Search: Dark Heart

Live and in person at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, produced by the Bremen Collective, playing until Oct. 29.

www.fringetoronto.com

Written and directed by Gregory Prest

Composer, Tatjana Cornij

Lighting by Logan Raju Cracknell

Costumes by Nancy Anne Perrin

Cast: Tatjana Cornij

Oliver Dennis

Simon Gagnon

Farhang Ghajar

Deborah Grover

Veronica Hortiguela

Nancy Palk

William Webster

A rural folk tragedy with humour, given a beautiful, stylish, sensitive production.

After forty-five years of hard work and dedication, Frau Esel, (Nancy Palk) the longest serving housekeeper of Völksenhaus, has been replaced. Inspired by the darkly comic stories of the Grimm brothers, Bremen Town is about the painful truth of outliving our use.

When Frau Esel is fired, she is livid at the harsh way she is treated by her employer and his new wife. Frau Esel packs up and leaves to go to Bremen to live with her son, who she has not seen for years (45?), and who lives in Bremen and plays the clarinet in the local orchestra. There is no train so she begins to walk. She meets an itinerant magician named Herr Hund, (Oliver Dennis) down on his luck—he owes money to people and can’t make any money appear out of thin air. Frau Esel pays him to be her guide to Bremen Town as they walk and walk and walk.

As negative and critical as Frau Esel is, that’s as irreverent, optimistic and light-hearted Herr Hund is. They pick up others on the way—Frau Esel wants to be on her way, Herr Hund is compassionate and they pick up: Herr Katze (William Webster) who is looking for the town where he grew up; they pick up Frau Henne (Deborah Grover) about to be sold at market by her ungrateful children. They meet a dancing bear, people flying kites, a wise accordionist, birds that land on your shoulder giving comfort.

In Bremen Town playwright Gregory Prest writes about old age with compassion, wisdom and humour. The kindness of Herr Hund juxtaposed with Frau Esel’s abrasive anger makes one wonder when she will be affected by his lovely example. Gregory Prest’s language and turns of phrases are quirky, playful, heartfelt and wise. His direction is imaginative with creative images. The magical bird that appears in the air, its wings flapping gracefully, melts the heart. Having Tatjana Cornij compose the music and play it to underline the mood of the piece is a brilliant stroke. That Cornij also offers narration and graceful commentary adds to the luster of the piece.

As Frau Esel, Nancy Palk is fiercely rigid in her anger, but gradually softens. It’s a masterful, accomplished and very funny performance, although Frau Esel does not intend to be funny. Oliver Dennis as the kind-hearted, generous Herr Hund offers a perfect foil to the dour Frau Esel. The rest of the cast are terrific.

Bremen Town is an accomplished, polished gem of a show.   

The Bremen Collective Presents:

Playing until Oct. 29, 2023.

Running time 90 minutes (no intermission)

www.fringetoronto.ca

{ 0 comments }

Live and in person at the Five Points Theatre, Barrie, Ont. Plays until Oct. 20, 2023

www.tift.ca

Written and performed by Jake Epstein

Developed with and directed by Robert McQueen

Music direction, orchestrations, arrangements and keyboard by Daniel Abrahamson

Set by Brandon Kleiman

Lighting by Chris Malkowski

Sound by Erik Richards

Performed by: Jake Epstein

Daniel Abrahamson

Abby David

Justin Han

If Jake Epstein’s autobiographical show Boy Falls From the Sky illuminates anything, it’s his love of performing. It’s a glorious heart-squeeze of a show.

Jake Epstein is blessed with supportive parents who nurtured his and his older sister Gabi’s love of musical theatre. Every summer he and his family made the 10-hour drive to New York City to see a Broadway show. In the back seat of the van, Jake and his sister sang duets from Broadway shows to get them prepared.

In Boy Falls From the Sky, Jake Epstein’s joyous, moving autobiographical show, he lets us know that his life changed when he saw Big—the Musical, his first show on Broadway. He realized that kids could be in a Broadway show and Epstein set about planning that for himself.

He auditioned for and was cast in the Soulpepper Theatre Company’s production of Our Town at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in 1999. It was his professional theatre debut. He was 12-years-old. This led to being cast as the cocky, confident Artful Dodger in a production of the musical, Oliver! for Mirvish Productions, also at the Princess of Wales Theatre.

Epstein also knew that training and education were equally important in his achieving his goals so he auditioned for and was accepted into the Claude Watson School for the Arts. His future wife said she fell in love with him when he played a hot dog going through the digestive system as one of his class exercises. That must have been one terrific performance.

Jake Epstein branched out from musical theatre and landed a role in Degrassi: The Next Generation about the trials and tribulations of teens in a high school. He stayed with the show for five years. He auditioned for Juilliard in New York City and didn’t get accepted. He describes this as ‘devastating. It wouldn’t be the last time he would experience this feeling. And yet as he was feeling despondent on the streets of New York, he was approached by some tourists who recognized him from Degrassi: The Next Generation who loved the show and him in it. It’s one of several moments in Boy Falls From the Sky that beautifully captures the heart-breaking lows and intoxicating highs of being in ‘show business.’

Epstein continued to audition for roles and often was successful. He moved to New York City to be closer to his dream of being in a Broadway musical and then it happened. He was cast as the alternate lead in the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark. Never mind that the show had a reputation for being dangerous to actors—many were hurt because of the intense aerial work. Never mind that the show has a special place as a Broadway disaster. This was Jake Epstein’s Broadway debut. He had achieved his dream.

And then he was cast in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical originating the role of Gerry Goffin, Carole King’s ex-husband. Epstein had arrived. Or had he?

While Boy Falls From the Sky is packed with Jake Epstein’s many and various theatre credits it’s much more than a: “And then I was cast in…..” retelling. The show is loaded with Jake Epstein’s beautiful singing of songs from the various musicals he’s been in. It’s full of his endless charm, joy in performing, self-deprecating humour , perceptive observations and irony. This show is suffused with irony. The show’s title, Boy Falls From the Sky, gives a hint—it’s a song from Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark a doomed musical, and the song is about a man searching for himself, dignity in humanity etc.

Epstein begins Boy Falls From the Sky with “Razzle Dazzle” from Chicago about dazzling the audience etc. with flash and grandness. Irony. Epstein takes the audience behind the ‘razzle dazzle’ of the heady world of Broadway and show business and shows them another world.

The show at the Five Points Theatre in Barrie is a smaller version than appeared at the larger Royal Alexandra Theatre last year. Brandon Keiman’s set is laid out on a simple wood platform with instruments laid out around the space. There is a stool, a chair and a coat stand. The evening is arranged like a rehearsal or a jam session. The musicians arrive as if they are coming in from outside. They take off their coats and put them on the coat stand. Jake Epstein arrives in his jacket and hangs up his coat too, to applause. He greets it with a shy smile. If anything this version of Boy Falls From the Sky has more nuance, subtlety and an even more sense of fun. In other words, it’s grow even better.

