(L-R) Jay Sullivan as Spike and Josie de Guzman as Masha in the Alley Theatre’s production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Photo by John Everett.

 

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

Written by: Christopher Durang

Directed By: Jonathan Moscone

Company – Alley Theatre

Run dates: May 23 – June 15, 2014

http://www.alleytheatre.org/Alley/Vanya_and_Sonia_and_Masha_and_Spike.asp

 

“Beware the Ideas of March…..beware the middle of the month…..beware of Greeks bearing gifts…..beware of chicken with salmonella”. The warnings come fast and furious out of the mouth of Cassandra, the sassy, voodoo practicing black housekeeper employed by 50-something brother and sister Vanya and Sonia in Christopher Durang’s 2013 Tony-winning Best Play, Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike now playing at the Alley Theatre. But if Cassandra was dolling out warnings, a more pressing one would have been, beware the shiny allure of award-winning plays as they are not always the gems they’re made out to be. Such is the case here, despite some sure direction by Gregory Boyd, a gorgeous Pennsylvania Farmhouse set by Douglas W. Schmidt and a cast that does it’s best to please us.

The overly obviously comedic Chekhovian homage centres around three middle age age siblings. Vanya (played with affable crankiness by Jeffrey Bean) and Sonia (Sharon Lockwood channeling a sweet but resentful spinster nebbish) have wasted their lives caring for ill parents and now shuffle the days away inside their family home with nothing better to do but bicker and sit in the morning room looking for blue heron. Their lives, such as they are, become disrupted when their third sibling, aging B-list movie and theatre star Masha (the gratingly Gloria Swanson-esque Josie de Guzman) and her young air-headed lover Spike (the washboard-stomached Jay Sullivan) come to visit. Masha is there both to attend a costume party and inform Vanya and Sonia that she is selling the home. After years of paying all the house bills (perhaps as penance for leaving the care of her parents to her siblings) Masha claims that the financial burden is too high for an actress on the down slope of her career. Add in additional characters, the voodoo housekeeper Cassandra (Rachel Holmes making the best out of an ill-fitting character) and Nina (the peppy Sarah Nealis) the pretty, young wanna-be actress from next door and that’s about as interesting as it gets.

Apart from the in your face Chekhov nods (the names of the characters, the farm near a pseudo a cherry orchard, the selling of the family home as subject etc.) there is little of the great writer in the script. Sure there are some giggles to be had (in fairness there were ribald clucks of laughter all around me). Spike’s constant need to disrobe is mildly amusing if not visually appealing. Masha’s Maggie Smith costume for the party and resulting impression is terrific. Cassandra even manages to hit occasional comedic notes despite the unnecessary and uncomfortable inclusion of her character in the play. But even in these mildly humorous instances, there is a distinct sense that no moment in the play feels unplanned or far enough away from the mediocre fare on sit-com television to warrant our attention.

Worse still is the out of left field inclusion of an overly long and angry rant by Vanya about the good old days that includes everything from licking stamps to Ed Sullivan to Ozzie and Harriet. Bean handles the befuddling monologue with aplomb but even he can’t make the writing feel like it has any business in this play. Nor to my mind can Boyd or his cast make it feel like Durang’s Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike has any business commanding such a lauded place in theatrical history. Beware the promise of the Tony, my friends. Beware.

RATING

For Chekhov lovers – If you’re idea of a clever homage is having Vanya be referred to as “Uncle” at some point in the play, then I guess you’ll be pleased. But with nods this obvious and unoriginal, there is little to be impressed with. SKIP IT

For Chekhov newbies – There is no need to have read one word of Chekhov to get what you need out of this play. Which isn’t a recommendation so much as a fact. Your enjoyment will all depend on your palate for “see the joke coming a million miles away” type humour, nicely acted and neatly packaged. MAYBE SEE IT

For the occasional theatre goer – With humour that requires you do nothing but sit back and let the easily digestible story amuse you, this may very well be your cup of tea. Add in a beautiful set and a decent cast and money’s worth entertainment might be the verdict.  SEE IT

For the theatre junkie –  What’s worse? The overly broad humour? The painfully obvious dialogue and story arc? The limp noodle Chekhov nods? Or the inclusion of characters and monologues that simply don’t belong? SKIP IT

 

 

 

 

Rutherford Cravens (top) and Kyle Sturdivant (bottom) in Wil Eno’s, Middletown.Photo Credit: Anthony Rathbun

Middletown
Written by: Will Eno
Directed by Kyle Sturdivant
Company: Catastropic Theatre
Run Date: May 23 – June 14, 2014

http://catastrophictheatre.com/shows/middletown/about

 

Is it really necessary to leave the gravitational bonds of earth to fully understand that human loneliness is a beast of our own making? In Will Eno’s 2010 play, Middletown, directed by Kyle Sturdivant at The Catastrophic Theatre, the answer seems to be decidedly yes. It’s a lesson served up to us near the end of the second act when a lone and isolated astronaut (Greg Dean) waxes poetic to ground control from his ambiguous orbit above earth. Our planet, he declares, is not only beautiful in its perfect roundness, but in the people down there all one breath away from connecting and being and living. But make no mistake, Middletown, is neither space age fantasy nor hokey Hallmark musings. This is a play set firmly on the ground that examines the eccentricities of human birth, death and everything in between with pathos, humour and at times a tongue very firmly planted in its own cheek. It’s also a play that has been beautifully and simply brought to life by Sturdivant and his stellar cast.

