Review: Zadie’s Shoes by Adam Pettle

Posted by riverwriter on Oct 31st, 2008 | 0 comments

GCTC’s second offering of the season, Adam Pettle’s Zadie’s Shoes, is billed as a comedy, but be advised that this play carries with it a considerable burden of sorrow, in the same way that Hamlet is quite witty and funny in places. The central characters, Ruth and Benjamin, have to face her apparently incurable cancer, and his apparently incurable gambling addiction. Add to that her two self obsessed sisters, a financial crisis, and Benjamin’s crisis of faith, and you have the makings of a pretty serious first act. I found the resultant tension almost unbearable, and I certainly wanted to see a payoff with somebody happy at the end of the play. Pettle refused to go in that direction, however, as he ended most of those tensions halfway through the second act, and took the play into some pretty intriguing territory in which the underlying themes of the play become more fully explored.

The dynamics of this play shift from the tension between the naïve wife’s cautious faith in her husband and his dreams of winning big at the track to the husband’s moral journey with the memory of his gambling father and grandfather. This is not a comedy in the facile sense of farce or standup comedy; it is a comedy in the sense that there is a journey of discovery, an ironic journey through a crucible of loss and pain and error toward a result that includes both delusory happiness and possible reformation.

There are moments in this play that are both sweetly touching and profound: the intense dialogues in shul between Benjamin and Eli oscillate between the venal (Eli’s racing tips) and the sublime (Eli as prophet). Peter Froehlich wonderfully juggles the dual task of being both Benjamin’s pathetic father, Jacob, and Benjamin’s fantastical “confessor” (Eli), jokester, and parable spinner in shul. His performance delivers nuances that are a delight to watch.

Dylan Roberts as “Bear” provides both tension and comic relief. His comic timing is impeccable; the character he played, indelible.

Playwright Pettle designed Ruth as a high-level competitive athlete; it is entirely fitting, and somewhat comical in a Canadian play that this sport should gradually be revealed as curling. Having been involved with a production of W. O. Mitchell’s “The Black Bonspiel of Wullie McCrimmon”, I am quite aware of the difficulty of detecting action in this board onstage; yet this production handled the problem ingeniously with a combination overhead projection, combined with brief blackouts of the physical action. But that isn’t all: this scene was juxtaposed against the seeing of the narrated horse race action at the track so that the position of the curling stones also illustrated the progress of the horserace. It was at this precise, beautifully written and staged moment in the middle of act two that the direction of the action changed. From here on, Ruth’s sisters focus on her instead of themselves, and Benjamin’s  luck takes an ironical new direction.

The set design took on the challenge of depicting multiple settings, and it certainly worked in the case of the projected stained-glass for shul and in the case of the various public spaces; however, it was rather overwhelming for an apartment, and somehow the fact that the bedroom appeared only once in the play compromised the visual unity for me.

The three women and the play, although sisters, a very distinct characters; but the play is not designed to delve into their hearts, particularly since their fates are somewhat dismissed at the end of the play; they exist in a fantasy of holiday Mexico, pretty well ignoring all of their realities: Ruth is dying of cancer, Beth has lost her dream of curling victory (although she has reconciled to playing instead of winning), pregnant Lily wants to become an Aztec.

Aaron Willis played the angst driven Benjamin with angst and drive, but sadly not much else. I was hoping for a little more animation from him, some sardonic humor perhaps some wistfulness, but all I could think of was that he is an actor with presence somewhat in the mold of Tom Cruise: energy, but not much depth. He could learn a great deal from Peter Froehlich.

I am glad to see a full-length Canadian script that has more than one or two characters in it coming to the GCTC stage. The full house audience appeared to appreciate it too. Zadie’s Shoes is an intense, thoughtful play; this production lived up to most of its challenges most satisfactorily.

Until November 9, 2008 At GCTC.

Production seen: October 30, 8 pm

Running time about two hours plus intermission.

Director: Lise Ann Johnson

Cast: Peter Froehlich
Anthousa Harris
Kris Joseph
Sarah McVie
Dylan Roberts
Amy Rutherford
Aaron WIllis

Set and Costume Designer: Brian Smith
Lighting Designer: Jock Munro
Original Music and Sound Designer: Cathy Nosaty
Stage Manager: Kevin Waghorn
Apprentice Stage Manager: Adrienne McGrath
Production Dramaturg: Jordana Cox
Clarinette: Kevin Kenny
Crew: Heintz Regener, Dave Muir

Snow and leaves

Posted by riverwriter on Oct 29th, 2008 | 0 comments

It is unusual to have leaves on the trees when we have snow. Here are a few results. Each time you click a photo, it will enlarge. To return here, click the “<” (back one page) button on your browser.

