviva Armour-Ostroff

Described as “a clinical romance” between two volunteers in a pharmaceutical drugs trial. The play explores the physical effects of love, ethics of medical experiments, trust and truth.

The Story. Tristan Frey and Connie Hall are two strangers who meet when both volunteer for a five week pharmaceutical trial of an anti-depressant drug. One of the conditions of the trial is that they cannot be depressed. The trial is to see the effect of the drug on a healthy person. Conducting the trial is Dr. Lorna James. She is meticulous in her experiments and objective in her demeanor. She reports to Dr. Toby Sealey, who does not take part in the trials, but looks over the data. Over the course of the trial Tristan and Connie fall in love. There are physical effects. Is it the drug or emotions or both?

The Production. The audience sits on both sides of the playing area. There is a screen on the stage left and right side of the space on which will be projections and notes made. Designer Nick Blais has done triple duty designing the lighting, set and props. The chairs for this are particularly inventive in that they can be reconfigured into other set pieces quickly and efficiently.

Dr. Lorna James (Aviva Armour-Ostroff) asks Connie (Leah Doz) a list of questions about her health and if she has depression or is pregnant. As played by Aviva Armour-Ostroff, Dr. James is matter of fact, perhaps almost humourless because she is so focused on being meticulous with her questions and investigation. As Connie, Leah Doz is understated—perhaps too much so initially because it was hard to hear what she was saying. She got louder as the play went along, but audibility at the beginning is important too. Connie seemed guarded at first and created a mystery about the character.

Dr. James then interviews Tristan (Aris Athanasopoulos). He is engaging, funny, impish and has the confidence of a person who knows the drill—he’s done the trials before. Dr. James knows when he’s joking but still keeps a straight face and cool demeanor.

Tristan and Connie meet and are attracted to each other when they have to ‘prepare’ a urine sample. He is more engaging that she is. Again, Connie is guarded. But over time, her defenses come down. They bond. The dose of the drug is increased. Both Connie and Tristan are experiencing rapid heart-rate, increased temperature, anxiety, perhaps lightheadedness. Are these the effects of the drug, falling in love or both? Connie and Tristan get reckless. They want to be together, but the rules say no. Is this feeling the drug or passion for the other? Interesting questions for the experiment and the play. Then matters ramp up. It’s no spoiler alert that one of them is on a placebo. But which one of Tristan or Connie is it?

Dr. Toby Sealey (Jordan Pettle) is a smooth ‘operator’, and Dr. James’ boss in the trials. She does the leg work and he reviews the data and doesn’t really get involved with the nitty gritty of the process. But there is still a piece of information that comes in Act II that would be a spoiler alert. What Dr. Sealey wants is the glory of the results. He seems to be the darling of conferences, attending them often, getting involved in dalliances and moving on. He’s divorced but announces to Dr. James that he’s engaged. It seems that Dr. James was one of his conquests years before. There is history between them, and lingering hurt on her side.

Jordan Pettle as Dr. Sealey is that gifted charmer who can excuse anything under the name of science. His lackadaisical attitude towards the experiments and how they might affect people doesn’t interest him, as long as his reputation remains intact. He also knows how to ‘play’ and maneuver a person and that’s clear with regards to Dr. James. Again, Aviva Armour-Ostroff as Dr. James is a well of emotions that roil and overflow when her integrity and that of the experiments are in question. The acting to a person is excellent.

Mitchell Cushman directs this play with his usual depth of perception. There is an elegance and simplicity to Cushman’s direction. He realizes the complexity of the play with his clear direction of his cast and the production. He raises the bar on artistry and he takes his audience with him. Terrific all round.

Comment. Playwright Lucy Pebble has written successfully for theatre: The Sugar Syndrome (2004), ENRON (2009), The Effect (2012); andtelevision: Secret Diary of a Call Girl. Since 2018 she went to ‘the dark side’ and became a co-executive producer of the television series Succession. She has a keen eye and a sharp sense of observation and story. With The Effect particularly, she knows how to engage the audience in the story and twists the guts while doing it. Bracing.

The Coal Mine Theatre presents:

Plays until July 30, 2023.

Running Time: 2 hours 15 minutes, approx. (1 intermission)

www.coalminetheatre.com

Review: THE APPLE CART

by Lynn on July 18, 2023

Live and in person at the Shaw Festival, Jackie Maxwell Studio Thetare, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. Until Oct. 7, 2023.

www.shawfest.com

Written by Bernard Shaw.

Directed by Eda Holmes

Set and costumes by Judith Bowden

Lighting by Sophie Tang

Original music and sound by Ryan deSouza

Cast: Neil Barclay

Kristopher Bowman

Rais Clarke-Mendes

Sharry Flett

Sochi Fried

Martin Happer

Richard Lam

André Morin

Rebecca Northan

Tom Rooney

Travis Seetoo

Graeme Somerville

Kelly Wong

Bahareh Yaraghi

A stunningly acted and directed production of Bernard Shaw’s play that is as timely as tomorrow regarding politics, the monarchy, greed and corrupt government.

The Story. It’s “The Apple Cart” as in don’t tip over the apple cart and upset the status quo. Shaw wrote this in 1928, 10 years after the Great War where people thought they will not have to go through that again because it was the war to end all wars. What he is talking about in the play is worse.

It’s about how big business inveigles itself into government to take control of things. It’s about graft. Corruption. Greed. And the compliance of politicians to go along with it. That sounds vaguely familiar? But added to that is the monarchy, in this case King Magnus.