The play unfolds in a succession of interactions between the quirky characters of the nowhere and everywhere town of Middletown. The houses may look like they come from the set of Leave it to Beaver and the music that populates the play might have come from a 60’s Tupperware commercial, but the townsfolk of Middletown are anything but shiny, happy people. There’s newcomer Mrs. Swanson (the soothing and lovely Patricia Swanson) who is attempting to have a baby despite her husband’s more than frequent business trips and her own fears of motherhood. For friendship she turns to John Dodge (a wonderfully anxious yet tender Kevin Lusignolo), the sweet but smart loser endlessly between jobs and ill-equipped to deal with life’s bumps on his own. It’s these two that Eno focuses our attention on as a kind of grounding relationship by which to measure the rest of the town.

These other characters fall neatly within the usual suspects category if the usual suspects all had their manufacturer’s warranty expired and experiencing an electrical short of one kind of another. A prickly fourth-wall breaking cop (played with wonderful contained boil by Rutherford Cravens) craves human connection despite his distance, violence and disgust. The mother figure librarian (a wonderfully saccharine Lyndsay Sweeney) gives to everyone but has obsessions of her own. An obstetrician (the hilarious Xzavien Hollins), jas a bedside manner that alternates between soothingly informative and existentially alarming. Most attention grabbing however is Craig (a spectacular Kevin Sturdivant doing double time as Director/Actor), the drug addicted town mechanic/nut who has the singular ability to rifle through garbage for pills while  articulating with heartbreaking suscintness what he wants out of life. “I want to be beautiful….I want to know love.” It’s a line that hits up between the eyes as tragic in equal parts because we know Craig will never find either of these things and because while other townsfolk may, their ignorance of the desire might keep them from it.

Smartly Eno doesn’t bog us down with the sadly deep and profound to make his point. Middletown finds our funny bone in enough places to keep us interested and out of the human existence doldrums for too long. Of particular note are a pair of jaded dilettante tourists (played with perfect comic timing by Kevin Jones and Amy Bruce) who collect esoteric meaning in travel experiences which they then wear like a gifted jewelry they may exchange for more expensive bobbles. Lonely and disconnected this couple may be, but damn if we arent’ going to laugh at them anyway. Additionally, Eno inlcudes a brilliant playwright “screw-you” just before intermission that loops the time continuum by including a scene of audince members at the  intermission of a production of Middletown. “I think there may be a romance brewing between Mary and John”, one patron says. Oh dear we think. Are we really going  to end up in cliche land in the second act. Rest assured, Eno is in on the jokle and very happy not to go there.

Sturdivant matches Eno’s witty script and loopy arcs with elegantly efficient direction that intelligently brings simplicity to the stage and gets out-of-the-way of the play. The juxtaposition of the controlled zaniness in the script and Sturdivant’s pared down direction and Ryan McGettigan’s set design elicits a deliciously surreal effect that serves not only the dialogue but generously lets each one of thecast members shine. Middletown may be a musing on human connection and our ability or inability to find it, but this terrific production has no problem connecting with the audience, our funny bone or our thinking cap.

 

RATING

For comedy enthusiasts – I suppose the comedy could be described as a cocktail blender of Wes Anderson meets Wallace Shawn with a soupcon of Nietzsche thrown in. However that doesn’t quite cover it. Point is, yes you’ll laugh if your sense of humour runs in the eccentric direction. But be warned that things take a darker  turn in the second act. However, sometimes it’s good to get a little vegetables in with your sweets. SEE IT

For drama enthusiasts – Yes there is meaning galore in this philosophically circular play. After all, you can’t write a play about loneliness and human dis-connection and not have something to say. But deep doesn’t mean dour in this play. Humour abounds and laugh you will. But after all, all work and no play makes for a dull boy. SEE IT

For the occasional theatre goer – I’m not sure the words eccentric, esoteric or philosophical are bull’s-eye to your theatre preferences. Yes the narrative is more or less linear, the comedy is accessible and there is a plot to be had, but the packaging of this play may be too off the beaten track for your liking. SKIP IT

For the theatre junkie – OK smarty-pants – yes you’ll see the cheeky nod to Thornton Wilder’s, Our Town. And yes, Eno was intentional in his send up of the genre. But Middletown deserves to be enjoyed on its own merits. It’s an intelligently wry and clever look at the human condition directed here with panache and performed with immense talent. SEE IT

It took our four critic-judges almost 5 hours to decide on 103 nominees in 18 categories, but in the end we are all very pleased with the contendenders this year. Every category is full of strong artists that delighted and surprised us over the season and we feel lucky to have witnessed all thier talent and hard work.

