From South Africa this is a play that was inspired by a true story that reached international media attention in 2001. A socio-political piece that visits the psychological landscape where the events that motivate the play took place. Memorable powerfully strong performances delivered by storyteller Mncedesi Shabangu (Simon) and a strong stage presence by Constance Didi (Ruth). A hauntingly disturbing story that will no doubt spark heated and controversial conversation after you've seen the show.
Very well directed by the playwright Lara Foo-Newton. Produced by former Centaur AD Maurice Podbrey. Playing till March 7.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
DOUBT @ Centaur leaves room for some doubt.
Doubt-A Parable, by John Patrick Shanley, is produced by Centaur and directed by Micheline Chevrier. It is put up in the small space and plays until the 29th.
Set in 1964 in a Bronx Catholic school, Doubt deals with many human virtues and faults, and some inhuman sins, of the mind, heart and body. One thing the play doesn't do is leave us any doubt that it is a great piece of writing and is still very relevant today, within society and all the scandals surrounding the church.
If you have seen the film version that came out last fall, with Oscar nominated performances by: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour-Hoffman, Viola Davis and Amy Adams, you saw a very solid and well produced interpretation of the play. Admittedly these are four of Hollywood's greatest powerhouse talents, ergo hard to go up against. The writing lends itself to feeding the cast of stars with great material, and with the text accompanied by such great actors it would be difficult not to have an equally great production. With this stage production of the play opening while the film is still on the big screens, a comparison is inevitable. I was eagerly anticipating this production and anxious for it to blow me away, the power that the screenplay has on the performances delivered in the film unfortunately is not equally transferred onto the Centaur stage in this production.
The production starts out strong and at a good pace delivering some 'laugh out loud' moments, however it drifts from the dry humorous opening to a slower pace midpoint and a slight dramatic tension, helped by a good sound track, remains through the rest of the play. The lighting is really well designed and is the most important element in bringing this production to the professional level it sets out to attain. The set design has some very questionable choices and is way too stark with too few elements to support the text and create a credible environment for the characters. A desk facing upstage so the character has to present her back to us whenever she's seated becomes frustrating to the point that it undoes the message it was initially intended to send. Costumes are adequate, but we're talking two nuns and a priest, so no big challenge here. The performances of Brenda Robins and Lina Roessler are very solid, and their accents and voices as well as Alain Goulem's are spot on and help to hold our attention. It is Lucinda Davis's portrayal of the mother Mrs. Muller however, that is the most powerful and has the most memorable effect on us.
Where this production commits the 'cardinal sin' is in the overall direction. The blocking is not very challenging nor creative, with actors walking in and out of center stage moving from left to right with a few props back and forth it all becomes very tedious. All the action is centered and no attempt at using the available space. The props, including a totally awful fake tree (that represents a garden) and a crow on a stump, (that seems to have been forgotten as it never got moved from DSR) are barely elaborate enough to fill the demands of the piece. The monotony of the entrances and exits with actors visibly waiting for sound queues of door knocks and phones to ring reminds us of a mediocre high school production and are not elements worthy of a Centaur stage.
What was most frustrating was watching, or rather not being able to watch, the face of Sister Aloysius (Brenda Robins). If you're as unfortunate as I was to be seated audience left side of the stage, you rarely if ever got to see her face; Hidden under the bonnet of her habit we are robbed of her expression throughout most of the play. Since she is the lead and has the best lines this is really unpardonable. (It was the nuance of Steep’s subtle expressions that won her the 15th Oscar nomination she got for this role.) Throughout most of the play, whenever both the nuns are facing off against each other we are only given half of the performance to enjoy since we only get to see half of their faces; rarely are their lines delivered to the audience. This is so frustrating for a piece that begs for delicate subtle nuance from the performances.
I'm left not able to recommend this production of the play over film.
Set in 1964 in a Bronx Catholic school, Doubt deals with many human virtues and faults, and some inhuman sins, of the mind, heart and body. One thing the play doesn't do is leave us any doubt that it is a great piece of writing and is still very relevant today, within society and all the scandals surrounding the church.
