Photograph by: Joan Marcus , ¬©2011 Joan Marcus

Jersey Boys

June 28 – July 15, 2012

Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium

www.DancapTickets.com

Listen to my live review on CBC’s Eyeopener on Tuesday July 3 at 7:40 http://www.cbc.ca/eyeopener/

My feeling is that when it comes to reviewing Jersey Boys, it’s better to get the cranky critic stuff out of the way right off the top so I can go on to tell you why the 2006 Tony-Award winning musical is such a beloved and enduring hit.

The musical, which employs a straightforward biographical approach to the story of The Four Seasons (Tommy DeVito, Bob Gaudio, Nick Massi and Frankie Valli), who topped the charts in the ’60s with songs like Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry,  December 1963 (Oh What a Night), Ragdoll and Walk Like a Man, is an incredibly poor example of insight storytelling. As in, there is no insight. Instead Jersey Boys presents what some have labeled a “shrink-wrapped” narrative or as I call it, flash-card story-telling, that plays out for about two and a half hours in a, “this happened, then that happened, then this happened, let’s sing” kind of format with very few true dramatic moments. You get the top notes of the story, but it’s a Cole’s Notes version at best.

Not once do we really get inside the heads of the boys – how did they deal emotionally with their rise to fame, what motivated them to get there in the first place and how do they deal with becoming the inevitable has beens? Nor do we get any illuminating details about the process that allowed them to create those memorable songs or that signature sound.  All things that I really wanted to know and I think would have made Jersey Boys more than just a vehicle for what is essentially an exercise in big production karaoke.

But oh what amazing karaoke it is! And this is where as a critic I have no choice but to put my cynical pen down and admit that whatever narrative failings Jersey Boys has, the music and more importantly the singing performances are thoroughly outstanding.

Beginning from when the band first started to assemble, Jersey Boys divides up the narrative between the four members so each can tell his side of the story. But regardless of who is doing the talking, the music is the real star of the show. And with thirty-three numbers jam-packed into the performance, there is no shortage of swooning, heart-soaring exhilarating musical moments. Jukebox musicals such as Jersey Boys (where none of the songs are original) have often been accused of relying solely on the strength of the familiar music and nostalgia factor to be a success. No doubt this is part of the allure of the production, but to say that this performance of Jersey Boys rested solely on its musical laurels would be to do an unforgivable injustice to the four performers who step into The Four Seasons’ shoes.

Preston Truman Boyd as Bob Gaudio, Michael Lomenda as Nick Massi and John Gardiner as Tommy DeVito may not be the best actors you’ve ever seen (the men played stereotypes rather than characters), but wow can they sing. However, as with most pop bands, the real draw is usually the lead singer and this show is no exception.  The pitch-perfect and stunningly powerful falsetto singing of Joseph Leo Bwarie as frontman Frankie Valli, goes way beyond nostalgia or simple impersonation and instead delivers a crowd-roaring performance that feels both personal as well as reverential. Singing most of the show’s thirty three songs, Bwarie rips through the impossibly high notes with breathtaking ease and offers up song after song of high energy Doo-Wop mastery.

It’s exactly what the crowd comes for and the reason the entire audience at the Jubilee stood on their feet cheering at the close of the show.  They were not thinking about the passably efficient rather than interesting direction by Des McAnuff. They were not thinking about the pedestrian-looking catwalk-cum-fire-escape minimalist set design by Klara Zieglerova. They were not thinking about the atrociously written and performed scenes when Bob loses his virginity or when Frankie learns of his daughter’s death by overdose. They were thinking about the music. Some perhaps about what those songs meant to them back in the day. Some maybe hearing it for the first time. But either way, if judged purely on the songs and singing performances, the standing ovation was well-earned.

Me? I like my pop concerts to be pop concerts and my theatre experiences to offer something more. So yes, cranky critic to the end, I remained seated.

RATING

For the guys – As far as musicals go, it’s a fairly masculine one. The Four Seasons were blue-collar guys, some with mob connections, and all with eyes for the ladies. The singing is big and the music is great. MAYBE SEE IT

For the girls – It’s not because they’re guys that you’ll have a hard time connecting with these characters – it’s because the show gives you nothing to relate to. This plus all the female characters are either tramps or whiny nags. Still, what a songbook and what voices! MAYBE SEE IT

For the occasional theatre goer – I can’t recommend this enough to you. It’s an easy to follow story with some fluffy laughs along the way and the music and singers will blow your socks off. A perfectly fun night in the theatre. SEE IT

For the theatre junkie – If you love the music so much that you’ll forgive the show’s many failings then perhaps you’ll enjoy. But make no mistake, good theatre this isn’t. MAYBE SEE IT

As spring winds down into summer in Calgary and the professional stages go dark, all is not quiet on the theatre front. Listen carefully and you can hear the approaching sounds of theatrical backs being slapped, performance toasts being given and stage bows being taken for recognition.

