Cherry Docs is a great fit for Dan Jeannotte

Play written by David Gow, directed by Gabrielle Soskin with Sean Carney (Danny) and uncalled for alumni Dan Jeannotte (Mike). Produced by Persephone. Plays at Theatre Saint Catherine to April 26th. Photo credit Danny Harwood

A Neo-Nazi skinhead -Mike, is charged with murder...Legal Aid has assigned him a Jewish lawyer. Over the course of developing a defense the lawyer is forced to examine the limits of his own liberalism, and the demons underlying it. A poignant performance and courageous endeavor for Jeannotte who not only bears his bald head (shedding a great head of famous hair) but he bears his aching soul on stage as his character toils with his innate racist hate and his 'guilty' conscience. During the course of developing his defense he is forced to deal with his culpability in the crime and the loss of his distorted, misguided and fast fading ideals.

There is a kind of 'film-noir' feel created by the lighting design of Mee Youn which is exceptionally stand out and very effective in defining space on this rather difficult intimate stage to light. Some projection is used to transition between scenes which is less effective due to being so faded out (so that it doesn't upstage the action on stage) to the point where it becomes difficult to read. The small space at TSC serves the play well highlighting the isolation of Mike's confinement as well as forcing the intimacy these two characters are obligated to share as they strive to achieve their goals.

However illuminating the effect is to the eye, I would prefer it if the smoking effect was eliminated and at very least extinguished. I came very close to walking out, as did my guest, due to the secondary smoke. In this closed space, and in this day and age, this effect is out dated and in this case very unnecessary. The productions biggest flaw is that it should have ended sooner; Which is odd to say since it is one act under 90 minutes. There is a pivotal moment in the play, approximately 15 minutes prior to where it now ends, which is a more suitable moment for it to end. The epilogue runs on too long so we loose the dramatic impact and tension achieved during the climax, -we get sidetracked by dragging out the aftermath of the storytelling; it may work well on paper but from the audience perspective it is too long, and again also unnecessary.

The Play, written in 1998 is unfortunately still all to relevant today in it's story and message which does give us hope against hate as Mike seeks redemption and possible change and forgiveness. GO C IT!

Over the River and Through The Woods is Laugh Out Loud -Hysterically Funny!

Over the River and Through The Woods by Joe Dipietro

Directed by Steven Schipper, this play about love of family 'Tengo Famillia" is the theme of this endearing, warm-hearted comedy. The central character Nick is an attractive up-and-coming young marketing executive from NYC who has dutifully visited his maternal and paternal grandparents in New Jersey every Sunday for dinner since his childhood. He announces that he has received a promotion that comes with strings attached, a transfer to Seattle, far enough away that it will affect their relationships. Thus ensues a plot by the grandparents to give him a reason to stay.

Although written from an Italian family's perspective, this is a familiar dialogue between the generations, that transcends ethnicity and cultural backgrounds. The play is truly enjoyable and suitable for all the family; so drag along the kids and the grandparents alike. The tightly well written text is riddled with jokes that generate bold laughs from the audience starting with the first few lines right through to the end of act one and most of the second act but then this where things become somewhat more sentimental. It plays out not unlike a TV sit-com with two relatively short acts. Running time is under 1:45 including a 15min. intermission which is not too long to hold on to our attention, and there is enough humour to keep us focused stage front.

A brilliantly talented cast add to the overall enjoyment of the production; -Featuring: Doreen Brownstone (Emma), Bernie Passeltiner (Nunzio), Diana Donnelly (Caitlin), and Gianpaolo Venuta (Nick); But it is the commanding performances of both Deann Mears (Aida) and Frank Savino (Frank), as the husband and wife who's home the play is set in, that steal the show. Their comedic timing and total physical embodiment of their characters make us want them to be our grandparents.

The set design of Michael Gianfrancesco is well suited to the play, however in this space becomes overwhelming in structure, often enveloping the characters to the point that depending on where you are sitting in the theatre you have to look for the actors on stage following their voices. Perhaps this is a deliberate choice since for this generation and culture it was always about the home and their appearance; -Since he also designed the costumes the visual is that they too are also absorbed into the walls and decor.

The only fault I had with the play is that it relies heavily on individual characters narratives to provide the audience with information and to move the story forward, and although this works well in the first act it gets abused in the second act and drags on into the epilogue. The production also has some transitions that are a little rough and need some polish; And some of the blocking choices are questionable in that for example, we're learning about the demise of a particular character while that actor is still present on stage, which again may be deliberate but to the audience could be a bit confusing, specially since this happens a few times.

Playing @ Segal Center 514 739-7944
GO C IT!


Photo credit Randy Cole.

Paradise Lost ... Is not lost in eyes of the beholder!

Paradise Lost. -playing at Theatre Saint Catherine until April 12th is closing with a pay what you can on April 12th, Easter Sunday. A small but appreciative audience was in attendance at the intimate opening night premier of the latest creation hatched from Rabbit in a Hat productions.

I am always very leery of any solo performance when the actor is credited as the director, and more often than not the credit isn't merited; however there is no egg on director-performer Paul Van Dyck in his "one man" solo performance as he offers us an early sweet for Passover and Easter week. Granted it is not for everyone, however don't be put off by the poetic origins of this multi-medium piece of performance art. The inspiration behind Van Dyke’s concept was germinated by a day at the beach on the western shores of Africa while He read John Milton's poem of the same title; -Van Dyck also adapted the text, apparently cutting it down from over 200 to 17 pages.

Featured elements are: abstract puppets of Adam and Eve, rock opera antics to the Stones, shocking text presented with multiple voices brilliantly performed, -comparable to the talents of Montreal's Rick Miller, and some amazing video projection that successfully supports and doesn't upstage the performance, all coming together with perfectly synchronized blocking and seamless scene changes.

What makes this production work is the collaboration, and we all know that theatre = collaboration, right?! The smart move here was the artist surrounding himself with like minded and equally talented and imaginative artists in their respective fields of expertise. All the elements of: computer animation (Jeremy Eliosoff) video projection (Allison Elizabeth Burns) lighting (Jody Burkholder) and puppetry (Lyne Paquette) all serendipitously come together to make for a very original production, with some astonishingly great memorable moments. Photo credit : Andrea Hausmann. Look for this production to garner some nominations at this season's MECCAS. GO C IT!