Boy Falls From the Sky is full of intoxicating euphoria when you get your dream realized.  But there’s also the angst, uncertainty, loneliness of touring and needing to hide the truth about it all from a loving family who only want to be happy for you and with you. Each time they asked with a smile how it was to make his debut here or there, he replied, also with a smile that it was great. But the smile got smaller and smaller.  The show is seamlessly directed with subtlety by Robert McQueen.

Boy Falls From the Sky is Jake Epstein’s beautiful, heartfelt, funny buoyant show that comes to terms with realizing his dreams and perhaps learning bliss might be elsewhere in performing.  

At its heart Boy Falls from the Sky is a wonderful show that lets actors know they are no alone in their hopes, dreams and disappointments, and lets audiences know that the hardest part about acting is not learning all those lines.

Talk Is Free Theatre presents:

Plays until Oct. 20, 2023.

Running time: 70 minutes, (no intermission)

www.tift.ca

{ 0 comments }

Live and in person at the Stratford Perth Museum, 4275 Huron Rd., RR#5, Stratford, Ont. Produced by Here for Now Theatre. Plays until Sat. Sept. 16, 2023.

www.herefornowtheatre.com

Note: Sometimes I Love You Always is a late addition to the Here for Now Theatre season. It plays for only three performances: Sept. 14, 15, 16.  Worth the trip to see it.

Written and directed by Booth Savage.

Cast: Booth Savage

Janet-Laine Green

A bitter-sweet love-letter about getting old, remaining feisty and unpredictable in spite of aches, pains and hearing aids, with a keen appreciation of Steven Seagal movies.

The Story. She is a senior citizen named Mary-Louise. He is also a senior citizen named George. They met on the internet. His grandson is in some kind of trouble in another country and needs money to get out of the jam. George daren’t go to his daughter for help. So, he comes to Mary-Louise for the loan of the money. Did I mention they met on the internet?

George arrives one dark and stormy night at Mary-Louise’s house for the money, after his car hits some kind of glitch in the road. When George appears at Mary-Louise’s door he is sopping wet.  She’s alone. Her husband Kirkland is not there. She begins to take off George’s wet clothes except the undies, to dry the clothes. She gives George some of Kirkland’s clothes and a pair of his new socks. Kirkland loves new socks.

George wants the money so he can leave. Mary-Louise seems to flirt and toy with him. She talks about her son who worries that she is losing her faculties or at least her memory. She brings a large bag presumably with the money in it. And she gives him a muffin. Is this a cat and mouse game? Who is chasing whom? Things are not what they seem? This is good.   

The Production and Comment. The set is simple: two comfortable chairs with a table just up with a flower in a vase. Neat, simple. A man in a plush, blue bathrobe wanders around the tent while the audience files in. This is Booth Savage. When they are about to begin he goes to the far end of the tent and waits for Janet-Laine Green to enter—she is petite and spry in jeans and a work-shirt. She banters. Their characters have not really been introduced to us yet—part of the mystery of the piece.

She wants to tell him of a quote she heard from Clint Eastwood. They flip quips quickly (don’t say that fast) as if they are a comedy duo who know the routine really well, or are long married, which Booth Savage and Janet-Laine Green have been, to each other. Just when the one-liners zip through the air at a furious pace, he pauses and says, “You’re gorgeous.” It’s honest, true and heartfelt. It makes one gasp in surprise and delight. It’s not clear yet who these two ‘characters’ are but somehow it seems they know each other well.

At a point he takes off the robe and puts on a jacket and a cowboy hat to make his ‘entrance’. She looks as if she is spying on him as he stands outside while she checks him out through the window inside. She is disappointed that he looks so old. She sees that his car hit a bump in the road and the car will need towing. Her house is far from ‘civilization.’

She lets him in the house. They have arranged this meeting. The conversation is polite from him—his name is George. He knows she is Mary-Louise. They banter. She is direct and perhaps a bit flirty. He is quietly charming. He is also wet from the rain. She helps him out of his wet clothes and expertly unzips his pants—she seems to have practice here. He appears startled and ‘shy’. She’s in control. He has come for ‘the loan.’ What is going on?

We ask these questions as the power shifts between the two of them. Are they role playing? Is he really her husband Kirkland and they are playing a game? Is George really a fellow senior with family problems and has innocently come to her for a loan. Is she too trusting when she brings a huge paper bag that seems to be bulging with stuff and we assume money? Or is she really the power here and will haul out an Uzi if he gets shifty?

One of the beauties of this quirky play, is that we are not sure. Another beauty is that it is funny and heartfelt in equal measure. Booth Savage has written a bitter-sweet love letter about getting old, getting creaky, needing a hearing aid, losing one’s memory or worse, being alone, without family or friends, finding life is slipping away but there is still the drive to hold on as best as one can to what one still has. Janet-Laine Green is that fragile and feisty presence who is both in control and terrified of losing it. Her look of terror when the memory might be fading hits to the heart. And just as important, Sometimes I Love You Always is a love letter between two actors who know, respect and love each other really well.

Here for Now Theatre Presents:

Plays until today, Sept. 16, 2023—they only played three performanes.

Running time: 1 hour 10 minutes (no intermission)

www.herefornowtheatre.com

{ 0 comments }

Live and in person in High Park, Toronto, Ont. Produced by Canadian Stage Company. Plays until Sept. 3, 2023.

www.canadianstage.com

Written by William Shakespeare

Directed by Jamie Robinson

Set and costumes by Jackie Chau

Lighting by Logan Raju Cracknell

Sound and composer, Richard Feren

Cast: Shelly Antony

Frank Chung

Steven Hao

Stuart Hefford

Ryan G. Hinds

Vincent Leblanc-Beaudoin

Megan Legesse

Angel Lo

Jadyn Nasato

Julie Tepperman

Aaron Willis

Louisa Zhu

Raucously energetic; colourful sets and costumes, but ‘acting’ all over the place with a definite divide between those who have a facility with the language and those who don’t. Screaming should not be an acting choice.

The Story. Strange things happen when you go into the forest at night. The website description is succinct of this romantic comedy: “The night before Theseus and Hippolyta’s royal wedding four young Athenians (Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius and Helena) flee into the forest in pursuit of true love. They fall into one love triangle then another, and are caught in the crossfire of a custody battle between reigning fairies of the forest. Chaotic hilarity ensues (their words not mine). Will the Athenians end up with their perfect match? Who will win the custody of the changeling child? And what other beloved characters might we meet along the way?”

The Production. This is the 40^th anniversary of “The Dream in High Park”, of Canadian Stage producing Shakespeare (for the most part) in High Park. A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been produced several times. This is the latest iteration. As with all the productions, it’s been cut to a swift 90 minutes.