All this of course is to say that the theatre award season is upon us and this year Calgary will boast not just the venerable and beloved Betty Mitchell Awards, but also the first annual Calgary Critics’ Awards aka the Critters.

The timelines are a bit different as are the scope and criteria, but both awards aim to accomplish the same thing. To celebrate and honour the great performances and people who have made going to the theatre in Calgary this last year a pleasure.

First up on the calendar are the nominations for the 2012 Betty Mitchell Awards which will be announced at The Auburn Saloon on Tuesday, July 3rd at 4 p.m.

The nominations announced at this event are the product of a 12-member Nominating Committee. Ballots containing all nominees are, from this event forward, distributed for voting to the Nominating Committee and to any member of the theatre community or general public who has seen 25 of the eligible productions. Voters are asked to mail their completed ballots back to the Betty folks who then tabulate the winners in each category.

Next up will be the announcement of the Critter nominees on July 18. Bob Clark and Stephen Hunt from the Calgary Herald, Louis B. Hobson from the Sun and yours truly have been busily combing through our reviews from this past year to see who we wish to recognize in our 14 categories. A full list of nominees will be published in this space on that day, so be sure to check back to see if you, someone you know, or someone you saw perform receives a nomination.

It’s been a jam-packed theatre season this year – and I’m both honoured and excited to watch and participate in the accolades given to this year’s many creative and deserving theatre artists.

PHOTO OF RAOUL BHANEJA COURTESY OF ANDREW KENNETH MARTIN

 

Hamlet (Solo)

June 19 – 22, 2012

Martha Cohen Theatre

http://www.magneticnorthfestival.ca/pages/whatson/plays/hamlet.html

 

As a critic, I have this silly fantasy that after seeing a truly remarkable play I will simply submit a one word review of “wow”, offering no further explanation or exposition and let it stand at that. While of course I would never be so audacious, I was actually tempted to do this for Raoul Bhaneja’s one man show, Hamlet (Solo), if only so I could privately luxuriate in the brilliance of his performance and not have to pick it apart for public inspection. But the reality is that as much as I want to revel in this wonderful production, I equally want to sing its praises so that others can experience what I feel is a truly transformative night in the theatre.

Armed with nothing but a bare stage, simple unchanging lighting and head to toe black clothing, Bhaneja takes on all seventeen characters in Hamlet, the classic Shakespeare play of angst, madness and revenge. The play, which was developed over six years, including a residency at the famous Globe Theatre in London, relies solely on the talents of Bhaneja as a performer, Robert Ross Parker as a masterful director and the excellence of Shakespeare as a playwright to make things work. While there can be no doubt that the playwright’s words are those of legend, it wasn’t until I heard Bhaneja speak them in his most unique manner that I truly appreciated just how good they were.

Without any frills to distract the audience, the listening becomes very acute. I found myself paying hard attention to every line and in doing so, found music and insight and humour in the story of Hamlet in ways I never had before. This despite having previously seen many wonderful productions of the play.

None of this would have been possible had it not been for Bhaneja’s earth-shattering performance. Showing his award-winning acting chops, Bhaneja uses his voice, body language and facial expressions to transform seamlessly from one character to another injecting distinct personality and movement for each. Utilizing the entire stage, the aisles and even the free seats in the audience, Parker’s expert direction encourages Bhaneja to give us an intensely physical performance that keeps the characters fresh and utterly compelling to watch. While all the distinct roles were wonderful, I was particularly taken with Bhaneja’s humorous take on Polonius who, in his hands, became a kind of cranky Bollywood-type character that not only made me laugh out loud, but actually made me wish the character had a bigger role so I could see more of him.