According to constitutional law, the Monarch cannot voice an opinion to the Prime Minister—in this case, Joe Proteus, the PM. The Monarch is not to have an opinion, but is to be advised of what is going on in Parliament by the Prime Minister. The Monarch can hint, subtly suggest, but can’t actually give an opinion. However King Magnus is wily. He makes speeches that do express his opinions. Prime Minister Proteus wants him to stop and even to promise he will stop or the whole of cabinet ministers will resign. This is a parliamentary crisis. To make matters worse, most of those in the cabinet are beholding to big business, namely a company named Breakages, and see nothing wrong with it. In a sense there will be no opposition in parliament. The PM wants the King’s assurance he will do as they say, or he will throw the country into chaos. The King asks for time to make his decision. Five pm that day. The Prime Minister agrees—of course he would have to not to appear as a bully, which he is. And then at the last moment, a new twist appears in the plot, provided by the American representative, which makes the King do a shift in his thinking.

Bernard Shaw is so impish and cheeky. Note the company’s name that has trapped the government: Breakages. The names he’s given to the characters are either from the bible or Greek Mythology. Magnus means “the greatest”.

The Production. It’s terrific. It’s directed by Eda Holmes with great style and intelligence. She illuminates the nuance and subtlety of an argument by giving it a measured attention, time to evolve.

Designer Judith Bowden has created a stark yet elegant white set: floor, furnishings, props. The costumes for the members of parliament are conservative (no pun intended, well, perhaps a bit), tailored and black. The newest member of parliament is Mr. Boanerges (Martin Happer) the leader of the trade union. He first shows up in his well-worn work clothes to meet King Magnus (Tom Rooney). When he sits in a chair he seems to envelope it in his largeness. Martin Happer as Boanerges sits with his legs spread, as a man wanting to make a powerful point might do.

When we next see Mr. Boanerges, he is dressed in a tailored dark suit, bowler hat and new shoes which make Mr. Boanerges limp. The shoes are not yet broken in. I loved that touch of business by Martin Happer—the limp. He plays Boanerges as a gruff, straight-talking man who thinks he’s honest, smart and perceptive. Boanerges is defined as a fiery preacher with a powerful voice and that’s how he’s played.

Boanerges is really no match for King Magnus but Magnus, as played by Tom Rooney, is so smooth, accomplished in dealing with all sorts of personalities, he does not make a fool of Boanerges.

In Tom Rooney as King Magnus, we see both the measure of a wonderfully accomplished actor and a playwright who so knows the world in which he writes that he draws in the audience. King Magnus wears a beautifully tailored crème coloured summer suit and tie. The shoes are polished. He is beautifully well-mannered, self-deprecating in order to put his guest at ease, a keen listener and very astute. Magnus can parse out an argument but never plays the game of one-upmanship until and unless it is life or death. There are no histrionics. Just calm weaving of an argument or challenging the opponent but with respect and care for the person with whom to convers.

As King Magnus, Tom Rooney is definition of a smart, diplomatic King. He greets Boanerges with dignity and respect. We see the nuance and subtleties of the arguments of the King. And when King Magnus is talking to the Prime Minister—an equally wily character, played with arrogance and cunning by Graeme Somerville—then you think you are watching two equals.

It’s delicious seeing how the King out maneuvers Prime Minister Joe Proteus (Graeme Somerville). There are small scenes with King Magnus and his mistress Orinthia, played with self-confidence and arrogance by Sochi Fried and his Queen, Jemima played with sophistication and grace by Bahareh Yaraghi. Each scene shows Magnus in a different intellectual light as well as the women in his life and how smart they are.

There are two women who are members of Parliament. Lysistrata (Sharry Flett) and Amanda (Rebecca Northan). As Lysistrata, Sharry Flett is matter of fact, commanding and frustrated by the ‘old boys’ of politics. As Amanda, Rebecca Northan has an irreverence that makes light of the ‘old boys.’ They hate that. Lysistrata and Amanda support the King in their way—and they too have brains that are formidable, but of course the ‘old boys’ of Parliament dismiss them.

How Shaw maneuvers the arguments of all the players, and even creates the world of them, that are so forward thinking even in our world, is remarkable. Shaw is intellectual, smart, philosophical, wordy, pompous, erudite and funny. But in The Apple Cart he’s talking about the world. The first act is entitled: THE FUTURE. Remember he wrote this in 1928, before Facebook could influence elections, Google and Twitter could manipulate facts, big business polluters and drug companies could get away with poisoning the air and people.

Shaw’s philosophy is fascinating and he can speak eloquently through the mouth of a King, a slippery Prime Minister, the newest member of parliament and smart women.

Comment. I think The Apple Cart is a fine example of Bernard Shaw and the Shaw Festival at their best.

The Shaw Festival presents:

Running until Oct. 7, 2023.

Running time: 2 hours, 50 minutes (1 intermission)

www.shawfest.com

Review: HADESTOWN

by Lynn on July 17, 2023

Live and in person at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto, Ont. Playing until August. 20, 2023.

www.mirvish.com

Music, lyrics and book by Anaȉs Mitchell

Directed by Rachel Chavkin

Choreography by David Neumann

Scenic design by Rachel Hauck

Costumes by Michael Krass

Lighting by Bradley King

Co-sound design by Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz

Arrangements and orchestrations, Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose

Cast: Nathan Lee Graham

Dominique Kempf

Belén Moyano

Maria-Christina Oliveras

Matthew Patrick Quinn

J. Antonio Rodriguez

Nyla Watson

Hannah Whitley

A mashup of two Greek myths about tenacity, faith, loyalty, longing, hope and love.

First some background. Hadestown is based on the 2010 concept album of Anaȉs Mitchell who then expanded it into the musical for which she wrote the music, lyrics and book.It was performed first off-Broadway, then at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton, then in London, England at the National Theatre and then Broadway in 2019.It won eight Tony awards including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Director.