So, without further ado – here are the nominees for the 2014 Critter Awards along with information on how to RSVP for the June 18th Awards Event. Remember, space is limited so get in touch early to secure your spot.
2014 Critter Nominations Announced
Calgary Theatre Critics’ Awards honour 103 nominees in 18 categories

Calgary Theatre Critics, Stephen Hunt of the Calgary Herald, Louis B. Hobson of the Calgary Sun, Jenna Shummoogum of Downtown Calgary and Jessica Goldman of CBC’s The Eyeopener and applause-meter.com are pleased to announce the nominees for the third annual Calgary Theatre Critics’ Awards.

Nominees were chosen from any production performed in Calgary between August, 2013 and June, 2013, with the exception of Broadway Across Canada performances. The winners will be announced at a free public award ceremony on June 18 at The Libertine Public House, 223 8 Ave SW.

The 2014 Critter nominees are:

Featured Actor in a Play:
Graham Percy – Twelfth Night (The Shakespeare Company)
Paul Welch – The Hounds of the Baskervilles (Vertigo Theatre)
Dj Gellatly – The Basement Boys (Theatre BSMT)
David Snider – The Diary of Ann Frank (Rosebud Theatre)
Richard Lee Hsi – Games (Alberta Theatre Projects)

Featured Actress in a Play:
Kandis Chappell – Major Barbara (Theatre Calgary)
Katey Hoffman – You Will Remember Me (Alberta Theatre Projects)
Genevieve Pare – Late, A Cowboy Song (Third Street Theatre)
Sarah Wheeldon – Twelfth Night (The Shakespeare Company)
Lindsay Burns – Camp Victoria (Lunchbox Theatre)

Featured Actress in a Musical:
Ester Purvis Smith – Bingo Ladies (Lunchbox Theatre)
Sarah Irwin – Spring Awakening (Artists’ Collective Theatre)
Susan Gilmour – Mary Poppins (Theatre Calgary)
Gabrielle Jones – Fiddler on the Roof (Stage West)
Natascha Girgis – Fiddler on the Roof (Stage West)

Featured Actor in a Musical:
Andrew Macdonald-Smith – Mary Poppins (Theatre Calgary)
Jack Forestier – Mary Poppins (Theatre Calgary)
Brent Middleton – Spring Awakening (Artists’ Collective Theatre)
Brian MacDougall – Spring Awakening (Artists’ Collective Theatre)

Best Solo Performance:
Kyall Rakoz – Ludwig and Lohengrin
Tara Travis – Til Death, The Six Wives of Henry VIII (Monster Theatre)
Dave Kelly – Dad, Day 1 (Lunchbox Theatre)
Nathan Schmidt – Underneath the Lintel (Rosebud Theatre)
Chase Padgett – Nashville Hurricane

Best Set Design:
Anton de Groot – Travels with my Aunt (Vertigo Theatre)
Daniel Ostling – Major Barbara (Theatre Calgary)
Cory Sincennes – Mary Poppins (Theatre Calgary)
Narda McCarroll – Around the World in 80 Days (Alberta Theatre Projects)
Scott Penner – I love you because (Stage West)

Best Technical Design:
Matthew Waddell – Tomorrow’s Child (Ghost River Theatre)
Ana Cappelluto, Richard Feren and Elysha Poirier – Seeds (Theatre Junction)
T. Erin Gruber – A bomb in the Heart (Downstage)
David Leclerc, Bruno Matte and Creighton Doane – Boom (Theatre Calgary / High Performance Rodeo)
Jamie Nesbitt – The Hounds of the Baskervilles (Vertigo Theatre)

Best Actor in a Musical:
Geoffrey Ewert – Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Sage Theatre)
Scott Shpeley – Touch Me: Songs for a (dis)connected Age (Forte Musical Theatre Guild)
Christian Goutsis – Touch Me: Sings for a (dis)connected Age (Forte Musical Theatre Guild)
Victor A Young – Fiddler on the Roof (Stage West)
Eric Wigston – Spring Awakening (Artists’ Collective Theatre)

Best Actress in a Musical:
Bree Greig – Do you want what I have got? A Craigslist Cantata (Alberta Theatre Projects / High Performance Rodeo)
Lisa Lennox – Touch Me: Songs for a (dis)connected Age (Forte Musical Theatre Guild)
Selina Wong – Touch Me: Songs for a (dis)connected Age (Forte Musical Theatre Guild)
Elinor Holt – Bingo Ladies (Lunchbox Theatre)
Stefanie Lis – Spring Awakening (Artists’ Collective Theatre)