But as the title suggests, Hamlet is as the headliner and therefore it is this performance that had better shine, and Bhaneja’s reading of the angst-ridden Prince does that and more. Rejecting the star-making “here I am” interpretations of the role and the overwrought soul-vomiting on the stage delivery, Bhaneja plays Hamlet as more of a human than I’ve ever seen attempted. Riled with emotion most certainly, but realistically contemplative in a quiet personal matter, this Hamlet allows the audience to truly relate to his emotions. Nowhere is this better illustrated than in the famous and oft quoted “To be or not to be’ scene. Bhaneja uses this moment not to grandstand or emote largely, but instead delivers the lines as a man talking to himself quietly working out a problem. It’s a lesson in the less in more school of thought that pays off big for Bhaneja as the approach allows us to really hear Hamlet and understand the challenge he is trying to wrap his head around.

Now I can already hear what you’re saying – so sure the writing is great and it’s wonderful that Bhaneja is a superb actor, but isn’t one man delivering the entire play of Hamlet on a bare stage kinda dull and difficult to follow? My answer to that is a resounding no. It did take me a good ten minutes to really get into the play and wrap my head around the approach. But once I was hooked, I was in hard. As it seems were the people around me, who were so rapt by the action that the phrase “you could hear a pin drop” would not be an exaggeration.

So in keeping with famous questions, the big one from a critical point of view,  is do you need to know your Hamlet to be able to enjoy and follow along? My best answer is this; while I am certainly familiar with the story, it had been a long while since I had seen or read the play and I decided not to brush up on the story beforehand to better gauge its accessibility. So it was more of a cool viewing for me rather than a cold experience. Yes, there were several moments in the play where the characters came so fast and the lines so freely that I found myself lost around who was saying what. But what I missed in minute detail never took away from my overall understanding of the plot and the themes.

Would it be helpful to read a quick synopsis before taking in this remarkable show? Sure. Would I recommend that someone with no knowledge of Hamlet see this show? Probably not. But for anyone that has even a little familiarity with the story or wants to take a couple of minutes to brush up on the plot, Hamlet (Solo) will, I believe, have you joining me in a resounding “wow”!

 

RATING

For the guys and the girls – Forget the Hamlets you’ve seen on-screen or in the theatre. This is a totally new, energetic, funny and gripping take on the classic story. You will be amazed. SEE IT

For the occasional theatre goer – Without the elaborate cast, costumes and sets that often accompany traditional Shakespeare productions; I fear you will be lost and alienated by this show. SKIP IT

For the theatre junkie – Acting and direction that will bring your Hamlet experience to a whole new plane. SEE IT

PHOTO OF TIFFANY AYALIK AND JONATHAN FISHER COURTESY OF CHRIS GALLOW

Night

June 19 – 22, 2012

Vertigo Playhouse

http://magneticnorthfestival.ca/pages/whatson/plays/night.html

Listen to my review of Night on CBC’sEyeopener http://www.cbc.ca/eyeopener/columnists/theatre/2012/06/19/night/

 

Last night’s performance of Christopher Morris’ Night started with accolades before the play have even begun. For his artistic potential and vision, the Canada Council awarded Morris the 2012 John Hirsch Prize which goes to one Francophone and English emerging director every two years and carries with it a purse of $6,000.

So in a sense, Morris had won the evening even if Night fell flat for Calgary audiences. Thankfully for him and us, this latest Magnetic North Festival opening lived up to the award the director/playwright was handed prior to curtain.

On a big picture level, the play deals with the large and sensitive issues surrounding the clash between Inuit and colonial culture. More specifically, the story starts when Daniella, an anthropologist from Toronto, arrives in Pond Inlet carrying the bones of an Inuit man that were stored at the museum where she works. The reason Daniella is bringing the bones all the way up north is because she’s received an emotional email request to return the remains from someone she believes is the dead man’s 16 year old granddaughter named Piuyuq.

What the audience knows and Daniella doesn’t, is that the email was actually sent by Piuyuq’s best friend Gloria who was trying to help her friend’s troubled family. Just the year before, Piuyuq’s mother died in an alcohol-related snowmobile accident and her father Jako (who may have caused the accident) has been impossible to live with ever since. Gloria is hoping that the return of the missing grandfather’s bones will help bring wholeness to the family and kick start the healing process. Conversely, Daniella, who suffers from while person’s guilt over Canada’s treatment of the Inuit, is hoping the return of the bones with not only help the family, but more importantly ease her own conscience.

Needless to say, things don’t go as planned.

Before seeing the play I had learned that the story was told through a combination of English and Inuktitut and while I was intrigued, I was hesitant. I’ve seen many plays that use two languages in an effort to bring legitimacy to a story and it doesn’t always work naturally or add substance to the production. However the use of Inuktitut in Night brings a truly magical and meaningful element to the play. More than just the lyrical cadence of the language, the Inuktitut dialogue sounded beautifully attuned to the story being told and the authenticity of it gave the play a deeper dimension than using English alone would have. The use of a small screen in the upper right hand corner of the stage worked very nicely for the projection of subtitles that were easy to read and didn’t dramatically subtract from the action on stage.