A character wearing service clothing arrives on stage wheeling in a cart full of cleaning supplies. He takes a bucket into the audience collecting garbage. People willingly give him their refuse, empty bottles, empty food containers etc. He then takes his bucket and returns to the stage to empty the refuse in the cart. He is Steven Hao and later he will shed his service outfit to reveal the wings of Puck, Oberon’s fairie spirit, or keeps getting confused about which Athenian he is to give a magic potion.  

Director Jamie Robinson has a vision of the play that is vibrant in colour and design and designer Jackie Chau realizes that vision in her colourful, multi-leveled set and costumes. Umbrellas carried by the fairies glow in the dark as do some of the costumes. The costumes for the royals are black with shafts of silver. The whole right side of Theseus’ (Shelly Antony) black jacket has an impressive silver design. It’s both commanding and representative of a man who is a ruler. As Theseus Shelly Antony is courtly, laid-back but in control. He never has to raise his voice because everyone is listening to what he has to say. Hippolita (Louisa Zhu), his intended queen, is regal, sophisticated but with a bit of a watchful demeanor. She is after all a ‘prize’ he won in battle. She’s being cool to figure out what this man is like. Both Shelly Antony and Louisa Zhu play the royal fairies, Oberon and Titania respectively.  Oberon is testy, demanding and imperious. Titania matches him with coolness and stubbornness. Both Shelly Antony and Louisa Zhu have a good command of the language and poetry of Shakespeare.

Alas, the same cannot be said of the four lovers: Demetrius (Frank Chung), Lysander (Stuart Hefford), Hermia (Jadyn Nasato) and Helena (Megan Legesse)—they are all energetic and breathless with stage business.  But where to put the emphasis in a line, the sense of poetry, or subtlety and nuance seems to be a mystery to these young actors. When in doubt, they scream everything. And then when they are really stumped, they scream louder. I can appreciate that they are directed to be energetic and highly emotional, but one hoped someone would have helped them with their actual performances and interpretations.

It is heartening to hear the word “revenue” said with the accent in the middle of the word, as it scans properly in the line of poetry. But where is help with the rest of the text for these actors?

The Mechanicals are wonderful! As Peter Quince, the patient leader of the troupe, Ryan G. Hinds is a sweet, caring, patient man who has gathered his friends to prepare a play for the royal couple on their wedding day. Ryan G. Hinds leads the group with humour except when Bottom (Aaron Willis) wants to play all the parts. Then Ryan G. Hinds as Peter Quince gets a bit short tempered. Aaron Willis plays Bottom as an eager to please, fearless participant in which no part is too small and when Bottom is ‘turned’ into an ass, Aaron Willis gives him a new confidence. As Snug, Julie Tepperman is shy but willing to engage in the theatrics. Tepperman also plays Aegesta the aggravated father of Hermia. (It’s wonderful to see Aaron Willis and Julie Tepperman on a stage after such an absence). Rounding out the group are: Vincent Leblanc-Beaudoin as Flute and Angel Lo as Starvling. These actors give the Mechanicals a sense of whimsy, fun, commitment, seriousness and heart. They are a joy.

Language is such a tricky subject in this day and age of sensitive feelings and political correctness. Which brings us to the prickly word ‘chink’ as in ‘chink in the wall.’ In the play of the Mechanicals two characters have to kiss through a ‘chink in the wall.’ In another context ‘chink’ is a racist word and is often changed. I’ve heard examples that were worse or confusing in order not to say it. But in the production in High Park they have solved it by changing the word to ‘hole in the wall’, or ‘cranny’ or ‘crack.’ All very sensible.

Comment. But all is not sensible when it comes to Canadian Stage’s attention, consideration or respect for the actors. That’s troubling. If one goes to the website for A Midsummer Night’s Dream one sees the names and titles of the Playwright, the Director, the Assistant Director, Movement Director, the various creatives, Designers, the Stage Manager, the Assistant Stage Manager, even the name of the Apprentice Stage Manager, and Substitute Assistant Stage Manager. Then at the very end of this list is this:

“With

Louisa Zhu

Jadyn Nasato

Megan Legesse

Steven Hao

Ryan G. Hinds

Shelly Antony

Stuart Hefford

Frank Chung

Aaron Willis

Julie Tepperman

Vincent Leblanc-Beaudoin

Angel Lo

If this is the first one reads of the website, you would be hard pressed to know who these people are? Are they the ushers? Volunteers? Concessions people? Nope. They are the actors, you know, ACTORS, the people who are the life blood and beating heart of a company; the folks who show up, in all sorts of weather if it’s out doors, with mosquitoes, and distractions—they show up and bust their guts to do the show–and they are given such short shift here it’s shameful.

At the High Park site in place of a hard-copy programme there are large boards erected with the photos and names of all the creatives I listed above. And there, after the creatives are the photos of the actors with only the word “cast” underneath their photo. They don’t even rate having their characters listed. Shameful. I hope someone with a ‘Sharpie’ fills in the names of the characters these actors play, out of respect. Only when one delves deeper into the website to the digital programme are the actors actually listed with the characters they play. Canadian Stage, do better by these people. It’s been an on-going complaint; actors’ names are never listed on the posters. In the catalogue for the 23/24 season, the director’s photo and title are listed but actors are listed with their names under their photo and the word “Cast” under that. Shameful. If you hired the actor, you know who they will play! List the actor and their character’s name. Do better by these people!   

Canadian Stage Presents:

Runs until Sept. 3, 2023.

Running time: 90 minutes (no intermission)

www.canadianstage.com

{ 0 comments }

Live and in person at 4^th Line Theatre, Millbrook, Ont. Playing until Aug. 26, 2023.

www.4thlinetheatre.on.ca

Written by Robert Winslow

Directed by Kim Blackwell

Musical direction and original music compositions, Justin Hiscox

Costumes by Korin Cormier

Set by Kim Blackwell

Choreography by Rachel Bemrose

Cast: Indigo Chesser

Jasper Chesser

Katherine Cullen

Lily Cullen

Peter Dolinski

Colin Doyle

Jason Edmunds

Michael Field

Andria Fisher

Cadence Fisher

Eli Fisher

Thomas Fournier

Franny Galvin-Hynes

Linda Gendron

Sierra Gibb-Khan

Matt Gilbert

Jason Gray

Mark Hiscox

Ken Houston

Josh Lambert

Caoimhe MacQuarrie

Deirbhile MacQuarrie

Riordan MacQuarrie

Siobhan MacQuarrie

Saoirse MacQuarrie

Adrianna Malloy

Venessa McCraken

Ayla McCracken-Reed

Ian McGarrett

Grogan McKellar

Robert Morrison

Zach Newnham

JD “Jack” Nicholsen

Darragh O’Connell

Lindsey Partridge

Kelsey Powell

Zack Radford

Julia Scaringl

Autumn Smith

Sarah Steven

Mikayla Stoodley

Phil Stott

Evan Tsimidis

Robert Winslow

Musicians: Jason Edmunds

Justin Hiscox

Mark Hiscox

Cody Inglis

NOTE: Adventures in weather Part II.