Best Touring Production:
Kim’s Convenience (Soulpepper)
6.0: How Heap and Pebble Took on the World and Won (Northern Lights Theatre)
Do you want what I have got? A Craigslist Cantata (Acting Up Stage Company and Factory Theatre)
Seeds (Porte Parole)
A Brimful of Asha (Why Not Theatre)

Best Actress in a Play:
Amy Rutherford – The Great Gatsby (Theatre Calgary)
Natascha Girgis – Around the World in 80 Days (Alberta Theatre Projects)
Allison Lynch – Closer (Ground Zero Theatre and Hit & Myth Productions)
Beryl Bain – The Mountaintop (Theatre Calgary)
Carmen Aguirre – The Motherf***er with the Hat (Alberta Theatre Projects)

Best Actor in a Play:
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee – Kim’s Convenience (Theatre Calgary)
Dean Paul Gibson – Major Barbara (Theatre Calgary)
Duval Lang – You Will Remember Me (Alberta Theatre Projects)
Greg Wilson – The Basement Boys (Theatre BSMT)
Braden Griffiths – My Family and Other Endangered Species (Downstage)

Best New Script:
Dad, Day 1 – Dave Kelly (Lunchbox Theatre)
Games – Linda Griffiths (Alberta Theatre Projects)
You Will Remember Me – Francois Archambault (Alberta Theatre Projects)
My Family and Other Endangered Species – Ellen Close and Braden Griffiths (Downstage)
The Basement Boys – Steven Owad (Theatre BSMT)

Best Creative Concept:
Tomorrow Child – Eric Rose, Matt Waddell and David van Belle (Ghost River Theatre) Eavesdrop: The Coffeeshop Show – Mark Hopkins and Charles Netto (Swallow-A-Bicycle Theatre)
Legend Has It – Rebecca Northan, with Renee Amber, Bruce Horak, Mark Meer, Jamie Northan and Sean Bowie (Alberta Theatre Projects)
Of Fighting Age – Col Cseke and Christopher Duthie (Verb Theatre)
Boom – Rick Miller (Theatre Calgary / High Performance Rodeo)

Best Director Musical:
JP Thibodeau – Touch Me: Songs for a (dis)connected Age (Forte Musical Theatre Guild) Kelly Reay – Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Sage Theatre)
Amiel Gladstone – Do you want what I have got? A Craigslist Cantata (Alberta Theatre Projects / High Performance Rodeo)
Michael Shamata – Mary Poppins (Theatre Calgary)
Amanda Liz Cutting – Spring Awakening (Artists’ Collective Theatre)

Best Director Play:
Dennis Garnum – Major Barbara (Theatre Calgary)
Vanessa Porteous – You Will Remember Me (Alberta Theatre Projects)
Simon Mallett – Travels with my Aunt (Vertigo Theatre)
Chelsey Fawcett – The Basement Boys (Theatre BSMT)
Kate Newby – Twelfth Night (The Shakespeare Company)

Best Musical:
Touch Me: Songs for a (dis)connected Age, Forte Musical Theatre Guild
Do you want what I have got? A Craigslist Cantata, Alberta Theatre Projects / High Performance Rodeo
Fiddler on the Roof, Stage West
Mary Poppins, Theatre Calgary
Spring Awakening, Artists’ Collective Theatre

Best Play:
Major Barbara, Theatre Calgary
You Will Remember Me, Alberta Theatre Projects
My Family and Other Endangered Species, Downstage
Kim’s Convenience, Theatre Calgary
Twelfth Night, The Shakespeare Company

In addition, the critics will be handing out the Evans Award, a special award recognizing outstanding contribution to the vibrancy of the theatre community in Calgary. The award recipient will be revealed on the night of the event.

To attend the Calgary Critics’ Awards please RSVP to critterawards2014@gmail.com as soon as possible as there are a limited number of spots available. Doors open at 7pm with complimentary nibbles for everyone, the awards will begin at 8pm and the celebration will continue until they kick us all out.

The Calgary Critics would like to thank their event sponsors: Calgary Herald, Calgary Sun, Bottom Line, Clarice Siebens and Petrocraft Storage Inc. for their support and enthusiasm.

(l to r) Rene Abdon, Dj Gellatly, Greg Wilson and Jesse Anderson. Photo by: Eric Peters.