This is especially important as a couple of the characters in Night were must-see performances. Reneltta Arluk as Gloria remarkably played her character’s naïve, haunted and ultimately very troubled emotions with elegant subtly and impressive understated energy. I found myself drawn to her every time she took the stage. Tiffany Ayalik as Piuyuq was a much more aggressive part and her acting certainly stood up to the challenge. She was at times bratty then rebellious then angry then devastated and I believed every one of the emotions Ayalik was trying to deliver.

The only weak link in the cast at times was Jonathan Fisher who played a number of roles including Piuyuq’s father and a Hungarian junk food seller which is a character that seemed dropped in out of nowhere and completely wrong for this story. Fisher struggled to get the Hungarian accent, but failed and instead played the role in an over the top fashion further making the character seem out of place. As Jako, the father, Fisher fared better, but I found his performance a tad self-conscious and not at the level of the other cast members.

But some small gripes aside, I thought Night was a really unique story told in a truly unique way. Visually it was striking with a kind of eerie cool lighting and minimal set design that had the all the action taking place on a snow bank in the middle of the stage. Kudos to Set Designer Gillian Gallow and Lighting Designer Michelle Ramsay for perfectly setting the mood for this provocative story.

Kudos as well to Christopher Morris whose writing was thoughtful and not overly preachy or dogmatic despite the heavy-handed and at times tragic nature of the subject. While certainly not a comedy, Morris does manage to inject some levity into the production and allows his characters occasional grey areas. Morris’ direction of Night is adept, and quite nimble in handling the many scene changes. This is an interesting story, with some great performances in a really slick-looking minimalist production. And it is the perfect example of what the Magnetic North Festival should be showcasing.

RATING 

For the guys – You will have no issue relating to the two female leads and the insight into the North/South relationship is delivered in a thoughtful manner. SEE IT

For the girls – The relationship between the two teenage girls will affect. The challenges they face personally and in response to their colonial past will move you. SEE IT

For the occasional theatre goer – There may be too many metaphorical scenes in this for your taste and the subtitles may be more work that you are willing to embrace. MAYBE SEE IT

For the theatre junkie – While not a perfect play, Night does so many things right that it will stick with you long after the play is done. SEE IT

It’s official and it was unanimous – the new affectionate nickname for the annual Calgary Critics’ Awards is:

The Critters

It made all of us smile with its cleverness. And  no, at no point did we think the nickname was submitted by say, a disgruntled actor that we possibly reviewed a little harshly who was now likening us to vermin-like creatures. Although I’m sure this sentiment has been thought of all of us many times this past year. By the way – I hope that my rat/weasel effigy at least has a pink bow and some lipstick!

Instead, we chose to embrace Critters as a smart and sweet nickname that will easily stand in for Calgary Critics’ Awards when that is just too much of a mouthful to say or write.

So congratulations to Ian Leitch who submitted the winning name – we hope you enjoy Rick Mercer on June 22nd.

And many thanks for the hundreds of other entries we received. It was very touching to hear your enthusiasm for our new awards and we appreciate you taking the time to submit your ideas.

Watch out for our nominees on July 18 and mark your calendars for the awards ceremony on August 1 at the Auburn Saloon.

One/Un

June 16 – 21, 2012

Lunchbox Theatre

http://magneticnorthfestival.ca/pages/whatson/plays/one.html

 

Sometimes you gotta go where the buzz is. In my initial Magnetic North Festival plans, One/Un was not on my schedule. It’s not that Mani Soleymanlou’s autobiographical play examining who he is and what it means to come from somewhere sounded disinteresting. But a solo, somewhat comedic show examining Mani’s journey from his origins in Iran to his current home in Montreal sounded, well, to be frank, like many other shows and books and independent films I’d already experienced previously. A story arc that I didn’t feel compelled to see yet again.

Then the talk from the Festival started making its way to my Inbox and my Twitter account. I was told that One/Un was a must see and was advised to even change my schedule to accommodate the performance. Not one to discount such heavy praise from sources I respect, I orchestrated a switcheroo and wrangled myself tickets to this eve’s performance with fingers crossed that the effort was worth it.