The weather for the opening of The Cavan Blazers at the 4^th Line Theater in Millbrook, Ont. called for thunderstorms, possibly growing to tornado strength at about 7 pm. on the opening (Aug. 3). Thunderstorms, possibly tornado strength, at about 7:00 pm. The show was to start at 6:00 pm.

Ha! A little rain and wind don’t scare me! (Remember my Blyth adventure!)  I got in my car and set off really early cause I wanted a BBQ sausage that they make before the show. Just to be safe, I took my ‘rain-shell’ and decent sized umbrella, with the chocolate motif (that means the whole hood of the umbrella is festoon with all sorts of chocolates).  The weather on the way was beautiful. I got there at 4 pm. I had my sausage and a bottle of water and enjoyed sitting at a table outside the barnyard, enjoying the company of friends and the sausage.

There was rumbling in the distance. Clouds passed over us and seemed to be going over in ‘that direction’. A person in authority (Kim Blackwell, the director of the show and the mighty Managing Artistic Director of 4^th Line Theatre) had a fancy thingy that could tell you the weather to the minute. The expected rain would spit at about 5 pm, not last long and then go ‘over there’ away from the theatre. We’re laughing. On cue at 5:00 pm, some rain drops dropped. We remained and were assured ‘the weather’ was going ‘over there.’

We took our seats and the show started at 6 pm after speeches and thank yous to donors. All was good. Impressive use of the space; cue the trained racing pigeons; lovely mix of professional actors and committed community actors. The story of religious intolerance was intense between the majority Protestants towards the minority Catholics in the Cavan area in the 1850s.

Clouds rolled in that did not look theatre friendly. Thunder could be heard in the distance. No lightening. Ha. The show continued. Children appeared in the distance in the meadow as part of the performance. They are so committed. A man rode in on a horse and sauntered around the barnyard.

The dark clouds above got darker. The thunder, thundered. We paid attention to the play and the vast stage. Then rain fell in more than drops. More like streaks. On cue, the audience that was not under the protective overhang of the barnyard structure, put on their raingear, hoods, a few umbrellas went up. I was just in front of the overhang, so little protection. I put on my shortish, blue, non-rainproof (I learned to my sorrow), thinnish, jacket that was obviously too small to cover my ample upper-frontals. I kept tugging at the sides of the jacket, willing then to be larger. No deal. I took off my baseball cap and put that on my knee to cover some of my pants. I put on the hood of the blue, non-rainproof jacket. The rain plastered the sleeves to my arms. Kind of chilly, that. The actors continued acting as rain pelted them.

The rain rained harder. It was about 7:00 pm (right on time as the forecast said, but not that smart thingy before). There was a 15-minute hold on the show to see if the rain would subside. The audience scattered to the various tents around the site for protection. I went to get my umbrella, with the chocolate motif, from the car. I went back to my seat, put up the umbrella, was nice and sort of dry and waited for the show to resume. We were told to return quickly by the lovely staff at the farm and resumed the show. I positioned my umbrella in such a way that I could open it a bit (one of those spring-snap opening versions) and cover my knees. It was not malleable enough to cover my ample upper-frontals, but no matter.  Most of the audience returned. I saw a lot of empty seats. I figured those who did not return were WIMPS and not hardy souls up for a challenge!

The show progressed. The animosity of one side for the other rose on the ‘stage’. Violence increased. The audience was riveted to the action. Clouds got darker. Thunder rumbled over head and not ‘over there.’ We held tight. It started to sprinkle, then heavier, then poured hard. The actors kept acting, telling the story. The rain was ‘drowning’ out the actors. Another rain delay was called and there was much conferring with those fancy hand-held-weather-thingies, and finally, with regret, they had to cancel the show at about 8:00 pm with about 20 minutes left. We all reluctantly went home. Note: I’m reviewing what I saw anyway because it’s so worthy!

It was not raining hard on the way home until I got to the outskirts of Toronto. Then the rain pelted. People are crazy in traffic. They zoom along and it’s terrifying. I was not able to see the lines in the lane (Déjà vu from the Blyth adventure). Where do truck drivers get the guts? Construction was everywhere, of course. We had to go from multi-lanes into one. Stressful. Hands gripped the steering wheel so hard, I had a difficult time unclenching it. I finally got out of the torrential rain. Alas, I think strong chemicals will be needed to clean the driver’s seat, UGHain.

When the going gets tough, the tough get ice-cream, a double scoop in a waffle cone. Delicious. But it dripped on my pants. Sigh.  

The Story.  All the plays at 4^th Line Theatre Company are original and are based on the history of the surrounding area, in this case Cavan, near Millbrook and Peterborough, Ont. The Cavan Blazersby Robert Winslow, premiered at the Farm in 1992, and has been remounted about 5 times since the initial production.

It’s 1854 in the area around Cavan, the majority of the people there were Protestants from Ireland. They wanted a fresh start and came to Canada. There was a small enclave of Irish Catholics who also came to that area to make a fresh start. But the animosity came with them to Canada.

Patrick Maguire was a justice of the peace in Cavan and also a minister. He longed to have their own Catholic Church in a parish, but they needed supporters and their numbers were small for a parish. Their first “church” gathering was in his own living room, much to the surprise of this wife Ann. She requested some warning from her husband. He was rather sheepish. Patrick Maguire was a calm man who did not want to cause any trouble. He just wanted to live quietly and peacefully. But he also wanted the freedom to worship with his fellow Catholics. To this end he arranged for a Catholic priest to come and lead the congregation. He also made inroads to get enough Catholics to come to the area so that a parish could be established. That would be followed by a bricks and mortar building.

But that was difficult because the larger faction of Protestants, led by Dane Swain wanted to keep the Catholics out at all cost. Their penchant for burning the barns of Catholic farmers earned them the name of The Cavan Blazers. While Dane Swain was the controlling and formidable leader of the Protestants, he didn’t seem to be a thug. He was a man of few words but he made them count. He would threaten, often it led to violence, but he also didn’t want his men to get carried away. So, he was complicated.

The Production. The play takes place outdoors at 4^th Line Theatre Company, in the barn yard, on the Winslow Farm, in Millbrook, Ont. This is the family farm of Robert Winslow, the founder of the 4^th Line Theatre Company, and the author of the play. 