Review: Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire

Posted by riverwriter on Oct 26th, 2008 | 0 comments

David Lindsay-Abaire demonstrates that he is a multi-threat playwright, who here tackles a very sensitive subject—the aftermath of the accidental death of a four-year-old boy—with a simplicity that delivers a high level of sophistication without being “telly” at all. He trusts his audience to “get it”. And we do.

The story is tragic: a little boy is dead, and months later, his parents are still at a loss. The accident has affected their marriage and the repentant teenager who drove the car that fatal day. Among all the recrimination, guilt and despair is the cause: a happy little boy darted out into traffic after his dog.

You’re thinking this is a downer. That’s what I thought as well, but since Jan Irwin had directed it, and I wanted  to see what Steve Martin (not that Steve Martin) had done to the ex-GCTC warehouse-conversion theatre,  I had to go. So with some trepidation, Flora and I braved the hour and a half drive to Ottawa through the heavy autumn rain that reduced the visibility on highway 417 to about three car-lengths by the time we were in Ottawa traffic. Our resolve was rewarded with a remarkable production of a superbly written play in an astoundingly reinvented, spanking new The Gladstone.

As usual in that building, you are greeted by the open set, this time a minimalist representation of a slickly designed modern home with an open living-room/kitchen and a child’s upstairs bedroom.

The mood is set by two entrances: the wife, Becca, enters briskly and performs a household chore, and a forlorn figure passes by in the background, presumably on the street. We do not see this young man until later, when he narrates his letter to the parents, asking to meet them.

There are six characters in this play, Becca, Howie (her husband), Izzy (her sister), Nat (their mother), Jason (the teen), and Danny, the little dead boy, who never appears, but is everywhere.

Maureen Smith is a significant presence in this play, carrying Becca’s inexpressible rage within a brittle exterior that seems to have no available release. All through the play I wanted the action to take me somewhere, the script finally allowed it to happen in the final moments when Jason tells Becca about Prom night. Totally consistent with the rest of her performance, Smith played to that heart-wrenching moment with truth.

Brie Barker played Howie with a natural softness that carried the husband honestly through the emotional traps in this play. Where there could have been bombast, there was tension; where the could have been flippancy, there was depth. Welcome to Ottawa, Brie Barker.

Nancy Kenny, in her first professional appearance, as Izzy, shows wonderful promise. Her Izzy was a clear foil for the drama between Becca and Howie; she was both chorus and subtle comic relief. Lindsay-Abaire wrote her as a complex troubled post-teen and she was certainly up to the challenge.

Michele Fansett’s Nat projected just the right degree of being oblivious to how her foot-in-mouth gaffs were hurting the suffering parents. She played at just the right pitch.

Jesse Griffiths, as Jason, the teen killer/victim, has the challenge of playing a character it would be convenient to despise, as he killed little Danny; but Jason is so scrupulously caring and honest that you have to give in and like him enough to realize that he is suffering deeply, too. Griffiths certainly succeeded, as the subtly built intensity of the scene he plays with Smith attests.

This whole thing came together with grace, pace and balance thanks to some very thoughtful direction I am certain, by Jan Irwin, who has proved over and over that she is a force to be reckoned with in Ottawa. I am looking forward to seeing what she does with Klass Weringh’s All Changed in April at the Gladstone.

So we had a superbly written play, handled with subtlty and grace by five well-directed actors, on a very suitable set, in a very promising theatrical space. This all augurs very well for The Gladstone. I look forward to the rest of the season.

Rabbit Hole

A Gladstone Production

Directed by Janet Irwin
Stage Manager: Samira Rose
Set Designer: Ivo Valentik
Costume Designer: Megan Duffield
Lighting Designer: David Magladry

Performance reviewed: Saturday October 25, 2008 2:30 pm

Running time: about 2 hours

Review: The Unexpected Guest by Agatha Christie

Posted by riverwriter on Oct 24th, 2008 | 0 comments

There are two excellent performances in this production: Bob Blackadder’s very human detective, and Aaron Beaudette’s wonderfully realized Jan certainly stood out for me.