 

The Basement Boys presented by Theatre BSMT

EPCOR Centre Motel

Friday, May 9 – Friday, May 16

http://www.theatrebsmt.ca/Theatre_BSMT/Whats_On.html

Listen to my review of The Basement Boys on CBC’s Eyeopener at http://www.cbc.ca/eyeopener/columnists/theatre/2014/05/12/jessica-goldman-reviews-basement-boys/

 

RATING

For the occasional theatre goer – Make no mistake, this is not an easy fun slacker comedy. Instead, this  dramatic play takes an insightful and sometimes disturbing look at these 20-somethings still living in their parent’s homes and examines why they are so stuck. There is drinking, drugs, foul language and attitudes and behaviour that might anger you, but it’s all in service of an exciting and at times edge of your seat story where the curve balls will thrill you and the acting impresses all around.  SEE IT

For the theatre junkie – This play is an incredible accomplishment across the board. Owad’s writing is searingly authentic and his ability to throw curves and keep us on our toes all production is thrilling. Fawcett’s smart direction hits you from the minute walk into the theatre and doesn’t let up until the last perfect moment on the play. The entire cast goes to town with their roles with special mention to Greg Wilson who channeled Phillip Seymour Hoffman for his exquisitely realized character. If this is the emerging talent Calgary has to look forward to from writers, directors and actors, the city is in for a treat! SEE IT

 

(l to r) Ashley Wright and  Jamie Koncheck. Photo by Trudie Lee.

 

The Red Priest (Eight Ways to Say Goodbye)

April 29 – May 17, 2014

Martha Cohen Theatre

http://www.atplive.com/2013-2014-season/Red_Priest/index.html

Listen to my review from CBC’s Calgary Eyeopener at 

http://www.cbc.ca/eyeopener/columnists/theatre/2014/05/08/jessica-goldman-reviews-red-priest/

 

RATING

For lovers of Vivaldi – Tip of the hat to playwright Mieko Ouchi who did her research on the famed composer and offers up a fairly accurate portrayal of what the latter years his life might have been like. But for those of you who except to be regaled with swaths of his music throughout the show or gain insight into his process or inspirations, no such luck. Vivaldi’s music features lightly in this production that is far more concerned with beautiful (but flawed) writing than about the music itself. MAYBE SEE IT

For the occasional theatre goer – Sure there are the seeds of a story embedded in this play, but it is too subtle to satisfy. Without allowing you to see and savour the budding affection between Vivaldi and his noblewoman student, the audience never really buys the love affair. In addition, scenes composed of only metaphor and one too many monologues will distract and distance you. SKIP IT

For theatre junkies – Ouchi’s writing is haltingly beautiful at times and the performances are strong. But the decision to add a superfluous third character into this production, some questionable design decisions and a narrative that never really takes flight makes this production overly frustrating in too many places. MAYBE SEE IT

(L to R) Mathieu Bourossa and Duval Lang. Photo Credit: Jason Mehmel

 

Michel and Ti-Jean

May 1 – 10, 2014

Studio Theatre

www.sagetheatre.com

Listen to my review from CBC’s Calgary Eyeopener at http://www.cbc.ca/eyeopener/columnists/theatre/2014/05/05/jessica-goldmans-latest-review-1/

 

RATING

For Kerouac/Tremblay fans – Neither one of this literary giants comes off as likeable in this production. Kerouac is portrayed as a bitter/self-pitying drunk whose stream of conscious prose sounds like a slightly elevated Hallmark card. Tremblay is drawn as a sycophantic, gosh-wow, fairly empty-headed young writer. All this would have been fine I suppose,  if their conversation had elicited anything resembling heft or even interest. Instead it’s a minutia navel gazing that offers no real insight or intrigue. SKIP IT

For newbies to the writers – This is a name dropping, reference ridden narrative that will leave you in the dark much of the time. Yes, you’ll get the basic gist of the men’s style of writing and topics of choice, but you’d be far better off reading their works themselves to imagine what a meeting of these minds might have been like. SKIP IT

For the occasional theatre goer – A two-hour conversation between writers who are far less interesting than the work they produce most certainly will not ring your bell. SKIP IT

For the theatre junkie – Not even an incredible talent like Duval Lang (as Kerouac) could save this play from being a slog. With a distinct lack of tension, no real intellectual challenge and a trajectory that reeks of cliché, this is an utter disappointment all around. SKIP IT

 

Vanessa Sabourin in Monstrosities. Photo Credit  Marc J Chalifoux Photography.

 

Monstrocities

May 1 – 10, 2014

Joyce Doolittle Theatre

www.pumphousetheatre.ca

 

There is no moral/societal tut tutting in Urban Curvz and The Maggie Tree’s production of Monstrosities, a play that examines image and its harmful effects on certain women. No feminist lecture on how we are all beautiful regardless of our flaws or how the world defines us esthetically. Instead, Monstrosities, directed by Sandra Nicholls, introduces us to three women whose appearance spits in the face of the beauty norm and  invites us to stare, to gawk, to hear their stories and make of them what we will. Freak? Victim? Appropriator?  The verdict remains open to interpretation. It’s most certainly an interesting jumping off point for thought-provoking theatre, but unfortunately here the idea is often more intriguing than the execution.