The production is directed by Kim Blackwell. Her production is smart, thoughtful, creative and well done. She uses a company of a few professional actors as well as devoted folks from the community who love being involved with 4^th Line Theatre. Kim Blackwell always uses the whole expanse of the farm. So, at the beginning of the show, on cue, a flock of trained racing pigeons fly up in formation from the meadow over there, and disappear into the distance. It is an impressive beginning.  Children appear in scenes from the meadow. A character on a horse crosses the bridge over there and moseyd into the barnyard. The barn provides a makeshift church for Justice of the Peace, Patrick Maguire (JD “Jack” Nicholsen) so he can run his services for his parishioners. Nicholsen is always a commanding presence in a show. Here, he is that mix of gruff but generous of spirit. He certainly was chastened by his wife Ann (Katherine Cullen) when he plopped the service for 50 in their living room.  

While the acting varies, as one might expect from the professional actors and those that are from the community and are eager to participate, the whole company acts with heart and commitment.

It’s always a treat to see Robert Winslow in one of the 4^th Line Theatre plays. I have seen a production of The Cavan Blazers when Robert Winslow played one of the main characters. Here he plays John Knowlson, a Justice of the Peace and a slightly secondary character. Robert Winslow is always compelling. Knowlson is trying to help the Catholics, even though he isn’t Catholic.  John Knowlson is passionate, committed and wise. He has all sorts of ideas for the betterment of the area. Another dandy performance from Robert Winslow.

Colin Doyle as Dane Swain is a lovely surprise. Colin Doyle usually plays comedic characters, but Dane Swain is a wonderful change of pace. As I said, Dane Swain is a man of few words and because of that he commanded respect. He could get his men to calm down with one bellow.

He operates from contained anger and rage, trying to keep the Catholics out, but he is not as full of fury as some of his men. He is not above violence but tries to intimidate people by staring them down.

Katherine Cullen’s performance as Ann Maguire is also highly commendable. She is matter of fact about how upset she is with her husband, Patrick, but she is kind. However, Katherine Cullen shows Ann Maguire’s full true power when she wrangles with Dane Swain. Here are two enemies but with a twist: Dane Swain is Protestant.  Ann Maguire is Protestant as well, but she is married to Patrick Maguire, who is a Catholic. He loyalties are to her husband who does not want to make trouble, not to Dane Swain who looks for trouble. She wants to know why Swain is bedeviling her ‘people’ who are mostly not challenging or bothering anybody. She uses reason, thoughtfulness and is not afraid to raise her voice to the man.  He has no hesitation in challenging her in return. He is not polite just because she is a woman. He wanted her gone as much as she wanted him to stop harassing her community. The wrangling was true and full of conviction. Lovely acting from these two fine actors. (Does it matter that they are married in real life? Naaaaa).

Zack Radford as Constable Hutchinson offered a varied, nuanced performance of the Constable who was often challenged in his job. Ian McGarrett also gave a tempered, well-paced performance as Justice Huston.

While appreciate that some of the cast is inexperienced in acting in theatre, I would offer that the trick is not to bellow everything so that we ‘hear’ you. The trick is to talk softer, but still project so that you make us listen to you. And while many were playing ‘villains’ it’s not necessary to “play” the villain but to make up believe you are the villain. That does not mean overacting “mean”. It means tone it down. We’re on your side. We’re there ready to listen to what you have to say.

Robert Winslow’s play illuminates religious intolerance in the area of Cavan in the 1850s. Alas times have not improved.

Comment. As you read above, the good people of 4^th Line Theatre had to cancel the show about 20 minutes before the end because the rain was pelting down. I’m sure the actors and audience wouldn’t have minded trying to delay and come back but it was not to be.  They tried as best as they could to try and finish the show properly, but the weather was not co-operating.

Or rather, considering the subject matter—religious intolerance, I thought the constant thunder during the show and the resultant rain, was kind of a dramatic expression from on high. Pathetic fallacy is what it’s called in high school English class-when the weather was in sympathy with what was going on. Two religions, the Catholics and Protestant, were fighting for their cause. We had thunder, rain and dark clouds to go with the gripping drama.

I’m always impressed with 4^th Line Theatre shows. They are professional, efficient and the setting is idyllic. They did everything to protect their audience and their cast and finally called it because of rain. People were contacted the next day to tell us how we can come back and see the show again and how it ends—a rain check if you will. And I hope people take full advantage of that offer to see how it’s all resolved.

4^th Line Theatre presents:

Playing until Aug. 26, 2023.

Running time, weather permitting, 2 hours. 30 minutes. (1 intermission)

www.4thlinetheatre.on.ca

{ 0 comments }

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

{ 0 comments }

Live and in person at the Festival Theatre, Stratford Festival, Stratford, Ont. Plays until Oct. 27, 2023.

www.stratfordfestival.ca

Written by William Shakespeare

Additional text by Erin Shields

Directed by Chris Abraham

Designed by Julie Fox

Lighting by Arun Srinivasan

Composer and sound designer, Thomas Ryder Payne

Choreographer, Adrienne Gould

Cast: Graham Abbey

Anousha Alamian

Akosua Amo-Adem

Maev Beaty

Michael Blake

Déjah Dixon-Green

Austin Eckert

Allison Edward-Crewe

Jakob Ehman

John Kirkpatrick

Kevin Kruchkywich

Josue Laboucane

Cyrus Lane

Patrick McManus

Danté Prince

Glynis Ranney

Anthony Santiago

André Sills

Gordon Patrick White

Rylan Wilkie

Micah Woods

On Stage Musicians:

George Meanwell

Jonathan Rowsell

Stephan Szczesniak

A raucous, riotously funny, wonderfully thought-out production of reluctant love, the power of rumour and innuendo without considering the source of the statement, and finally a few extra speeches to set things straight and in perspective. Chris Abraham has directed a gem of a production. Graham Abbey and Maev Beaty are the crowning jewels of it.

The Story. Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy with some darker moments that are dealt with in a modern way. It’s a story of getting a second chance to do right by people you love.  A group of soldiers led by Don Pedro have just returned from a successful campaign. They are invited to spend a month at the palatial home of Leonato in Messina, in Italy. In the group is Benedick, a confirmed bachelor and Claudio a fellow soldier and a close friend of Benedick. Claudio is in love with and soon engaged to Hero, Leonato’s daughter. Leonato’s niece, Beatrice earlier in her life had a relationship with Benedick, but he jilted her. She has been wounded and angry ever since, and when they meet there is a war of wit and words, each one scoring points on the other.

The friends of both Beatrice and Benedick want to get them together again, and so a trick is played in which Beatrice and Benedick overhear the friends say that Beatrice is in love with Benedick and he is in love with her. This puts the idea in the mind of Beatrice and Benedick that it’s true—they have feelings for the other.

There is another sub-plot—Don Pedro’s half-brother Don John likes to make mischief and sets in motion a plot to discredit Hero’s chaste character. He will have Claudio think that he is actually seeing Hero chat up another man at night, before the wedding. In fact the person chatting up a man at her bedroom window is Margaret, an innocent in this scheme. At the wedding Claudio refuses to marry Hero accusing her of being unfaithful. This stuns everybody, and causes Leonato to even question his own daughter’s integrity. She faints, and it’s believed she has died from the shame. This puts in motion, Benedick declaring he will challenge Claudio to a duel because of this terrible accusation. From this terrible situation, Beatrice and Benedick declare their love.