In about the middle of the play, there is a scene where Mani describes talking with his mother about the idea of putting this play on. He tells her he wants to do a show about what it means to be Persian and an Iranian in exile. Not in the general sense mind you, but specifically what it means to him, with his memories and his family and his stories. “But do you think that will be interesting?”,  his mother asks him. My answer, by then already three-quarters of the way through this production was, not really. At least not to the extent I’d been lead to expect.

Instead of a compelling personal story of Mani’s experiences and difficulties trying to find his identity as an immigrant living in Paris, Toronto, Ottawa and finally Montreal, we are given flash card snippets of fairly mundane or narratively  meaningless occurrences. He describes an embarrassing washroom scene in Paris at the age of eight where he encounters a urinal for the first time, but the telling lacks any real emotion and therefore rings hollow. Mani talks about a Jewish girl he meets who is now ‘dedicated to her children and Judaism” but then drops the subject completely in a strange non sequitur fashion. His high school days spent in Toronto at an immersion school (coincidentally next door to the high school I went to) are rattled off as simply a place where he and a lot of other immigrants were educated rather than giving us any insight into his feelings or challenges in those years. Mani’s Montreal years are better dramatized as a struggle between the Quebec identity forced upon him and his yearning to connect to the Iranian roots he never really knew having left the country at such a young age. Better still are the  flashback stories of his visits back home with his family in Iran before he turned 15 and could not visit any longer for fear of being conscripted into the army.

But by this time we’ve skimmed through his life so quickly and without any real emotional insight, that we are happy when the play takes a turn away from his Coles Notes immigrant experience to a discussion of  present day Iran and the history and problems of its people. It is here that Mani’s writing takes off as does his performance. Scenes describing why so many Iranians left Iran, how the Shah came to and lost power, how Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stole the election and what life is like for young men and women under the present day oppressive day regime finally injected some substance into the narrative and were extremely well versed and confidently acted.

But overall, confidence seems to be a problem in this production. I have no quarrel with actors flubbing lines occasionally in a performance. And I would never dare mention one or two slip-ups in a review. But a whole show of tripping over the lines made Mani’s performance seem amateurish and unprepared. In all fairness, he is dealing with three languages in his script (English, French and Farsi) but for someone claiming to be fluent in all three, there is no excuse for the plethora of line flubs. The performance was shame, as I have no doubt that Mani’s acting is sincere, but sincerity without professional delivery makes for a very sloppy show.

As does poor lighting and direction. As inconsequential and thin as much of the narrative is, the opposite is true of the production. Heavy-handed is an understatement for Erwann Bernard’s lighting design and Mani Soleymanlou’s direction. Too often the lighting imposed itself on the action, blatantly and too obviously taking its cue from the narrative as opposed to complimenting it. Bernard’s design simply wasn’t interesting enough to make the effect feel like anything more than an intrusion. Mani’s direction suffered from the same issue. Jerky scene changes and some oddly choreographed moments felt more like inserts or interruptions that the natural flow of the performance.

Perhaps I’m being extra hard on the production given how high my expectations were made to run. There is a good play in here somewhere and I do believe that Soleymanlou can deliver it if he’s willing to spend some time in re-write and make sure he has a handle on his lines. But for right now, the play felt like a mediocre Fringe show at best and not something that should be called the hit of the Magnetic North Festival. I should know better that the buzz isn’t always something worth following.

 

RATING

 For the guys and girls – With no emotional meat to this story, neither one of you will relate to Mani’s struggle for identity. But the narrative is occasionally amusing and the scenes dealing with Iranian politics are fascinating. MAYBE SEE IT

For the occasional audience – While you will learn a lot about modern Iranians, but there are far better one man shows to test your theatre wings with. SKIP IT

For the theatre junkie – If this is one of the best English language touring shows in Canada at present, we’re in trouble. SKIP IT

 

In the Wake

EPCOR CENTRE’S Motel

June 15 to 17, 2012

http://www.epcorcentre.org/WhatsOn/ShowDetails.aspx?show_id=A88748F4-A7BC-4A37-B08C-FAB85CEDD5D2

 

If you’ve been following my reviews for a while, you’ve no doubt heard me speak about what it is I hope for when seeing a piece of theatre. I’ve mentioned risk and excitement and surprise and challenge and wonder as all things I long for every time the lights go down and the actors take the stage. A kind of Holy Grail theatre experience if you will where not everything has to be perfect to be perfectly thrilling for me.