The Story and production. Hermes (Nathan Lee Graham) is our narrator and introduces the characters. Eurydice (Hannah Whitley) is waif-like, poor, hungry and cold. Orpheus (J. Antonio Rodriguez) is a simple man, a musician, poet and intensely optimistic, almost innocently so. He sees Eurydice and falls in love with her and wants to marry her. He says he’s working on a perfect song that will bring spring again and prosperity.

Meanwhile in Hadestown….the underworld, we have Hades (Matthew Patrick Quinn), the King of the Underworld and his wife Persephone (Maria-Christina Oliveras). While visiting the above world Hades saw Persephone picking flowers and fell in love with her and wanted her to come live with him in the underworld. She agreed but said that she needed to live in the above world as well. It was decided she would spend six months in the above world where she would bring spring, vegetation and plenty, and six months in the underworld with Hades, where it would be winter in the above world.

Persephone was getting ready to go to the above world—she had her bright colours on, her handbag with stickers of fruit and flowers–and was on her way. It was party-time when she arrived in the above world and they sang and danced at her arrival because now it meant it would be spring, and warm and plentiful.

But after a short time Hades came and got her—before the six months were up…He says “I missed ya.” As Hades, Matthew Patrick Quinn is imposing in his beautifully tailored suit, vest, tie and what looks like snake-skin shoes. Everything about him, from his bass voice to his grey streaked hair and beard, oozes power. He talks slowly and deliberately and it all defines ‘formidable.’

So Hades brought Persephone back to Hadestown and the place was changed. First of all, it was hot down there, because Hades had created a factory that made stuff, with a workforce that worked 24/7. And it was blazing bright down there too….with the electricity needed to build this industry. Hades said he was building walls to keep poverty out. He also had a workforce that was numbed and blank-eyed. Hades saw to that. The spirit had been ground out of the people he now used as slaves.

As for Orpheus and Eurydice they fall in love and it’s fine as long as it’s spring and summer. Eurydice is intrigued by the underworld, and certainly with the charismatic Hades. But when Persephone leaves it becomes winter again, and food is scarce and so is warmth. Hades and Persephone argue about the industry of the factory and Hades leaves to find another person who would look up to him. That turns out to be Eurydice. She follows Hades to the underworld on the promise of warmth and food. But she is sucked into the world of work and possibly some other kind of relationship with Hades.

Orpheus finishes his song and goes to get Eurydice back. Hades won’t let her go. Orpheus sings his song to Hades which is about Hades and Persephone and how they did love each other once. Hades is moved by the song and let’s Orpheus and Eurydice go. But there is a condition. Orpheus has to lead the way and Eurydice has to follow. If Orpheus turns around to see if she is there, he would lose her forever. Orpheus thought this was a trick. As Hermes said, ‘It’s not a trick it’s a test. We know what happens: doubt, uncertainty,

I love the piece. I love the smart story-telling of Anaȉs Mitchell to blend the mythic world with the modern world. Her music is beautiful, ethereal, otherworldly and her lyrics are sublime.

The director Rachel Chavkin’s productions are very physical and Hadestown is no different. Not only is there a swirl of activity with her cast but the band is front and center on stage and they are incorporated into the action. Emily Fredrickson on trombone is particularly lively.

Rachel Chavkin keeps the action focused and never confusing. She has a keen eye for the dramatic image and Hadestown is full of them. The beaten-down workforce are bent over with the drudge work as they form a circle of soul-less souls in David Neumann’s choreography. Characters appear and disappear in a section of the set in which two heavy walls rise up and lower down encasing them in or letting them out. Hades stands at a high perch overlooking his domain.

Hadestown has one foot in the mythic world and one in the modern world. I love that nonchalant introduction to industry that uses people as slaves for want of a better word—working long hours with no relief. These workers had their hopes and dreams dashed out of them for the sake of commercialization and corporate greed. Hades said he was building walls to keep poverty out….sure while building his own fortune…he had no use for spring, summer or flowers as long as he could make money and build an empire. The show melds myth with loyalty, devotion, trust and the power of love.

Again because of Rachel Chavkin’s vision there is a terrific elegance to the piece: Hermes and Hades are mesmerizing in their form-fitted suits suggesting style, power and confidence.

And while I loved the piece as a whole some of the performances made my eyebrows knit. Some of the cast do what I call semaphore acting—arms waving broadly to over-emphasize a point, big actions. I wanted to tell Nathan Lee Graham as Hermes, to stop flapping your lapels to make a point. You won us over when you strutted on. Stop working that hard to get our attention. Tone it down and let the audience come to you.

Maria-Christina Oliveras is a fine Persephone—strong voice and expressive. But again, big movements. You have the audience already. Again, tone it down.

Hannah Whitley as Eurydice has a wonderful waif-like look, a strong voice but an absolute aversion to consonants. I almost never heard one in her lyrics fully and properly because she did not say them crisply. The result were songs full of a blur of slurred words. The lyrics are important, ‘snap’ those consonants please.

As Orpheus J. Antonio Rodriguez is wonderful, sweet-voiced and engaging. He conveys that innocence effortlessly and he certainly illuminates Orpheus’ uncertainty at the end—“Is Eurydice following behind me?” Loved that heightened emotion. As Hades, Matthew Patrick Quinn is terrific. He is an imposing presence on that stage. That and his bass voice just grabs you.

The Fates: Dominique Kempf, Belén Moyano and Nyla Watson are sassy, irreverent and are both individual in their assessment of a situation and cohesive in their performances. Wonderful work.

So I liked it as a whole, but some parts knitted my eyebrows.

Presented by Mirvish Productions:

Runs until August 20, 2023.

Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes (1 intermission)

www.mirvish.com

More Fringe: FRANKENSTEIN(esque), Of a Blank Canvas (or the distance between the bridge and the water), Maggie Chun’s First Love and Last Wedding.

by Lynn on July 13, 2023

More FRINGE: Frankenstein(esque), Of A Blank Canvas (or, the distance between the bridge and the water).

Frankenstein(esque)

Adapted for the stage by Scott Garland with the company

Based on the classic Mary Shelley novel

Directed by Nicole Wilson

Cast: Stephanie Crothers

John Daniel

Michelle Gram

Julian Murphy

Graeme Black Robinson

What is life? What is creation? What is a creature? What is art? These are some of the questions this bracing, funny, thoughtful play asks.

A man and a woman wait impatiently at a clinic/hospital. They don’t know each other. His wife is having a baby. The woman is trying to get pregnant and she has come for fertility trials. Comments about the creation of life are made: bits of one, bits from the other; DNA and an egg, DNA and a bit of sperm, combine to create life.

Later the cast of five black-clad-barefoot-whitepaint-faced performers talk about creation as well in relation to Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein.” They note that Frankenstein is the name of the scientist who created the ‘monster.’ They use that incorrect word once I believe. The creation is in fact ‘the creature.’

Rather than raid cemeteries and morgues for the bits and pieces needed to create the creature, Graeme Black Robinson, the chief puppeteer of the group and created a six-foot puppet of ‘the creature’ using various kinds of malleable materials, rope and a lot of co-ordination with his other puppeteers. The face/head of the creature is a narrow but solid piece of wood with a handle at the back for easy manipulation. The arms and legs are hinged and attached to the ‘fanned’ body with ropes. The middle of the body looks like ‘an accordion’ formation. Manipulated a certain way to the accompaniment of breathing in and out, the creature looks like it’s breathing. All the puppeteers do their magic.

Graeme Black Robinson laments that he is not able to see his 10-month-old son as often as he wants because he’s so busy with work. His colleagues lament that they are not used equitably in the creation process. A man named John comes in for some pretty pointed criticism from Graeme, until he stands up to him.

The creature is majestic. Truly. The coordinated manipulation of the various arms, legs and head of the creature makes us think we are looking at a living, breathing life. The artistry of the five puppeteers is as impressive as the creature itself. Apropos of nothing, I found it fascinating that all five puppeteers had shiny auburn hair.

The idea of the difficulty to create life is an interesting one and thought that should have been developed instead of just dropped after it was introduced in the first scene. Still the connection of Mary Shelley’s creature and the puppet created by these five gifted people is a terrific idea.

Continues at the Fringe: July 13, 14, 16.

At Tarragon Extra Space

Of a Blank Canvas (or the distance between the bridge and the water)

Written by Michael Manning

Directed by Jeannette Lambermond-Morey

Sound by Parker Merlihan

Lighting by Gavin McDonald

Cast: Sarah Schmidt-McQuillan

Micaela Morley

Misha Sharivker

Character One is a frustrated artist (Sarah Schmidt-McQuillan) who tries repeatedly to draw the perfect circle in chalk. The result is not perfect in her opinion, so she rubs it out and tries again. And fails again. And tries again.

Character One (Sarah Schmidt-McQuillan) and Character Two (Micaela Morey) profess love for each other. But Character Three (Misha Sharivker) also loves Character One and the love is not returned.

Playwright Michael Manning writes about emotional and mental fragility, identity, self-worth, love, requited and unrequited, frustration and continuing on. His programme note regarding his play is a raw declaration of all the ways he is broken. Rather than a turn-off, it’s an invitation into this fragile, emotional world so see how his searching characters discover who they are and how they continue in the face of difficulty.

There is a wonderful image of two mountains (Sarah Schmidt-McQuillan and Micaela Morey) that started separately then grew close and seemed to intertwine over time and then with a thwack cracked in two. It’s an image that illuminates intense love and then separation. In another vivid image, Misha Sharivker is a twitchy, graceful pigeon, approaching people and then walking away. Sharivker carries a fanned assortment of stamped envelopes in each hand placed behind him, creating the sense of the wings of the pigeon, head twitching forward and back. The work of this cast of three, under the watchful, sensitive eye of their director Jeannette Lambermont-Morey, is inventive, brave and eye-popping creative. I want to see their work again. And I will definitely look out for the future work of Michael Manning. Challenging, evocative stuff.

Continues at the Fringe July 13, 15, 16.

At Tarragon Theatre, Mainspace

Maggie Chun’s First Love and Last Wedding

Written by Helen Ho

Directed by Julia Eddie Pape

Set by Barbara Athanasoulas

Props and costumes by Jen Dufton and Aiyana Harvey

Lighting and sound by Helen Ho, Colin Wasik and Davide Sallese.

Cast: Katerina Hatzinakos

Isaac Kuk

Ethan Magnus

Hannah Mair

Keira Madison Mallory

Julia Rapai

Barb Scheffler

Jobina Sitoh

From the programme: “After committing to spending the rest of her life in the small town of Windser, Ont. (yes, with an E) the arrival of Maggie Chun’s (Jobina Sitoh) middle school crush on her wedding day, forces her into an abrupt awakening.”

Maggie is marrying Rob (Isaac Kuk) her pal from middle school and up; a man who needs to remind himself that ‘he’s the man’ and has the stuff for business. While Rob is marrying Maggie, and all he wants is to make her happy, Rob is very close with his best friend Jules (Katerina Hatzinakos), the wedding planner. Maggie’s crush is Charlie (Julia Rapai) and her feelings for Charlie are inflamed again when Maggie sees Charlie at the hotel.

There’s a lot of philosophizing about finding one’s own true love and how you know you’ve found them—apparently a propensity for throwing up is a good sign.

