Comment: just a detail

Posted by riverwriter on Jun 13th, 2010 | 3 comments

Licking old wounds is considered to be counterproductive, and it usually is; but sometimes it can be instructive. Please bear with me.

During intermission Friday evening at Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School’s production of The Threepenny Opera, by Kurt Weill and Bertoldt Brecht, the common somewhat frantic theme of conversation in the audience was about the “damn air conditioning”, which was drowning out almost all the dialogue and some of the singing. This may be just a detail for building maintenance crews, but it is a significant detail for the audience and the performers.

Here was a pretty credible production of a very difficult vocal work, (more…)

Review: Taking Leave by Nagle Jackson

Posted by riverwriter on Apr 24th, 2010 | 0 comments

This production is presented with good pace and a sense of style that is a product of the skill of the cast and the perceptive guidance of Director Pat Roddy. In fact the Roddy family is also present in the original musical score, which was composed and devised by award-winning son Justin, a music and soundscape free lancer, who frequently travels to Toronto to insert his scores and soundscapes into professional productions in that city. Roddy’s original score and soundscape for (more…)

Review: Facts by Arthur Milner

Posted by riverwriter on Apr 23rd, 2010 | 0 comments

I hung around waiting for the second act of Arthur Miller’s play, but when I saw cast member John Koensgen in his civvies speaking to fans in the lobby, I knew it was a lost cause. This is not my usual tirade about one-act plays masquerading as full evening of entertainment; that comes later. This is rather a complaint about the script: it’s just not complete.

To elaborate: of the three visible characters in this play, there is no one sympathetic enough or human enough for the audience to identify with. The story concerns an Israeli policeman and a Palestinian policeman who meet in what must be a Palestinian interrogation room to resolve the issue of who killed an American archaeologist whose work appears to prove that much of the Bible never happened. Eventually they bring in an Israeli fanatic for questioning. Things escalate, and the Israeli policeman **spoiler alert** shoots him dead.

The script just does not give us enough about any of these three men to have any more than a spectator interest in the events depicted. That is why I say it needs another act: it needs another act to give us the human side of these three men, to explore their motives, their humanity. To give some meaning other than obvious stereotypes to their existence.

The ending—in which Yossi (Koensgen) shoots a prisoner, Danny (Kris Joseph) after brutalizing him—has all the appearances of being tacked on simply because Miller needed an ending. Yossi’s hot temper and political inclinations certainly do not provide a motive or rationale for the shooting. All the shooting does is raise questions about what happens next to Yossi. This is a really puzzling development because the script has not focused our attention on Yossi; our attention has been focused on the suspect, Danny, and the much more interesting and introspective Palestinian policeman, Khalid (Sam Kalilieh).

GCTC has this season started the practice of including a blank post it note in the printed program, asking the audience member to answer a question or write a comment. The questions vary. The question in my program was, “What do you think this play is about?” I have a sneaking suspicion that this question was asked because somebody didn’t know the answer. I’ll tell you what the play should have been about. It should have been about motive, and the motives had to be examined in a much longer play that would show us how the humanity of these three men caused them to act as they did. Some rhetorical questions: Why was Khalid so even-tempered and fair? Why was Yossi so angry? Why was Danny so radicalized? Why did Yossi kill Danny? Why should we like any of them?

The problematic script aside, there was still a great deal to like about this production. All three actors were convincing within the confines of the script. Koensgen and Kalilieh, who carried the bulk of the action, played well together and were excellent foils for each other. Joseph trod the very fine line between innocent man and terrorist with just the right approach; he was very convincing either way. The set worked very well, giving us a very clear picture immediately of where we were. The photomontage at the beginning was interesting, and helped to set the background for the situation; but the style did not continue, and in a sense, contributed to the unfinished feeling of this production.

So once again, we have a sixty-five-ish minute production masquerading as a full evening’s entertainment. Please, let’s return to full length plays.

Facts by Arthur Milner Running time: 67 minutes Production reviewed April 22, 2010 8 pm

Facts By Arthur Milner
A Great Canadian Theatre Company and New Theatre of Ottawa co-production
Directed by Patrick McDonald

Cast:

Kris Joseph: Danny
Sam Kalilieh: Khalid
John Koensgen: Yossi

Creative team:
Set and lighting designer: Martin Conboy
Set design associate; Yvan Cazabon
Costume designer: Sarah Waghorn
Stage manager: Jean Vanstone Osborn
Apprentice stage manager: Chantal Hayman
Assistant director: Patrick Gauthier

Production crew:
Sound operator: Jon Carter
Lighting operator: Darryl Bennett
Head scenic painter: Stephanie Dahmer
Head of wardrobe: GeneviEve Gauthier

Crew:
Kevin Kenny
Sean Lamothe

Review: the comedy of errors by William Shakespeare

Posted by riverwriter on Apr 18th, 2010 | 0 comments

At first, I was somewhat concerned that the striking modern metallic set was sterile place for this comedy; but it soon became evident to me that it was really a superb visual context for the over-the-top style of the piece. Now let me explain: upon entering the theatre, the audience is greeted by an enchanting aqua tinted entirely metallic space, featuring a model of what might be a galleon under full sail and a tiny portrait of the Queen. This set features a number of witty contrivances that allow quick insertion of furnishings and occasionally even characters, much to the delight of the audience. The technical virtuosity (more…)

Review: blood.claat: one oomaan story by d’bi.young anitafrika

Posted by riverwriter on Mar 12th, 2010 | 0 comments

As I watched this tour de force one-woman show performed by the playwright herself, I was struck by her ability to project and maintain a high intensity of very colourful and passionate expression, and to switch ingeniously among a variety of clearly defined characters. As well, I was impressed by the very effective and visceral soundscape and the simple, but flexible and appropriate set, as well as the tight unity of the script, which is very focused upon its thematic base: various manifestations of blood in the life of a young Jamaican woman.

As if those successes are not enough, Anitafrika successfully navigates the tricky territory of her central manifestation of blood: menstruation. This taboo subject is represented to us physically by the fabrics that the central character frantically (more…)