In the Wake, part of this year’s Magnetic North Uprising Festival and winner of the 2010 Betty Mitchell Award winner for Outstanding New Play , handed me that moment this evening.

Created by  Calgary’s Downstage Creation Ensemble, the play tells the epic story of a sea that has run out of fish, the fishermen who suffer as a result, the scientist who has a solution and the politics both academically and federally that stymie all efforts at making positive change.

A very complicated and complex story that is told with breathtaking simplicity, unexpected humour and outrageously creative choreography entirely atop a 6′ X 3′ illuminated platform with four actors and live musical accompaniment.

With no props save the physical contouring and morphing of the actors to create everything from the ocean’s tide to a sailing ship to a bar to the cutest barnacles you’ve ever seen, the cast does triple duty as the characters, sets and props. I’ve seen this effect done well and I’ve seen it done poorly, but I don’t’ think I’ve ever seen it done with such lovely precision, effortless flow or obvious delight as In the Wake gives us.

Equally as stupendous is  the traditional performance of the cast. Braden Griffiths, Nicola Elson and Col Cseke, each playing several characters in the narrative, show acting chops far beyond their youthful appearances and I would gladly go to another production featuring any one of these talents. Special mention has to go to Ellen Close though whose portrayal of a French fisherman, the Minister of Fisheries and a little girl is astonishing in its range and  ability to switch characters without skipping a beat or losing audience engagement.

The risky part of the production is that the story takes place within the confines of a small platform with the four actors present at all times. The risk is handsomely rewarded as the performance feels expansive with the ability to conjure place and atmosphere. This is a true testament to the very masterful direction of Simon Mallet. His staging elegantly coordinates four very active cast members in a physically demanding performance for 75 minutes without getting stale of relying on cheap gags to keep it entertaining. One scene in particular that takes place on the floor of the Parliament during a policy argument is one of the most creative and well laid out theatrical moments I’ve seen this year.

Accompanying the story and often driving it is a beautifully orchestrated original score by Ethan Cole that uses keyboard, drums and guitar to create the mood of each scene and aid in the character and set segues. As intriguing as the action on stage was, I often found myself happily getting a bit lost in the music for its own merits.

However, just like the perfect Grail is merely a myth, In the Wake is not perfection from start to finish. At 75 minutes it felt a bit draggy in certain places and could have used a good edit to keep the pacing tighter and the momentum stronger. As wonderful as the fishermen gathering with their union and the scientist meeting with her superior scenes were, they felt a tad repetitive as the play went on.

But even without that 10 or 15 minute edit, In the Wake was a joy for all my theatre senses. My mind whirled, my eyes delighted and my ears sang along. Thank you to the entire Downstage team for allowing me to hold my Grail in victory for this one very memorable night in the theatre.

 

RATING

For the guys and the girls – Yes there is an environmental message here, but far from heavy-handed, the play is funny, interesting and undeniably cool. SEE IT

For the occasional theatre goers – I rarely encourage you to see ‘experimental’ theatre. But if you are feeling frisky and want to try something new, this is one of the best examples of cutting edge creativity meeting great story telling. MAYBE SEE IT

For the theatre junkie – Having already enjoyed two runs in Calgary, it’s likely you’ve seen this play before. If like me you hadn’t – clear your schedule and go. SEE IT

PHOTO COURTESY OF JASON STANG PHOTOGRAPHY

Ignorance

June 14 – 17

Martha Cohen Theatre

http://magneticnorthfestival.ca/pages/whatson/plays/ignorance.html

I was extremely pleased when I learned that The Old Trout Puppet Workshop was one of the participating companies in this year’s Magnetic North Theatre Festival. As a relatively recent transplant to Calgary, I haven’t yet had an opportunity to see one of their whacky and weird creations. This despite being told over and over and over again that I must. Enough already! I’m going!

Ignorance is the name of the Trout’s Festival play and it was created in a rather unusual method they are calling Open Creation. Seems they started with the idea of a puppet documentary about happiness, how it evolved and why we can’t hold onto it, then posted what they wrote online for everyone to look at, comment on and contribute to.

I believe it was Eleanor Roosevelt who said, “if you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die” and while I’m sure she was speaking about charity or some other lofty purpose, the notion works here as well. Whatever collaborative efforts produced this unique play are certainly entertaining enough to keep our interest in the production very much alive, if not altogether satisfied with the play as a whole.