The play is about 80 minutes long. It should be a tight 60 minutes. Another go round is in order to make this play fly rather than having it lag in a lot of dialogue that does not move the story or the play forward. Robs mother is now a ‘sister’ (in a church); please explain why. The whole final scene after the revelation in the church should be re-examined. Cut anything that does not move the play forward, and quickly move the conclusion up. The play talks about truths. It should do it a bit more efficiently.

Jobena Sitoh is a sweet and gently confident Maggie. You do want her to be happy, especially with the person with who she is meant to live for the rest of her life.

Continues at the Fringe, July 14, 15, 16. At the Factory Theatre Mainspace.

www.fringetheatre.com

Reviews: DANCER, OUR LITTLE SECRET and DEAD END

by Lynn on July 12, 2023

More from the Toronto Fringe: Dancer, Our Little Secret, Dead End.

Dancer

Book and lyrics by Jim Betts

Music by Marek Norman

Music director, Mark Camilleri

Director/choreographer, Stacey Tookey

Set and costumes by JB Nelles

Lighting by Alia Stephen

Lighting by Wayne Deering

Cast: Barbara Barsky

Louise Camilleri

Mark Cassius

Jonathan Cullen

Gene Gabriel

Sterling Jarvis

Daniel Kash

Laura Larson

Emily Masurkevitch

Lucas Popowich

Sam Rosenthal

Keanu Uchida

The Band:

Mark Camillieri-keyboards

Sharon Prater-cello

Tony Zorzi-guitar

Steve Heathcote-drums.

Dancer is a musical about a horse, and not just any horse—Northern Dancer, the most celebrated horse in Canadian horseracing history. Jim Betts has written a bracing, poignant book about a misfit of a horse. Northern Dancer was small as race horses go, head strong, often unmanageable, some thought untrainable, but he could run. And he won. He was owned by E.P. Taylor, a Canadian businessman and breeder of horses. Northern Dancer was the particular favourite of Winnifred, Mrs. Taylor.

Marek Norman has composed a score of 21 songs that cover the various milestones and people in the horse’s life in 10 furlongs; being passed over at the annual yearling sale, hating it when he is whipped, the various races that added to his reputation, the blinkered arrogance of The Grand Señor, Northern Dancer’s trainer, and the loving care of Bill Brevard his groom. The songs are melodic, move the plot forward and develop character.

Northern Dancer is ‘played’ or rather danced by the wondrous Keanu Uchida. He is agile, combative, frisky and even impish. A chorus of dancers ‘play’ the horses in various styles of gracefulness. Their gracefulness is in wonderful contrast to an almost ungainliness in Northern Dancer. But what he lacked in elegance, he made up for in running like the wind with an almost seething determination to win.

The production is directed and choreographed by Stacey Tookey. Her creation of the various races and how Northern Dancer factors into the pack and then breaks away, is artful. Stacey Tookey has given Northern Dancer a sense of humour, a horsey guttural sound to emphasize a moment of triumph, a breath out to flick the hair—it all adds to this horse as outsider but with a strong sense of himself. As Northern Dancer endures injury because The Grand Señor’s arrogance does not allow him to listen to Bill Brevard and tend to his injured hoof; as he is then looked at by a doctor who is too arrogant and frivolous for words; he endures many and various difficulties. The result is a piece that is loaded with theatricality and drama.

Jim Betts has tried to comment on other aspects of what was going on at the time (mid-60s) with less success. Mrs. Taylor longs for a time when women will come into their own and be respected for themselves, not just for whom they married. Bill Brevard had difficulties with racism because he was a Black man. In the States he could not stay in some hotels, or be tended to any hospital when he was injured. But these moments seem tacked on. If the show has a further life, and I hope it does, these moments need to be incorporated more fully and fleshed out.

The sound with musicals continues to be maddening. Even with the largish Harold Green Theatre where the acoustics are not brilliant, there is no excuse for the sloppy sound. Does the band really have to be as amplified as the singers, in which everybody is banging their instruments to be heard or overpower the singers. I was sitting at the back as far away from the four person band as possible, and hearing the lyrics was a struggle because they were drowned out with all that amplification. The problem must be solved. Really, does every instrument need to be amplified? Can’t there be a central microphone for the band’s use, an the level of the sound be low? Is that not possible?

I found it bizarre that this huge musical was playing at the Fringe, but stranger things have happened. I know the creators are hoping for another Drowsy Chaperone or Come From Away. Fix the sound. Tighten the book. Perhaps rework some songs to make the show tighter. I would love to see this one again, in another iteration.

Dancer continues at the Toronto Fringe Festival July 12, 15, 16.

Running time: 90 minutes.

Our Little Secret

Written and performed by Noam Tomaschoff

Composed by Ryan Peters

Directed by Rose Bochner

Arranged by Ben Deverett

Noam Tomaschoff decided to do a DNA test with 23 And Me, because a friend suggested it and besides the offer was on sale. When his Jewish parents (his father is Israeli) heard this they thought they better come clean with the family’s little secret. So when Noam Tomaschoff was at the family cottage one weekend his parents sat him down and told him that the person he thought was his biological father, wasn’t. While his parents tried to have children, and went to all sorts of doctors, the reality is that his father was low in sperm. His parents had to depend on a sperm donor in order to have children. Noam Tomashoff’s ‘father’ was an anonymous sperm donor.

This revelation set off a whole host of emotions and questions for Noam Tomaschoff. Who was he really if 50% of him was not who he thinks he was? What really is a man? How did his father really deal with this situation? Tomaschoff says that although he knew his father for 30 years, his father was really a mystery to him. They did not get along. This revelation of a sperm donor being his ‘real’ father threw Tomaschoff for a loop. So to explore these many and various emotions, he went ahead with the 23 And Me enquiry and wrote a musical about the whole experience.