The Production. Julie Fox’s lush set is full of vegetation, pots of flowers, an orange “bush”, a majestic tree of some kind or other that dominates everything and provides lots of places to climb. Suspended above the stage is a white hoop that slowly revolves in the air. I’m thinking it’s a kind of Dyson air filter/fan thing. I learn what it is later, when the production starts.

The set suggests peace, warmth and quiet, except for the birds chirping in the background. All it lacks is a hammock in which to lounge, read books and imbibe tropical, potent drinks. 

Much Ado About Nothing is directed by Chris Abraham. He is a wonderful director, no matter if it’s a drama or comedy. But comedy is his forte. This production is full of intellectual wit, sight gags that are natural and hilarious, physical humour that comes honestly out of funny moments, and moments that are just packed with jokes and humour that will have you doubling over, gasping for breath.

Chris Abraham is also a thoughtful intellectual artist. Many characters go on a journey of discovery in Much Ado About Nothing. Certainly Beatrice and Benedick go from animosity and hurt to true love. In this case Chris Abraham felt that a few extra speeches were needed to ‘update’, explain and clarify aspects in the play that needed it. So Erin Shields—a wonderful playwright in her own right–was called in to add some speeches, first for Beatrice (Maev Beaty) and lastly for Hero (Allison Edward-Crew).

Beatrice enters and points out Hero, standing above on the balcony of the Festival Theatre. She is admiring herself in the ‘mirror’ suspended above the stage-the white hoop. (Aha!). Hero primps and poses in the mirror. Beatrice notes that her cousin Hero does not have a care in the world. That all that occupies her time is how she looks and appears. Beatrice is not being unkind. As played by Maev Beaty, Beatrice is observant, watchful to the world she lives in. Beatrice is nothing like her cousin, but still can observe, with kindness, the lovely frivolousness of her cousin.  Once that is established, we go on with the production. I also note that that hoop/mirror was revolving in the air to subtly reflect the audience as well.

When the troops come home from the campaign we witness the barbed banter of Beatrice and Benedick (Graham Abbey). As Beatrice, Maev Beaty plays her with the lingering sting of embarrassment that Benedick dumped her years before. He knows of her sharp tongue and tries to counter her with his own barbs. Both Maev Beaty and Graham Abbey have the meaning of Shakespeare in their finger-tips; the cadence and meter of the language on their tongues. They are masters at the effortless delivery, nuance and subtlety of the language. And they are both fearless, with Beatrice beating Benedick by a hair. 

Maev Beaty as Beatrice is feisty, combative—using that misplaced anger at Benedick to get even with him for dumping her years before—and his intellectual equal. Maev Beaty illuminates Beatrice’s wit, smarts, keen intelligence and integrity. And she too is open-hearted with she declares her love for Benedick.  

Graham Abbey plays Benedick as boyish, impish and irreverent. At one point he looks at the laughing audience and says, “there are too many women in this audience.” He might also be commenting on the addition of various women on stage too. In one scene Benedick asks a servant to get him some books—that servant is usually a boy. Here it’s two women, Margaret (Déjah Dixon-Green) and Ursula (Akosua Amo-Adem) and they reluctantly go and get the books and drop them on his stomach and perhaps the hint of a sucking teeth sound, letting Benedick know their contempt for him on a feminist level. Love that bit of business.

But Benedick can also be open-hearted when he finally admits and accepts that he truly loves Beatrice and says: “I do love nothing in the world so well as you. Is that not strange.” He truly sees the hurt that Beatrice is suffering because her cousin Hero is being maligned and he challenges Claudio to a dual to right it.

The biggest journey of discovery is Hero’s.  She goes from being self-absorbed and frivolous to being enlightened and confident in her self-worth as a person. She is wrongly accused of being unfaithful based on a malicious trick played on her by Don John. Immediately Claudio (Austin Eckert who plays him sweet but gullible) and Leonato (a courtly Patrick McManus) believe the lie without questioning the source of it—Don John is a malicious, mean-spirited man. And it’s not the first time that Don John has played his tricks. Initially Claudio feels awkward wooing Hero so Don Pedro says he will do it for him, making it look like he’s wooing Hero for himself but will then reveal it’s really for Claudio. (I love Claudio’s aside to the audience: “Why?” (why indeed does Don Pedro’s scheme make sense??). But then Don John puts doubt in Claudio’s mind—that in fact Don John is wooing Hero for himself. And Claudio believes him! Twice!!!

Hero has another Erin Shields speech at the end, when the truth is revealed, that she is an honourable woman. In the speech, Allison Edward-Crew as Hero chides both Claudio and her father Leonato for quickly believing she is untrue without questioning it. She makes Claudio prove to her that he is worthy to marry her, not the other way around.  She needs to know that he has grown up as well and will not fall into the easy ways of just believing any lie a male friend will tell him. She makes him question everything he believes in to win her trust and her love again. Allison Edward-Crew as Hero is full of conviction, emotional intensity and blazing intelligence

I love that.

The cast from top to bottom are a joy. Besides those I have already mentioned, Michael Blake as Don John makes mischief seem delicious, he does it with such relish. Josue Laboucane plays Dogberry, the leader of the Watch, as a man who never met a malapropism he didn’t love to bits. He is so self-righteous. Jakob Ehman as Borachio is so excited about the trick he’s played on Claudio and Hero he practically twists himself up and exhausts himself with the pushing of the lines. A little less gusto would be perfect and just as funny. As excitable as Borachio is that, is as laid back as Conrad is as played by Cyrus Lane. How does a character move at all if he is tied up from top to bottom? Cyrus Lane gives a masterclass in just such a movement. I must mention George Meanwell. He is such a gifted musician and proves it here, by always enhancing the scene with his presence on guitar, accordion, violin and anything he sets his mind to.

More on Chris Abraham and his attention to detail. He makes the audience see that detail. Margaret (Déjah Dixon-Green) is one of my favourite characters in Much Ado About Nothing. It’s a small but so vital and important a part. Margaret holds the key to the second ruse—in which Don John tries to discredit Hero’s character.

Borachio says that Margaret will do anything for him, so it’s set up that Margaret will be talking to him from a window late at night. Don John suggests to Claudio that Hero is unfaithful and will urge him to watch what transpires from a ‘bedroom’ widow with ‘Hero’. Claudio will not know that it is Margaret he is watching, not Hero. When he sees what happens Claudio humiliates Hero at the wedding the next day.