The story operates via the documentary style narrative indicative of nature programs. A deep knowing resonant voice introduces us to a grunting cave man and woman and explains their every move from the time they meet to the time they imagine a life beyond the cave to their searching for happiness Eden-style and their ultimate fate. But make no mistake, these are no regular cave puppets. The Old Trouts take puppeteering to a whole different level beyond quirky with their creations. Operated by men in full steel-blue hooded long johns, the cave puppets are half formed grotesquely cute creatures that resemble neither Neanderthal or cartoon figure. The operators are perfectly visible on stage with their creations and often their human form injects upon the puppet action. So bare human legs become the female gams of the cave woman, arms become puppets appendages and so on for the various characters in the play.

As we learn about the origins of happiness and how it began via the cave couple’s story, we are intermittently flash forwarded to a surreal modern time where happiness has been identified, obtained and overtaken by despair. The Trouts give us several vignettes illustrating this from haunting beautiful scene of a man jumping off a building, to a parallel parker with road rage to a suitor’s hopes dashed by a man with more pizzazz. While these modern puppets are certainly look more human-like, they are eerily strange in their out-of-whack head sizes and lumpy body shapes.

Recurring throughout the modern scenes is a yellow balloon with a smiley face on in representing happiness. A very dark and vengeful kind of happiness. No matter which vignette the balloon appears in, its promises of joy proves to be a rouse to either kill its hopeful victim or cause some other kind of harm. As the all-knowing voice-over tells us, the pursuit of happiness and the never-ending search for it ultimately leads to despair. Or more tangibly, “the ant always dies with hope in his heart”.

To say the play has a bleak message would be an understatement, yet despite the depressing notion that we are all heading away from happiness, the play gives us this notion wrapped in a very cleverly funny package. It is dark humour done very well and it allows the Trouts to keep the audience laughing throughout the show at their amusing physicality,  absurd scenarios and fantastical puppet creatures. Big kudos must go the Peter Balkwill, Pityu Kenderes and Trevor Leigh for their onstage magic with these characters and to Judd Palmer for his narration. Double kudos go to this group as well for their direction of the play, which despite some slow moments, kept the weird and sometimes disconnected action onstage moving along in an extremely visually interesting and challenging manner.

However even with the magnificent performance and bizarrely imaginative staging, sets, video and puppets, I still felt like something was missing. For me that was the substance of the message. In being so very cynical about the ability of humans to grasp happiness, I found the Trouts missed the opportunity to really discuss and explore the idea. Instead of giving us a true evolution of happiness or the lack thereof, we get too many one liners and set-up jokes.  Instead of showing a progression of human behaviour we get jerky scene switches from cave people to unrelated modern otherworldly scenarios. Instead of something to really chew on after the show, all we’re left with is a feeling that what we saw was really cool.

Personally, I wanted to leave Ignorance with a feeling that was far less fleeting than the Trouts make happiness out to be.

 

RATING

For the guys and the girls – Bizarre and funny with some gender politics thrown into the mix. If you can work through the slow parts and those scenes that seem out of place, there’s lots of good stuff here. MAYBE SEE IT

For the occasional theatre goer – Far too weird and non-linear for your tastes. Not a “fun” night in the theatre. SKIP IT

For the theatre junkie – Even though the story itself is lacking, the production and the performances are spectacular. In this case, it’s reason enough to go. SEE IT

PHOTO OF XAVIER CAMPBELL AND PETRINA BROMLEY COURTESY OF PAUL DALY

Oil and Water

Vertigo Playhouse

June 13 to 16, 2012

http://magneticnorthfestival.ca/pages/whatson/plays/oil.html

Listen to my review on CBC Eyeopener at http://www.cbc.ca/eyeopener/columnists/theatre/2012/06/14/oil-and-water/

It sounds like the ultimate Newfie joke. A woman rescues an unconscious black sailor from a shipwreck, brings him to shore and tries to wash the black off him thinking he’s covered in oil. It isn’t until he wakes up and informs her that he is black does she realize why she can’t get the colour off him.

Thing is, it’s not a joke. It really happened and far from being funny, it was a profoundly positive life altering experience for the black man.

Oil and Water, the opening play at this year’s Magnetic North Festival, tells the true story of Lanier Phillips, a black sailor in the US Navy whose ship was wrecked in 1942 off the coast of Newfoundland in a violent storm. He was the first black man the small Newfoundland community had ever seen and they were the first white people that had ever treated Lanier with humanity and kindness.

Written by Governor General Award-winning playwright Robert Chafe and Directed by Artistic Fraud Artistic Director (and soon to be National Arts Centre’s new Artistic Director of English Theatre) Jillian Keiley, Oil and Water uses dramatization, flashback, fantasy and a capella song to tell this amazing story.