It turns out Tomaschoff’s sperm father was a pilot who left his own family to fly the world, and presumably share his sperm as a donor. Tomaschoff discovers that he has 35 half-siblings, that he knows about. His donor father gave the gift that keeps on giving. There is no Jewish blood in Tomaschoff!!! Irish, Italian, but no Jewish.

There is no song list with the program, which would have been helpful. Just to say they are plentiful and dense with emotion, philosophical musings, existential ponderings and psychological delvings with a song about the joys of drinking with your ‘brother’. Tomaschoff has several songs devoted to his father (I use that word in the sense that this is the man that Tomaschoff considers his father—the man who was there for him for 30 years, ill-temper notwithstanding.) He imagines his father’s embarrassment when he realized he did not have enough sperm to make a baby with his wife. He imagines what people would say about such an embarrassment. He conjures all sorts of reactions. He wrote a song about his father when in fact he took the news well and develops that thought too. It’s interesting he wrote songs that delved deeply into the psyche of a man he says he didn’t know well. Hmm.

Tomaschoff’s lyrics are so complex, clever, esoteric and dense they overwhelm the whole narrative. It’s as if he wants to top himself with each song, leaving the audience trying to keep up listening and ending up exhausted by the cleverness.

There seems to be a piano/drum? recorded accompaniment. It’s so loud that it often drowns out Tomaschoff as he sings. Either cut the amplification in half or cut it completely. Over amplification seems to be a problem with many musicals these days.

While the show starts with sobering news about his parentage, Tomaschoff seems to have come through it finding the humour in the whole thing, especially finding a drinking-buddy-brother.

There are pictures at the end of his family and new-found siblings. Moving.

Continues at the Toronto Fringe July 12, 13 15.

Running time: 60 minutes.

Dead End

Written by Michael Posner

Directed by Briane Nasimok

Composed by Ari Posner

Cast: Cara Hunter

Julian Ford

Chris Gibbs

Michael Posner’s tightly written mystery has more breath-taking twists and turns than a car chase on narrow roads in the high mountains of a James Bond movie.

Reg Lawson is a real estate agent trying to sell a once grand house in the English countryside to a couple, Lil and Kevin. Reg is gracious and accommodating. Lil is a nice woman and Kevin, her husband, is a bit of an impatient lout. Reg is trying to keep things together. His wife Evy has disappeared the week before and he’s worried to say the least.

The banter in Michael Posner’s play is easy and seems like so much small talk. But we are wise to the fact that things may not be what they seem. Then Posner raises the stakes. Just when you think that the key to the mystery of what happened to Evy rests in one direction, Posner pulls the rug out and sets us in another direction. When we think we have it figured out, the play goes in another direction, and it’s not arbitrary for the sake of confusion. It’s carefully planned, plotted and detailed.

Briane Nasimok has directed the play with little hints that things are not as they seem. Have Lil and Kevin been in that house before? It’s possible that they are just curious about exploring when they go off looking for the washroom; or perhaps they know because they have been there before? Both are possible. One is alerted to their confidence. I am not giving anything away. One is alerted to question everything. And when one does, Posner adds another twist.

The cast is dandy. Julian Ford as Lawson is eminently even-tempered and polite. He is self-effacing and just wants to sell the house, and of course to find his wife. Cara Hunter as Lil is a peace-keeper between the emotional Reg and the world. Lil is an easy-going woman who can ‘handle’ Kevin. As Kevin, Chris Gibbs, is intimidating, controlling, combative and impatient. You know you have him figured out, and of course you don’t.

There are gunshots. But is there a murder? Dead End is worth a visit to find out.

Continues at the Toronto Fringe July 12, 14, 16.

Running time: 60 minutes.

Review: THE TILCO STRIKE

by Lynn on July 11, 2023

Live and in person at 4^th Line Theatre, Millbrook, Ont. Until July 22.

www.4thlinetheatre.on.ca

Written by D’Archy Jenish

Directed by Cynthia Ashperger

Musical direction by Justin Hiscox

Set by Esther Vincent

Costumes by Korin Cormier

Cast: Austin Anonsen

Cailleach Beaton

Skye Beaton

Rebecca Birrell

Katherine Cappellacci

Gillian Coons

Michael Field

Sierra Gibb-Khan

Matt Gilbert

Jason Gray

Justin Hiscox

Laurin Isiekwena

M. John Kennedy

Darius Maliha-Evans

Sarah McNeilly

Kelsey Powell

Nathan Simpson

Peter Spasov

Renate Spasov

Carmel Warman

Hilary Wear

Lindsay Wilson

Ellyse Wolter

Musicians: Austin Anonsen

Michael Field

Justin Hiscox

Mark Hiscox

Kelsey Powell

Lindsay Wilson

A play about resilience in the face of greed. How a group of poorly paid women stood up to the owner of the Tilco Plastics Co. in Peterborough for a fair wage.

The Story. It’s 1965 in Peterborough. Bud Clarke comes to the area representing the Textile Workers Union of America to urge the women who work for the Tilco Plastics Co. to join his union. He doesn’t feel the women are getting reasonable pay for their work from the company. The work is drudgery. They have to produce a certain number of combs per hour, check them for quality control and keep the line moving quickly under the focused gaze of their supervisor. The supervisor reports every transgression to Harold “Dutch” Pammett, the owner of the Tilco Plastics Company.

Bud Clarke awakens the women to the need they have for a better wage and the way to do it is to join the union. Pammett is stubborn and won’t budge. The women are urged to strike. That sets things in action for a rocky journey to change.