Performed in post dramatic style (plotless) the play unfolds in three twenty minutes monologues and introduces us to three females , each of whom have been branded with the freak flag based on their particular deviance. Amber Borotsik tackles the first role as a woman with see through skin living a life of self-inflicted isolation as a kind of ode to the Japanese practice of hikikomori and to shield herself from the cries of disgust she encounters in public. But an online connection with a boy leads to his asking her out and we watch as she struggles to overcome her fear of rejection. While certainly we have empathy for this fragile creature’s struggle, our patience in this portion is taxed greatly by the repetitive day-dream trope that delays her exit. Not even Erin Gruber’s clever video projections that utilize traditional animation, live streaming and mashups of the uber romantic film Before Sunrise, help to bring traction to this ultimately deflated monologue. We note the conclusion of the scene with barely a shrug. We’ve briefly gawked, lost interest and moved on.

Vanessa Sabourin tackles the second monologue, employing a more distinctly attention grabbing character. Or perhaps monster is a better description. Dressed in army-like clothes with a waxy eyebrowless face and traces of scars on her neck, this is an aggressive creature that makes no apologies for her otherness. She’s known she was different from childhood when dental problems belied what was to come. Three sets of teeth later with new ones falling out all the time, made for an awkward adolescence we are told. Add to that an acute sense of other people who she possibly wants to eat coupled with her ability to be reborn and adulthood isn’t much easier. So of course it’s no surprise that a TV crew wants to film her and her baby for their “look at that freak, thank heavens it’s not me” style of reality show. Exploitation is the theme in this segment which asks us if the truly horrific deserve our sympathy. Credit should be given for not allowing sentiment to creep into the portrayal and Sabourin does a fine job spewing anger and painfully spitting out teeth. But the monologue suffers from fairly unimaginative staging, unimpressive video elements and bookend padding in the form of a tornado metaphor that oozes unnecessary esoteric showboating.

Kristi Hansen closes out the show as the woman formerly known as Long Jean Sliver, the porn star lass whose claim to fame was having a bigger penis than the men she starred with. Or at least that’s how she was marketed. As the strangely titillating, decidedly odd, melancholy and ultimately empowering scene plays out, we come to realize that when it comes to this woman, what you eventually see is not what others have claimed you’d get. It’s a brave and compelling performance by Hansen that would have benefitted from less reliance on what we assume is some kind of 1970’s porn or fetish film taking over the monologue while “Jean” sits wordless.  This is a woman with much to say (and show) and silencing her in favour of a film facsimile felt like theatrical theft.

Each one of the three scenes in Monstrosities had worthwhile notions to explore but in different ways failed to land due to various directorial decisions and lack of narrative depth. Together they make an interesting suite of yet to be refined glimpses of what we normally stare at or look away from. Perhaps after looking a little harder at their creation and working on its weaknesses, this is a production that will resonate more strongly.

 

RATING

For the occasional theatre goer – With the post dramatic structure, loose monologue style that doesn’t offer up easily digestible stories  and a somewhat ambiguous point to it all, this one is way out of your comfort zone. SKIP IT

For theatre junkies – Strong performers, some excellent use of video design and the seeds of several compelling ideas to ponder can’t help us fully connect with this underdeveloped play. But keep an eye out should it ever come back in what will hopefully be a more engaging incarnation. SKIP IT

 

 

 

 

 

 

Victor A. Young as Tevye. Photographer: John Watson

 

Fidler on the Roof

April 17 – June 22, 2014

Stage West

http://www.stagewestcalgary.com/shows.html

 

“On the one hand…on the other hand”. This is the back and forth reasoning employed by Tevye, the Jewish milkman, as he struggles to think through the challenges that face his family and his traditional way of life in his little Russian village of Anatevka in the classic 1964 musical Fiddler on the Roof. In this version, brought to us by Stage West and directed by Elizabeth Stepkowski Tarhan, considering all sides in this manner is not just Tevye’s process, but perhaps the most fitting way of discussing what is ultimately an uneven production. So, to misquote the Good Book Tevye-style, if the process ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Herewith are the pros and cons of the production:

 

The music

One the one hand – Jerry Bock’s music and Sheldon Harnick’s lyrics remain wonderful as always.  Each and every tune in Fidler is an earworm waiting to happen. Here the cast honours it fully with strong and beautiful voices and a live band that sticks to tradition and gives us the arrangements we expect.

On the other hand – A beautiful voice without the ability to act or fully emote the music renders numbers limp and lifeless and this was the case whenever Tevye’s daughters had their moments. In particular, the Matchmaker number (where the girl’s look forward to and then dread the outcomes of their arranged marriages) performed by Tzeitel (Elena Porter), Chava (Arielle Rombough) and Hodel (Sarah Higgins) lost all its girlish, hopeful charm due to the trio’s inability to bring their characters to life in any way but hitting the correct notes.

 

The dancing

On the one hand – Choreographer Phil Nero did a lovely job recreating the wedding scene tenuous bottle dance and generally the younger male cast members charged with the bulk of the Jewish/Russian style of dance delivered.

On the other hand – Tevye (Victor A. Young) often looked like he was having minor seizures rather than letting loose in dance.