The problem is, the play nowhere near matches the inspiration Lanier’s story delivers and deserves. The writing and acting are so earnest and heavy-handed and reverential that I felt as though I was being submitted to a combination of lecturing and hollow emotional string-pulling.

More problematic however was the structure of the play itself. Instead of letting the rescue and the after effects speak for themselves, Chafe muddies the play with several side stories that are related, but not overly compelling. For almost the entire play we are deprived of the story we really want to see (the rescue) and made to watch the poorly written and an amateurishly acted story of a present day Lanier (Jeremiah Sparks) and his daughter (Starr Domingue) who is experiencing violence in her recently desegregated school. Much of our time is also taken up with the backstory of the Newfoundland rescuer Violet Pike (Petrina Bromley) and her miner husband John (Jody Richardson) who is suffering the health effects of working underground. While this side story is both well-acted and nicely written, it adds nothing to the narrative and just continues to frustrate the desire to get on with it and deliver Lanier’s story. Worst of all is the inclusion of the ghost-like figure of Lanier’s slave great-grandmother (Neema Bickersteth) who speaks to the young Lanier (Jeremiah Sparks) throughout play in a negative spewing of warnings and advice. I understand that this was meant to be representative of all the fear and bigotry that was part of Lanier’s history, but the dialogue lacked empathy and was therefore oppressive without giving the audience room to feel the hurt and pain.

Near the end of Oil and Water we are treated to the rescue/washing scene and it is touching in its simplicity. But 10 minutes later when Lanier declares he was deeply moved and changed by the experience, it falls flat.  Good theatre is a balance between show and tell and Lanier simply telling us he was affected in a short line at the end of the play made me feel cheated out of the story I very much wanted to experience.

Good thing then that I could distract from my disappointment by focusing on how attractive the production was. Shawn Kerwin’s set design with its minimalist triangular wooden rocking ship and his clever use of buckets and planks to create furniture was beautifully realized. Equally masterful was Keiley’s direction of all the storylines. Taking full advantage of the stage’s openness, Keiley confidently moves her actors about and delivers an especially stunning shipwreck scene.

But beauty over substance is especially unacceptable when trying to tell such an inspiring story. One that all Canadians can learn from. It’s a tale worth hearing, but to truly get the meaning of what happened to Lanier Phillips it’s probably better to go online and read his story yourself.

RATING

For the guys and the girls – You’ll desperately want to connect with the characters, but the split story structure and the superfluous narratives get in the way of the play you probably wanted to see in the first place. SKIP IT

For the occasional theatre goer – The play looks cool, it’s a true story and maybe you won’t be bothered by the hollowness of it. MAYBE SEE IT

For the theatre junkie – Unsatisfactory writing some hackneyed acting on the one hand. Visually interesting and wonderfully directed on the other. To me, one doesn’t make up for the other. SKIP IT

In just two days, Magnetic North -Canada’s National Festival of Contemporary English Theatre – will kick things off here in the city. This is the first time this 10 day festival has been held in Calgary and while I’m exhausted just looking at my schedule over the next while, I’m excited to see what is being touted as the best shows in new touring Canadian theatre.

As an added bonus, it will all be new to me! I have not seen a single one of the productions elsewhere so my choices for what to see are being made through a combination of personal interest and those productions I think carry the most theatrical importance. I may see things that are brilliant and I may miss the best show of the bunch (dem’s da breaks in the whirlwind of these kinds of theatre festivals) but as much as I can predict, I’m happy with my choices. I will be seeing six plays and one presentation by the time the whole things is over, and of course I will be posting next day reviews on my blog and two reviews for CBC Eyeopener.

In order, I will be seeing/reviewing:

Oil and Water

Ignorance

In The Wake

White Rabbit

Night

Hamlet

Rick Mercer

For the full schedule/show description please visit http://magneticnorthfestival.ca/pages/schedule-maps.html

I will be at each production on opening night, no doubt looking progressively more tired at each performance. So if you are there and spot me – take pity and perhaps offer me a STRONG coffee. Or just introduce yourself and say hello.

And of course – I would love to hear what you think of the shows. Send me your comments throughout the festival – what you liked, what I missed, what you could have missed.

Meanwhile – let’s all just be very grateful that we get to experience Magnetic North and know that I’m crossing my fingers for those “blow me away” theatre moments I live for.