While one is fixated on how Hero is humiliated by Claudio downstage, upstage is the wedding party, looking on in horror. One of the party is Margaret. It’s fascinating watching Déjah Dixon-Green slowly register that the person being talked about at the window late at night was her. She looks on, stunned, comes forward a step to make sure we see her reacting, then she covers her mouth in emotion and runs off. It’s a small scene, but created with such care and detail by Chris Abraham to quietly reveal the truth.  Later the story is out that it was Margaret, not Hero at that window.

Comment. I love the fact that the 21^st century visits Beatrice and Benedick when they lived to flesh out areas that are not addressed. Shakespeare is always being fiddle with—the play is still there and it’s living and breathing.

The Stratford Festival presents:

Plays until Oct. 27, 2023.

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

www.stratfordfestival.ca

{ 0 comments }

Live and in person, at the Berkeley Street Theatre, Toronto, Ont. Produced by Musical Stage Company in association with Canadian Stage. Plays until June 18, 2023.

www.canadianstage.com

Book by Sara Farb

Music and lyrics by Britta Johnson

Directed and choreographed by Tracey Flye

Music supervisor, orchestrator & arranger, Lynne Shankel

Musical Director, Jonathan Corkal-Astorga

Set and lighting by Lorenzo Savoini

Costumes by Alex Amini

Sound by Brian Kenny

Cast: Dave Ball

Joel Cumber

Peter Fernandes

Eva Foote

Mike Jackson

Julia McLellan

Jessica Sherman

Margaret Thompson

Kelsey Verzotti

Jeremy Walmsley

The Band: Jonathan Corkal-Astorga

Sasha Boychouk

Jessica Deutsch

Anna Atkinson

Erik Larson

Kelly v. Kelly is a musical still listed as in development. While the story is intriguing and the performances are dandy, the book needs another pass to shore up the two large holes in the narrative. Both Sara Farb (book) and Britta Johnson (music and lyrics) are fine creators of new work, Kelly v. Kelly needs more attention to the story to make it fly.

The Story. I first saw a workshop of this musical when it was being developed at the Canadian Musical Theatre Project at Sheridan College in which Michael Rubinoff was the Producing Artistic Director. The germ of an idea was there as was the buoyancy of the music and lyrics.  The version produced by Musical Stage Company in association with Canadian Stage has developed it further.

The press information of the story seems almost breathless: “Inspired by true events from 1915 in New York, KELLY v. KELLY reveals the story of a mother and daughter divided by passion, money and what it means to be a woman at a time of huge societal change. When a 19-year-old heiress becomes tangled in an affair with a seductive tango dancer, her distraught mother has her arrested and charged with incorrigibility, sparking a court case that scandalizes the nation.”

Eugenia Kelly was always a dutiful daughter to her mother, Helen Kelly. Eugenia’s father and Helen’s husband, Edward died years before and we don’t know about Eugenia’s relationship with her father. But when Eugenia turned 19-years-old, she was introduced to a more interesting world by her society friends, namely, tango clubs and the men who taught and danced there for a fee. Eugenia became more independent and curious about the world and wanted to get out of the restrained world of her mother. She began an affair with Al Davis, one of the dancers who took a fancy to her. That’s when Eugenia’s mother took drastic measure and had her daughter arrested and charged with “incorrigibility” resulting in the court case.

The Production and comment. Lorenzo Savoini’s set of the courtroom is spare and efficient: the judge’s chair is up center and the prosecutor’s desk and the chair for Helen Kelly is stage left. Everybody but the accused is in court. She’s late. The Judge (Mike Jackson) is impatient. Helen’s lawyer (Joel Cumber) is high-strung and anxious. He wears a bespoke morning suit for court. His hair is slicked back. Helen Kelly (Jessica Sherman) is prim, refined and wears a blouse buttoned up to her neck and a dark grey respectable dress. This is a woman in which decorum is paramount. Nothing flashy or gaudy for her. Her hair is piled high on her head and held tightly in place. Restrained and confined defines Helen Kelly.

Finally, Eugenia Kelly (Eva Foote) arrives, hurrying down the aisle from the theatre, followed by a phalanx of excited reporters wanting a quote etc. She is carefree, wears a flowing dress that could be described as ‘flapper’ and is confident. She says she will defend herself.

The combination of book by Sara Farb and music and lyrics by Britta Johnson is an inspired fit. Both women are literate, gifted, intelligent and know how to mine the heart and mind of their characters. We get a sense of Helen’s life and position as a woman who remains silent and does not question decisions made for her, in the first two songs.

First, “Eugenia’s Entrance.” It is full of activity as Eugenia rushes down the aisle. Her mother remains silent and shocked at the display of the carefree enthusiasm of her daughter. Then “Chosen,” sung by Helen’s mother when Helen was herself 19 years old. Her mother taught Helen to be proper and act with decorum. And what great luck, Helen has been chosen by Edward Kelly of the very influential Kelly family, to be courted for the purpose of marriage. Helen’s mother was socially conscious of how such a match would elevate her and the family’s stature, or that is the impression we get so far. Edward Kelly is 42 years old. Helen as I said is 19. In 1915 no one questioned why a man of 42 years old was still unmarried when marriage was still desirable, or looked askance when he courted/married a woman of 19. From the dialogue we sense that it is Edward’s mother who is pulling the strings and nudging him towards marriage.  

Director Tracey Flye has directed that first meeting of Edward and Helen with effective nuance. Helen wore a lovely flower in her hair. Edward was prim and proper in his suit and tie. He noticed the flower with a little smile? Smirk?  “Is that a flower in your hair” he said? Then carefully took it out of her hair and held the flower. He did not put it in his button hole, he held it, seemingly looking for a place to discard it. Helen was young and inexperienced with this and didn’t know what to make of it. When he delicately took the flower out of her hair on their wedding day, with the same smirk, she frowned as if she had displeased him. Hers would be a life of frowning at such slights.

Helen finally gets her song when she sings “It Used to be Better” in which she recalls how life with her young daughter was wonderful and comforting. They played cards each evening. Her husband was long dead. Helen longs for those days when it used to be better between her and Eugenia.

Eugenia, in the meantime, is a young woman bursting to get out. She runs with a group of women, all free, all with money who are anxious to live an independent life without societal constraints. Suffragettes are agitating for independence for women, and not constrained by their husbands. Eugenia gets so deep into this life of independence, determination and tango dancing that her mother has a song at the end called “You Scare Me.” In that song Helen sings to Eugenia how her pure sense of freedom without restraint scares her. And one assumes leaves her jealous that she, Helen, never had the courage to break away from the societal, social constraints that dictated her life. Helen is wise enough to know that the tango dancer, Al Davis (Jeremy Walmsley) is not a good match for her daughter. We find out how unsuitable he is in court.