The Production. Director Cynthia Ashperger negotiates her large cast around the huge space of the Winslow Farm barn yard and environs, with a delicate hand. I was particularly aware that she focused many scenes to the far side of the space for those patrons sitting there to enjoy, rather than keeping the action only ‘center-stage.’ The suggestion of the conveyor belt at the factory in which combs flow down, are checked and boxed is particularly adept.

D’Arcy Jenish’s script is dense and detailed with information on what lead the small band of hardworking women at the factory to consider Bud Clarke’s request, that they form a union under the Textile Workers Union of America. Matt Gilbert plays Bud Clarke with quiet brashness. He is determined but not loud and pushy when urging the women to join. He uses facts, figures, reason and common sense. And he can deal with the brashness of Pammett with equal meansure.

While Harold “Dutch” Pammett, as played by M. John Kennedy is a stubborn almost unreasonable man, he does offer his own reasons for not giving in. Again, playwright D’Arcy Jenish brings out the humanity in this situation to soften the stubbornness by having Donald Harwood (a committed Jason Gray) offer a voice of reason. Harwood has crunched the numbers and feels they can give into demands for a higher hourly wage for the women in the factory. While occasionally it appears like a ‘good cop, bad cop’ situation between Harwood and Pammett, Pammett is not above being conniving and pushing his agenda through when he feels he is being ‘played’.

D’Arcy Jenish has illuminated how women were treated in 1965: ignored, treated with disdain and thought to be lesser in the work place than men. It was a time when it was acceptable to bring in strike busters to do the work while there was a strike on. It was a time when even the government was not keen on legislation that would regulate strikes or conditions in the work place. If anything, what happened at the Tilco Strike paved the way for future governments to step up and regulate fair dealings with strikes and a fair wage for women. Leading the women in the strike was Lil Downer, played with conviction by Katherine Cappellacci. Initially Lil was reluctant, but as she saw clearly how the situation was, she stepped up and was all in for the cause.

I can appreciate that it’s tempting to depict a character like a stereotype but the role of Gladys, Harold Pammett’s buxom blonde secretary gave me sad pause. True, Rebecca Birrell plays Gladys with conviction as a chirpy-voiced, bouncy-bosomed woman, in a form-fitting dress, with an exaggerated flouncy walk, but having Musical Director Justin Hiscox add a clomping percussive sound to accentuate the bounce is unnecessarily tasteless. And there might have been a suggestion of subtext as well. When Gladys was getting ready to go home from work, she put on a coat that looked like mink. Were does a secretary get that kind of coat? Are we to assume there is a relationship that is other than business with her boss? Odd. Not developed. Troubling.

Comment. On the whole, as in all 4th Line Theatre productions the cast is a mix of a few ‘professional’ actors, many stalwarts from the surrounding community and emerging young talent, all working cohesively to produce a wonderful production, like The Tilco Strike.

4^th Line Theatre presents:

Plays until July 22.

Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes (1 intermission)

www.4thlinetheatre.on.ca

More from the FRINGE: THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN HEART and FERTILITY SLIPPERS

by Lynn on July 10, 2023

Review: ONE NIGHT ONLY

by Lynn on July 8, 2023

From the Toronto Fringe: Live and in person at Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace:

www.fringetoronto.ca

Written and performed by Nicholas Eddie

Directed by Sepehr Reybod.

Music and sound by Nicholas Eddie

Our gangly and over-sweatered hero has a dilemma. The RCMP are coming to his house tomorrow morning at 9 am to retrieve his late father’s handgun because the license for it is years out of date. Our hero can either turn it in or lie and say he couldn’t find it and thus keep it for himself. He seems to lean towards the latter with cause. He muses on so many things that are wrong with the world: the phoniness of land acknowledgements, the frantic pace of life as exemplified in his “healthy stew”, how depending on cell phones is addictive, racists, the fear of getting old, how AI could get the vote and where would we be (hmmmmm), loneliness. But there is always hope and the celebration of life.

Nicholas Eddie is a tsunami of energy. He charges around the stage pursuing ideas, demons and inspiration. He does pushups, a perfect downward dog and an excellent pigeon pose. He takes the audience on a sweat inducing workout without their needing to get up and be breathless, except for laughing. His riff on the woes of the world is both funny and moving. His perceptions about that world are deeply felt. He gives voice to many thoughts/feelings the audience must have all felt at one point or the other. Nicholas Eddie is both charming and quick-witted. He replies to a comment or two from the audience with a smart replay, but never smart-assed.

Well worth a visit to see the show. Hurry. My performance was sold out.

Continues at the Fringe, Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace on: July 9, July 11, July 12, July 13, July 14, July 15.

www.fringetoronto.ca

COMMENT: The volunteers to a person at the Fringe are cheerful, helpful and accommodating. I love that every show I’ve seen starts bang on time. There is a no-late admission policy at the Fringe. How then to explain why two people were allowed in five minutes late to ONE NIGHT ONLY? They disrupted a quiet, poignant moment. Nicholas Eddie was gracious. Classy.

Stick to the no late admission please, out of respect for the artist and all the people who managed to be there on time.

Review: STICKS AND STONES

by Lynn on July 7, 2023

www.blythfestival.com

Live and in person at the Blyth Festival, Blyth, Ont. Playing until September 1, 2023.

www.blythfestival.com

Adapted by Gil Garratt

Original writer, James Reaney

Directed by Gil Garratt

Set and lighting by Beth Kates

Costumes by Jennifer Triemstra-Johnston

Sound by Lyon Smith

Cast: Geoffrey Armour

Masae Day

Paul Dunn

Randy Hughson

Rachel Jones

Cameron Laurie

Steven McCarthy

Hallie Seline

James Dallas Smith

Mark Uhre

A herculean effort by Gil Garratt to bring this sprawling, gripping tale of the Donnelly family to the stage in three parts. Sticks and Stones the first of the trilogy, is a fluid, compelling production.