Christie’s rather outrageous script is a red herring run with more silly twists and turns than sense. The preposterous beginning in which the helpful stranger and the new widow engage in a long discussion of what to do about a murder, in the presence of the corpse, beggers credulity. Then virtually every character except the police is implicated as the murderer. The eventual identity of the “guest” was pretty apparent very early on, although Christie seemed to think it would be a surprise, and she may have been right, for there were some in the audience who actually gasped and applauded at the revelation. I expect that the silliness of the script may have been Bruce Baker’s motive for playing Sergeant Cadwallader as a funny rustic, but the rest of the production did not reflect that approach, so I am a little puzzled by the decision.

The Glen Building stage poses significant problems for a full play: it is cramped and the technical facilities are very limited. That may have accounted for the awkward sound cues in the opening. There is a fog horn which sounds a few times, then ends abruptly in mid-hoot, incongruously never to be heard again. The critical fatal gunshot which apparently begins the play did not come off as such, as it may have been a stumble or a door slamming. The one technical element which stood out for me as well done, given the limited capability of the stage was the lighting, which was inobtrusive, as it should be.

Scott Beaudoin was his usual comfortable self on stage, although his confident manipulator was a bit of a one-note performance, rather at odds with his sub-text, of which there was no hint in his performance. For the conceit of the plot to be credible, there really should be hints of the character’s true motivations. Yvonne Evans certainly played Mrs. Warwick with depth and verisimilitude, bringing nuance and control to any scene in which she appeared.

Bruce Manzer played the caregiver Angell with considerable finesse, on just the right key; this was a character that could have been melodramatic, but Manzer kept him in check. Laurie Manzer showed her acting chops in the confrontation scene with Mr. Beaudette, as they both chewed up the scenery in one of the more intense yet inconsistently written scenes in the play. Although Mrs. Bennett’s (Manzer) motivation for leading the hapless Jan into confession made only a little sense as yet another red herring, both actors played it to the hilt. Riley McMullen’s portrayal of Julian, the widow’s secret lover, is not easy to play, as he must convince us he is credible as a lover, yet treacherous, fickle, and motivated to kill. McMullen navigated this tricky path with considerable skill. I have to add that Jimmy Malyon’s corpse impressed me with its stillness, and I say that because playing a corpse is not as easy as it looks.

Nikaiataa Skidders, in her first Vagabond role, played with intensity but not much warmth. I wanted to believe that she was a credible lover; she certainly has the beauty and stage presence, but gave the character little dimension. Much of this might be attributable to the speed with which she delivered her lines. This may have been nerves, but there was no hint of humanity in the character. Only at the curtain call did she smile. If she had just slowed down and let that smile happen earlier on a few times, the whole play would have benefitted. I think Ms. Skidders shows promise: I look forward to seeing her develop.

Aaron Beaudette was a very pleasant surprise. He reminded me of a very young Burt Lancaster. He had a difficult assignment: to play a “retarded”-and-therefore-dangerous stereotypical character. Beaudette brought depth and conviction to the character and really overcame the limitations of the role. His moves were graceful and fluid, almost choreographed. His character was a real tour-de-force; and that is unusual in a young actor. I believe this young man has a future in theatre.

Bob Blackadder did what he always does so well: he was real. He just carried a complete character with him. That was Inspector Thomas on stage with all his ticks, experience and perplexities. He is so interesting to watch, yet he fits into his roles with just the right level of invention and realism. Blackadder really gave this strange play a level of conviction that, frankly the script does not inspire. This is definitely not a Mousetrap.

No one was credited for costumes, so I presume the cast more or less did their own. The beige set did little to allow costume colours to work emotionally, so that we had some strange combinations. The effect of the colour and texture of setting and costume on the emotional tone of the play is often missed in community theatre, and such was the case here. It really pays off in impact if someone who understands these techniques is engaged in this aspect of the production. Theatre is more than acting; it is illusion. Michael Togneri, who is directing Vagabond’s next effort, understands this. I hope he is given the tools he needs to pull it off.

Vagabond Theatre
The Glen Building Cornwall, Ontario Canada
Production Dates: October 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25 2008
Production seen October 23, 8 pm

Producer: Dan Youmell
Director: Katie Burke
Assistant Director: Micheline Lacasse
Stage Manager: Asshley McCool
Props Marjorie McCoy
Set Construction and Detail: Brian Fourney and Dan Youmelle

The hole

Posted by riverwriter on Oct 23rd, 2008 | 0 comments

With autumn rains coming, I wonder when Pitt Street or Fourth Street (or both) will slide into here. Work on the site seems to have stopped. That’s Pitt Street in the background, across from City Hall.

Corner of Pitt and Fourth, Cornwall Ontario