Age Of Arousal...Too many cooks spoil the sauce.

Age of Arousal (AOA) by Linda Griffiths was inspired by 'The Odd Women' by George Gissing. It's directed by Sarah Garton Stanley and playing at Centaur to April 19th.

AOA offers an opportunity to highlight the talents of the under-worked actresses of Montreal. The play is well performed by a stellar ensemble cast that includes Clare Coulter as Mary Barfoot. I found it very difficult to forget her very recent appearance on the Segal stage in her role in Buried Child and was never quite sold on her character here in AOA. Alison Darcey is by far the stand out performance in this production and it is more than well worth the price of a ticket just to see her quality 'Broadway worthy*' portrayal of Rhoda Nunn...I had only ever seen her perform in a few roles: Bash and girlsgirlsgirls and have heard tell of Her talent as an actress; I’m more familiar with her talent as a director: Bash, Life Is A Dream. Other performances in AOA by: Diana Fajrajsl, Gemma James-Smith, and Leni Parker** as are all enjoyable; I would have liked to see the character of Virginia Madden** further developed though. Julian Casey as the only actor on stage holds his own amongst these strong female characters. *It's only a matter of time!

However where the production fails dramatically is in the design with an overbearing set that completely encumbers the stage and overwhelms the cast with copious amounts of set changes (20 in fact) and forced blocking; Added to this is a sound track that at times becomes annoying and unnecessary. Equally aggravating are the overstated and distracting costumes, particularly those of the two leads. Finally the light design which starts out from the get go trying to keep up with the text and the set- scene changes, eventually becomes as annoying as a strobe light; The 'special effect' used to signal the audience when we're hearing the characters inner thoughts versus just hearing their lines. This design was condescending to an audience that could 'get it' without being spoon-fed this added visual. Surely the Centaur audiences are intelligent enough to figure it out on their own. If the play's text and the direction wasn't enough to clearly signal the differentiation then the problem must be much more deep routed. What is otherwise a pleasantly entertaining production, the play itself isn't a powerful enough text to hold its own when pinned up against all of these distractions. And what was with that horrible choice of song for the finalé?

TRYST is a titillating and inspiring delight.

Tryst a wonderful first class theatrical experience…this drama takes the audience on unexpected psychological twists and turns. An intriguingly stylized production that is pure artistic delight from start to finish it is played out in a soothing yet suspenseful storytelling style by the two lone actors: David Johnson (George Love) and Michelle Giroux (Adelaide Pinchin. Each shares a mutually elevated degree and abundance of talent all too rarely seen on our local stages. They have a strong chemistry made obvious by how they share the space and together fill the stage from left to right. They portray their characters by bringing them to life with the physical precision of their performances and with the aid of a clever use of projection, original music, period costumes, and seamless blocking throughout.

The stage, trimmed with fringe and furnished sparingly with transparent modern pieces, contrasting period props, and a single too small bed, are all incredibly well thought out in the set design by Astrid Janson and Sherri Catt, who's design incorporates another character into the story telling. It is utilized with gentle simplicity by the actors to transition from a milliner shop on 1910 London street corner to a sea-side hotel room. The lighting adds a mysterious flare to the building the tension, but at times gets too dark and shadowy to clearly see the performers expressions upstaging their performances becoming somewhat of a distraction; A little less would be more here, keeping in tune with the overall simplicity of the style of the production.

I assisted to a Sunday matinee performance; the experience felt much like attending a New York off-Broadway matinée. An early schedule of 1:30pm adds to the pleasant and not rushed experience. However, even though one of the youngest members of the audience, which was obviously very, very senior, I too was becoming anxious for the doors to open as the play didn’t actually start until 2pm. A suggestion to FOH: posting somewhere near the staircase which entrance is odd and which is even seat numbers could eliminate a lot of mulling and shuffling around between the two staircases in the lobby. This note goes to all the major houses.

Tryst written by Karoline Leach and masterfully directed by Diana Leblanc continues March 29th at the Segal Centre to, 5170 Côte Ste. Catherine Rd, until March 29. Tickets: 514-739-7944 or 514-790-1245. Photo credit: Randy Cole

The Assumption of Empire by Anne Lambert

A very academic take on loves past and present of the heroine with a good analysis of a mother and adolescent daughter relationship. Played out in flashbacks, always risky in theatre, in Montreal from 1979 - 2006, Laura Mitchell successfully takes us to and fro her past and present political and personal life with humor and charm. To quote the program: "A play about the empires we assume we have, both personal and political, and a celebration of how many lives we do have." Fans of Mitchell (Two time Harvest cornucopia recipient for best actor in a supporting role in Tacit Agreement, 2004; and for Biss-ous in 2006.) will relish in her energy and enthusiasm as she pulls the thread that weaves and holds this production together.

Technically the issues I had were numerous however tedious with nothing major except for a the annoyance of a phone that rings from stage right when the prop is stage left of center, but this Is MainLine. Also with the overall pacing of what is at times a very dry academic subject matter, too informative and drawn out at times some editing could have been made to a few of these scenes to keep it more fluid and the play running more consistently at a quicker pace. The transitions were far to frequent and this is accentuated with too many black outs and copious amounts of props to place and remove and cross over entrances and exits.

With: Laura Mitchell (Sophie Wiseman), Bill Croft (Steve Gold), Tim Hine (Ivan Gercik), and Alice Abracen (Elliot Wiseman-Gold, the daughter, and who is also coinsidentally the daughter of the playwright.) Produced by Unwashed Grape, directed by Paul Hawkins. Plays March 3 - 22 @ Mainline. Some performances have been cancelled since opening and others are sold out so best to call ahead @ 514 849-3378

Blessed Are They @ Saint James Church

A great text that treats a number of universal social issues including AA and the Church in today's society. But other themes are also developed and explored in depth: Faith, Truth, Doubt, and Salvation. Brilliantly performed by a solid ensemble of strong actors including: Eric Davis, Joanna Noyes, Igor Ovadis and Vlasta Vrana and an almost unrecognizable Andreas Apergis as the minister.

Great use of the open space at Dawson Hall; It adds a whole new character to the production. I definitely enjoyed it more here than had it been staged in a traditional theatre space. Costumes were also well attributed. The set was adequate but somewhat 'cheap' in appearance and use; although this is a church so lack of funding is always an issue, as is theatre of course. My biggest issue was with the lighting; there were times that it was almost blinding; too white, and too many black outs.

Other problems I had were:The length of the play to go without an intermission at almost two hours long. Better go to the bathroom before as it is difficult to exit once the play starts. Also there was no refreshments to be had on sight, not even a water fountain, so come prepared with liquids in hand. Also a coat check would have been appreciated for this time of year. entering form the front of the church was unexpected and a bit uncomfortable for some; equally the exit through the side door afterwards onto a very icy 'walk way' leading to the street.

Directed by Guy Sprung. Produced by Infinitheatre. Playing at Saint James United Church conveniently located downtown between McGill and PDA metros on Ste-Catherine. Opened February 17th closes March 8th.