 

Speaking of Tevye

On the one hand – Despite some physical awkwardness, Young does a terrific job brining Tevye to life as a loveable, sometimes hard-headed, father and husband trying to adjust to the world around him. This is a character that needs to ooze warmth so that we attach instantly and allow the character to guide us through the story and his struggles and Young won our hearts from the start. It was an easy-going performance that forced nothing and instead let the natural allure of Tevye shine.

On the other hand – At times Young’s performance too easy going. His If I Were a Rich Man number where Tevye fantasizes about a life with gobs of money didn’t quite ramp up to the passionate frenzy it should have. Additionally in other scenes, Young’s anger never really seemed to boil at full temperature. Tevye is loveable and ultimately pliable, but his story should have been more of an emotional roller coaster along the way.

 

The direction

One the one hand – Stepkowski Tarhan’s staging of The Dream, where Tevye recounts his fake nightmare to his wife Golde (strongly played by Gabrielle Jones) in order to get his eldest daughter out of an arranged marriage, was both perfectly theatrical and visually splendid. As was her treatment of the bar scene where that same marriage arrangement was initially hatched. Stepkowski Tarhan also wisely let Natascha Gurgis as Yenta, the matchmaker, go full throttle and deliver a wonderfully comic and bitter performance. The directorial decision to move the intermission up a scene to land in a happy place rather than when tragedy strikes was a clever way to keep the energy of the audience up for this long production.

On the other hand – While the tragic pogrom scene is smartly delayed until the second act, it’s a total dud. Rather than showing the devastation and destruction caused by these kinds of raids, Stepkowski Tarhan merely had her actors knock over a table and rip open a pillow. Hardly worth ending a wedding celebration over.  But the biggest complaint is the feeling that that show was about two beats too fast the entire production. Rather than letting the dialogue breathe, the cast is flung from one number to another, at times feeling mechanical and at other times feeling like they simply had to rush the show for fear of keeping us there too long.

 

The set

On both hands – Apart from the fact that it worked the way it was supposed to, there can be nothing positive to say about Sean D. Ellis’s set design. Depicting a poor town doesn’t have to mean ugly, but that’s what Ellis gave us with a house that looked like it was rubbed in ashes, a half dead tree and a colour scheme that resembled baby poop. The best that can be said is that it was functional.

 

RATING

Keeping the hands thing going…

This is the trillionth production of Fidler I’ve been to. Or at least it seems that way. One the one hand, it’s certainly not the best one I’ve seen. But on the other hand, it’s far from the worst. The music holds up after all these years as does the story. The production is comfortably familiar with strong voices that don’t always thrill outside of the notes.

If you’ve never seen Fidler – This production is a nice place to start. SEE IT

If you’re a Fidler fanatic – Hits and misses make this a decent if not spectacular production. MAYBE SEE IT

For the occasional theatre goer – The story and music are wonderful, as are some of the performances, but at over two hours, this is a long production that doesn’t always keep the pace up. MAYBE SEE IT

For the theatre junkie – Too many directorial and cast missteps get in the way of making this a must attend for you. SKIP IT

 

 

Braden Griffiths with one of the show’s puppets. Photo courtesy of Downstage.

 

My Family and Other Endangered Species

April 23-May 3, 2014

Big Secret Theatre

http://www.downstage.ca/myfamily.shtml

Listen to my review from CBC’s Calgary Eyeopener at http://www.cbc.ca/eyeopener/columnists/theatre/2014/04/28/jessica-goldmans-latest-review/

 

RATING

For kids – While the narrator is a nine-year-old boy and wonderfully geeky and sweet and frustrated in a way any child could relate to, the show does have some disturbing elements that may not be appropriate for the little ones. Downstage recommends this show for kids over the age of twelve. I recommend that every kid over the age of twelve (or less sensitive younger ones) go see this fantastically entertaining, funny and smart show. SEE IT

For adults – This is one of those magical plays that is just as enjoyable for adults as it is for kids. Yes you will find Phin, the nine-year old boy, compelling and no doubt  find many opportunities to laugh in this show, but you will also delight in the deeper messages and emotions this intelligent play offers. SEE IT

For the occasional theatre goer – Don’t let the fact that the play is about a nine-year old or has sci-fi elements put you off. This is a tender, emotional, funny wonderful play with fantastic performances that will leave you satisfied on all levels. SEE IT

For theatre junkies – Splendid adaptation and wonderful acting aside, this is a phenomenal production. Simon Mallet’s incredibly stimulating direction  allows the performers to play both the same role/multiple roles seamlessly. Riley Miljan’s oh so clever set design moves and morphs and becomes whatever configuration is needed to tell the story. Alexandra Prichard’s lighting sets the tone spot on in every scene and greatly contributes to the visual beauty of the show.  Braden Griffith’s band of alien puppets capture our hearts or purposefully repel us in the beautifully integrated fantasy scenes. Top to bottom, this is a must. SEE IT

L to R, Simon Tottrup as Sergius, Matt McKinney as Bacchus. Photo credit Jason Ho.