Eva Foote as Eugenia and Jessica Sherman as Helen are two powerhouse actor/singers. Eva Foote illuminates all the promise, enthusiasm and pluck of Eugenia. She seems to gulp air she is so hungry for life’s experiences. As Helen, Jessica Sherman is constrained in that somber garb, as if tightened and buttoned into it. She has never allowed herself to loosen up, even after her husband died. Both women sing beautifully. Eva Foote sings with confidence, conviction and determination, as a woman on the brink of taking her life in her hands would do. Jessica Sherman as Helen sings with power and regret at a life slipping by her.  

But for all the positive comments about Eva Foote and Jessica Sherman and the rest of the cast and the writing of Sara Farb and music and lyrics of Britta Johnson, I do have concerns about the piece as a whole.

Are we supposed to actually hear Britta Johnson’s lyrics? I ask because the sound of the microphoned band and that of the microphoned cast are at odds with each other, almost drowning each other out—and there are no horns or percussion in the band. Is it really that impossible to balance the sound in that small theatre?

There are tender moments in Tracey Flye’s direction, but her choreography is so busy and overpowering it’s hard to find a focus for the story. Kelly v. Kelly is not a big Broadway musical but from all the distracting choreography of the chorus in the background, one does get that impression that is what Tracey Flye is going for.

My biggest concern is that I think there are two holes in the narrative. The first concerns Edward Kelly. His appearance in the story is so late in the production—around 50 minutes into this 90 minute show—that his absence seems conspicuous. I think his presence or at least some information about him should be introduced sooner. Why is there so little narrative between Edward and Helen, or at least some inkling that she was not happy in that marriage. Missing her daughter is one thing, we need more information filled in to explain things. Helen had a fear of being left alone. Can one assume she was alone in that marriage? Please tell us more. We also find out late that Helen came from a notable family too—her uncle was the governor and his presence was wanted by Edward. When he didn’t show up, Edward was upset and so was Helen tangentially. While “Chosen” suggests that Helen is fortunate to have caught the eye of Edward, she in fact also had a pedigree that should be established earlier in the narrative.

The second hole in the narrative exists between Eugenia and Helen. Eugenia sees the world in a way Helen does not. What is missing is any kind of conversation between the two of them when the daughter explains her motives to her mother or at least sounds out her mother about her own choices. If Eugenia is rebelling, we need to know from what or whom she is rebelling and why. There is an indication at the end (no worries, I won’t spoil it) that Helen might be knowing when she smiles at her daughter, but that knowing smile is not supported really by any conversation between them. It’s as if Helen read Eugenia’s mind. We need something more substantial.

Again, Sara Farb and Britta Johnson are gifted writers. They excavate into the human heart and mind. And I have faith they can fill in holes too when needed. I’m looking forward to seeing Kelly v. Kelly again, when it’s finished.

Produced by Musical Stage Company in association with Canadian Stage

Plays until June 18, 2023.

Running Time: 90 minutes (no intermission)www.canadianstage.com

{ 0 comments }

Live and in person at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, Ont. Produced by the Canadian Opera Company. Playing May 17, 20, 2023.

www.coc.ca

By Giuseppe Verdi

Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave (with additions by Andrea Maffei)

Based on the “tragedy” (really?) of William Shakespeare

Conductor, Speranza Scappucci

Director, Sir David McVicar

Set by John Macfarlane

Costumes by Moritz Junge

Lighting by David Finn

Choreographer, Andrew George

Cast: Matthew Cairns

Tracy Cantin

Clarence Frazer

Vartan Gabrielian

Alex Halliday

Quinn Kelsey

Őnay Kőse

Adam Luther

Midori Marsh

Liudmyla Monastyrska (May 17, 20)

Alexandrina Pendatchanska

Roland Piers

Charlotte Siegel

Giles Tomkins

Stunning in every way.

NOTE: Opera is not my forte so I won’t be discussing the music, orchestra, playing or the technicalities of singing. I will be discussing the theatricality of the piece.

The story is basically the same with a few trims and edits here and there. Macbeth is a violent soldier in battle. On his way home he sees ‘three’ witches who prophecy that he will become king, a prospect that never occurred to him. Not patient to wait things out, he kills his way to the crown, aided by his supportive, equally strong-willed wife. But things turn sideways for both of them and it ends badly.

I question that it’s a tragedy because neither Shakespeare nor Verdi’s opera has an ‘uh-oh’ scene. It’s that scene, when the protagonist realizes too late (uh-oh), that he’s made a mistake and things can’t really be righted. King Lear realizes that Cordelia really loved him (uh-oh) and he regrets banishing her. Oedipus puts a curse on the person responsible for his kingdom’s bad luck, only to realize (uh-oh) he’s the one responsible. It was prophesied that he would kill his father and marry his mother, and without realizing it (uh-oh) it came to pass. Without that uh-oh scene you have ‘merely’ a drama, and in the case or Macbeth, a bloody good one.  

Director Sir David McVicar has the guts and daring of a bandit. Rather than set the opera in the wilds of the Scottish countryside, he’s set it inside a church. Designer John Macfarlane has a forbidding church with it’s unmistakable cross on the top painted on the scrim. When the curtain rises we are in the dark sanctuary with a cross up at the back. The pews are full of women in black long dresses, holding their bibles, swaying back and forth, as if in a frenzied trance. There are three ever-present children, who could be symbolically the witches—they stare demonically. But it’s really the women who are the witches. One thinks of the Salem witch hunts in Massachusetts, or Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.  

In the scene where Banquo is murdered, it happens in the church and he’s bludgeoned with the cross. As I said, director Sir David McVicar has the guts of a bandit to place the murder there and by the means that it happens. Is McVicar commenting on the hold of the church on people’s lives, to do damage, to control how they think and act? Interesting.

David Finn’s moody lighting is stunning. Shafts of silver light sharply illuminate areas of the black set, and in other areas there is shadow and gloom. The shafts of light are so vivid and stark that in their way there is a sense of terror and doom.

As I said I’m not qualified to comment on the music, conducting or the singing. But….Quinn Kelsey is an imposing Macbeth. He is an actor who can inhabit this killing machine, but also reveal his cold-blooded ambition and his hesitation and horror when he kills the king to get closer to the crown. As the mistakes pile up in his quest to keep the crown, a desperation takes over.

No one can deny the explosion of crystalline sound that is produced by Alexandrina Pendatchanska as lady Macbeth. She is fearless, imposing and commanding when she is plotting her husband’s rise. As the opera goes on she is haunted by so many things, notably the blood she still sees on her hands. In the sleepwalking scene, hair wildly down her back, she is a sad soul, diminished and possessed. The acting is superb throughout.

While there is no Lady McDuff in the opera, there is McDuff sung by Matthew Cairns—heartbreaking and soul squeezing. McDuff is the grieving husband and father. He’s lost everything because of Macbeth and he will get revenge.

Macbeth is a triumph.

The Canadian Opera Company presents:

Playing May 20, 2023.

Running time: 3 hours (1 intermisson)

www.coc.ca

{ 0 comments }