NOTE: The story of the Donnelly family is told in three parts over the course of the summer on the wonderful Harvest Stage: Sticks and Stones, St. Nicholas Hotel and Handcuffs.

The Story of Sticks and Stones. This first part of the trilogy of the Donnelly family establishes who they were; why they came to Canada and the difficulties they had along the way.

James Donnelly and Johannah Magee met and married in Tipperary, Ireland. They were both Catholics. Because James Donnelly refused to join a secret catholic sect, he was given grief by those who wanted him to join. To escape this kind of persecution, James, Johannah and their first born, James Jr. sailed for Canada in 1844. They settled on 100 acres of land in Biddulph Township (near what is now London, Ont.) based on a handshake with the landlord, James Grace.

James Donnelly worked hard to maintain his farm and the crops. He and Johannah welcome more children into their family over time, eight children in all.

In 1856 Mr. Grace severs 50 acres of James Donnelly’s land and sells it to Patrick Farrell. James cannot raise the money to keep his land. He can’t read so could not argue that his agreement was not officially written down. It was based on a handshake. This starts the animosity between the Donnelly’s and Patrick Farrell and their other neighbours. The matter is taken to court. The judge sees the improvements that James Donnelly made to the land in 10 years and rules James is allowed to keep 50 acres of his original land.

1857. James gets into a fight with Patrick Farrell and kills him. James is sentenced to be hanged. Johannah gathers names in a petition to have the sentence changed and travels a huge distance by foot to present it to the Governor General. The sentence is commuted to seven years in prison. The animosity does not end when James is released and reaches a horrifying conclusion when neighbours take revenge.

If ever there was a story about religious intolerance and the blinkered animosity of neighbour for neighbour, the story of the Donnelly family and what they endured, is it.

The Production and comment. For my performance, a stagecoach circles the area of the Harvest Stage and brings James (Randy Hughson) and Johannah Donnelly (Rachel Jones) to the theatre. Magic.

Beth Kates’ set is rustic, efficient and evocative of the pioneer spirit needed to build a home for a growing family in the early days of Upper Canada. There is a piano up over there; a hat stand, table and chairs, ropes and tools for farming. The space is not cluttered with stuff and there is room to move this sweeping story along. And director Gil Garratt has a delicate but firm touch in negotiating this large talented cast around the space. The production begins with a beautiful song sung by the cast who also play many instruments to set things up.

Young Will Donnelly (Steven McCarthy) establishes what he has contended with. He describes himself as crippled and that he has been called a ‘blackfoot’ a pejorative name hurled by one Catholic person to others they feel are lesser. Steven McCarthy plays Will Donnelly through various ages, from young to a mature man, with grace, a quiet courtliness and a sweet innocence when he is the younger Will.

We then go back in time to the beginning of the story in Ireland. James Donnelly, played with gruff authority by Randy Hughson, is determined to take his family to Canada for safety and a new life. Randy Hughson plays James Donnelly with sturdy conviction. James is a man of few words. He is also a man of huge character. He stands up for what is right and will fight his position. Hughson conveys the confusion and frustration of James when he realizes that his land has been taken from him by James Grace and that the handshake of the two meant nothing. One is fully aware at the many and various slights, cheats and humiliations that James Donnelly had to endure by the strong acting of Randy Hughson. By James Donnelly’s side is his wife Johannah, played with a determined conviction by Rachel Jones. As full of character as James is, so is Johannah. They instill that in their children. Her determination to save her husband by gathering all those petition names, and then trudging to the Governor General is a testament to her resolve. We get a sense of the huge distance she travelled by Gil Garratt’s staging and Rachel Jones physicality of the difficult journey.

Cameron Laurie as Pat Farrell, one of James Donnelly’s enemies is a dark and forbidding presence. Mark Uhre as John Cassleigh is also another enemy of James Donnelly. Mark Uhre plays Cassleigh with a smooth arrogance and condescension. The animosity that the Donnelly’s endured is carefully created by director Gil Garratt and his cast.

One can certainly appreciate the complex story of the Donnelly’s over time. The programme outlines a detailed timeline for details and dates of births, deaths and details. Gil Garratt’s respect for the original plays of James Reaney that dealt with this huge Donnelly story, is so obvious in his efforts to adapt the plays.

Garratt goes into great detail to establish the lay of the land that James and his family settled on in Biddulph Township. Garratt names the roads, the concessions, who owned the land. Garratt stages the cast in circling motions, intertwining lines and variations. Over the course of the play these formations and recitations of the names will be repeated.

I admit that I found the detail bogged down the story. I don’t think this minute detail or the extended circling and entwining enhances the story. It’s James Donnelly’s interactions with his neighbours and how he dealt with them that keep the story charging along.

Still, to hear the Donnelly story again, after so long (I saw a version of it years ago) is thrilling and unsettling when one knows what happened to that family.

The Blyth Festival presents:

Plays until September 1, 2023.

Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes (1 intermission)

Reviews of the Fringe

by Lynn on July 6, 2023

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

www.fringetoronto.com

JUNE

Written and directed by Gillian R. Edwards

Set by Daniel Bowden

Lighting by Duaa Zahra

Sound effects/video by Kevin Quain

Cast: Bonnie Anderson

Daniel Christian Jones

Jacob Klick

Jesse McQueen

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

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

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

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

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

A programme is provided.

CORPORATE FINCH

Written and directed by Taylor Marie Graham

Designed by Matthew Ivanoff, David DeGrow, and Terre Chartrand

Cast: Matthew Ivanoff

Rainbow Kester.

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

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

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

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