 

The Passion of Sergius and Bacchus

April 22rd – May 3rd, 2014

EPCOR CENTRE’s Motel

www.epcorcentre.org

 

You would think that a play entitled The Passion of Sergius and Bacchus would strive to have some passion in it. The word is in the title after all. Besides, shouldn’t passion be a major driving force in a story about two high-ranking historical Roman soldiers living openly in a gay relationship but exposed as secret Christians and executed as a result? You’d think so. But unfortunately this original Third Street Theatre production is about as passionless as you can get, delivering timelines and facts in place of emotion and insight.

The play, written by Third Street’s Creation Ensemble, Matt McKinney, Amy Sawka and Simon Tottrup, under the direction of Paul Welch, is inspired by John Boswell’s take on Christian martyrs, Sergius and Bacchus. According to Boswell, the soldiers’ relationship was a romantic one tolerated by the Romans and even consecrated by early Christians.  It wasn’t until the lovers rejected the Gods of Rome and became Christians that the wrath of the Roman emperor was unleashed, requiring they be killed for paganism and betrayal of the emperor and his Gods.

Sure Boswell’s theories are controversial and have been rejected by some historians, but none of that matters on stage.  With its love story and secret faith and betrayal and punishment, this story of Sergius and Bacchus has all the elements for a great play. But to get at the drama, we need to get to know and care about the soldier/lovers and this is where the production misses on all counts.

Sergius (Simon Tottrup) and Bacchus (Matt McKinney) are introduced to us in a series of slipshod flash tableaus. Here they are fighting. Here they are winning. Here they are celebrating. Here they are kissing.  We do get some time with them and their male friend Antiochus (Amy Sawka) playing tag and joking around, but it’s not nearly the character building blocks we need in order to connect. Quickly then the play gives us another short undeveloped scene where Bacchus, coming to after a near mortal wound on the battlefield, tells Sergius of his vision. There is something else out there, he says. And just as fast as you can say Holy Father, the two are now Christian, bound together by both their love for each other and their faith in Christ.

But why do they love each other? And how is their relationship viewed by the Roman population? And what inner struggles did they have to go through to give up their previous faith and accept an outlawed savior? And aren’t they scared of being found out? And why are we still asking these questions after sitting through an hour-long show  that should have at least attempted to address some of this? As scene after scene in this lightweight play passes, it becomes increasingly clear that the writers’ disinterest in their characters’ inner lives is going to make this show a slog despite two bright moments. Playing on the stereotypical insults hurled at the gay community, Antiochus is disgusted when he learns of Sergius and Bacchus’ conversion to Christianity. “It’s gross….you were so normal…it’s perverted”, Antiochus spits at them.  Yes the irony of the pair being called these things not for their sexual preference but for their choice in religion is a nice twist of ideology. Later when Sergius and Bacchus marry in a Christian ceremony there is a very amusing interchange about monogamy and the pair’s ability to be with no one but each other. However two small moments cannot begin to make up for a play full of missed opportunities.

Sawka as a decent Antiochus (and a number of other characters including the emperor) strangely gets the lion’s share of the dialogue in the production, further distancing us from the leads we desperately want to know more about. Tottrup’s stiff portrayal of Sergius is helped by his limited dialogue. McKinney fares better but any spark of ability is quashed by his thinly written character and minimal spots of expression in the script.

Working with a bare stage, save for three ribbon-like curtains hanging from the ceiling, Welch does little to bring gravitas or emotion to the stage.  Instead he relies on jokey masturbation staging and a morning blowjob to get our attention.  Had the rest of the production demanded our focus, these scenes would have worked well. But as stand alones in an otherwise visually dull presentation, they seemed gimmicky and over reaching.

Over reaching in fact, seems to be the theme of this young company’s 2013/14 season that, at least in my mind, has been disappointing compared to last season’s stellar inaugural productions. Perhaps it’s the curse and pressure of following up your first big hits or perhaps the double size season this year was biting off more than they could chew. Whatever the reason, this is a company with great potential and an important niche in the theatre community. I keep my fingers crossed that they can get back to telling complex and emotionally resonating stories that put them on my radar in the first place.

 

RATING

For history buffs – It doesn’t really matter if you believe Boswell’s assertions or not, this is a fascinating story that should have given insight into a time and place and people. But with barely any character development or discussion of the time, this play is far too thin to bring anything to your table. SKIP IT

From a religious interest – Yes it’s interesting to see how Christianity was once treated as an abomination and curious to consider that gay marriage was once condoned by the church. But these are facts laid out in the play, not situations dramatized for intellectual or emotional effect. As such, the power to move or peak interest is greatly diminished. MAYBE SEE IT

For the occasional theatre goer – The story is there, it’s plainly told and sure, you may learn something. But this one may feel like taking your medicine rather than an entertaining or engaging production. SKIP IT

For the theatre junkie – Such a great story, such missed opportunities. SKIP IT