If you have seen the film version that came out last fall, with Oscar nominated performances by: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour-Hoffman, Viola Davis and Amy Adams, you saw a very solid and well produced interpretation of the play. Admittedly these are four of Hollywood's greatest powerhouse talents, ergo hard to go up against. The writing lends itself to feeding the cast of stars with great material, and with the text accompanied by such great actors it would be difficult not to have an equally great production. With this stage production of the play opening while the film is still on the big screens, a comparison is inevitable. I was eagerly anticipating this production and anxious for it to blow me away, the power that the screenplay has on the performances delivered in the film unfortunately is not equally transferred onto the Centaur stage in this production.
The production starts out strong and at a good pace delivering some 'laugh out loud' moments, however it drifts from the dry humorous opening to a slower pace midpoint and a slight dramatic tension, helped by a good sound track, remains through the rest of the play. The lighting is really well designed and is the most important element in bringing this production to the professional level it sets out to attain. The set design has some very questionable choices and is way too stark with too few elements to support the text and create a credible environment for the characters. A desk facing upstage so the character has to present her back to us whenever she's seated becomes frustrating to the point that it undoes the message it was initially intended to send. Costumes are adequate, but we're talking two nuns and a priest, so no big challenge here. The performances of Brenda Robins and Lina Roessler are very solid, and their accents and voices as well as Alain Goulem's are spot on and help to hold our attention. It is Lucinda Davis's portrayal of the mother Mrs. Muller however, that is the most powerful and has the most memorable effect on us.
Where this production commits the 'cardinal sin' is in the overall direction. The blocking is not very challenging nor creative, with actors walking in and out of center stage moving from left to right with a few props back and forth it all becomes very tedious. All the action is centered and no attempt at using the available space. The props, including a totally awful fake tree (that represents a garden) and a crow on a stump, (that seems to have been forgotten as it never got moved from DSR) are barely elaborate enough to fill the demands of the piece. The monotony of the entrances and exits with actors visibly waiting for sound queues of door knocks and phones to ring reminds us of a mediocre high school production and are not elements worthy of a Centaur stage.
What was most frustrating was watching, or rather not being able to watch, the face of Sister Aloysius (Brenda Robins). If you're as unfortunate as I was to be seated audience left side of the stage, you rarely if ever got to see her face; Hidden under the bonnet of her habit we are robbed of her expression throughout most of the play. Since she is the lead and has the best lines this is really unpardonable. (It was the nuance of Steep’s subtle expressions that won her the 15th Oscar nomination she got for this role.) Throughout most of the play, whenever both the nuns are facing off against each other we are only given half of the performance to enjoy since we only get to see half of their faces; rarely are their lines delivered to the audience. This is so frustrating for a piece that begs for delicate subtle nuance from the performances.
I'm left not able to recommend this production of the play over film.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tempest in a Tea Pot not everyone's cup of tea.
Tempest In A Teapot by Ottawa's Company Of Fools @ MainLine to February 28. An original post-modern deconstruction, part parody part homage, of the original classic “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare, written in 1610. The protagonist leads us on a journey of storytelling as he/she struggles to steer a production of the play while an unruly cast continually questions the script, steps in and out of character and occasionally breaks into song.
Technically sound, the acting is up to par, clever use of the equally cleverly designed set, even the lighting was well designed (for MainLine that is saying a lot), great costumes, and short enough (at under 80 minutes) to keep you entertained. What was most obviously lacking was some actual music. The dead silence in the background left my ears begging for some musical interludes to help smooth out the transitions. Good direction, and blocking was well paced but not perfect, yet for a touring company on a short run, adequate.
In the original, it’s protagonist the banished sorcerer Prospero, Duke of Milan, who uses his magical powers to punish and forgive his enemies when he raises a tempest that drives them ashore. The play takes place on an island under his control whose native inhabitants, Ariel and Caliban, aid (or in the case of Caliban, hinder) his work. While a comedy when it was initially published in 1623, modern editors have since re-labeled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. It did not attract a lot of attention before the closing of the theatres in 1642 but has since been critically acclaimed to the extent that it is now considered to be one of Shakespeare's greatest works.
If you are not a fan of the Bard you will still get a tickle from this adaptation, and if you are a fan, and you don’t like anyone tampering with your ‘Tempest’, then you will probably not care for this take. Which begs the question who is the audience for this production… or who isn’t? -To be in the audience, or not to be in the audience? Based on the smattering of people in the audience, my guess is no one knows. -Maybe high school students? With no posters, no sandwich-board out on the ‘Main’, no flyers, no programs, and not listed in the QDF calendar, then apart from the MainLine connection, this out of town ‘company of fools’ may have a lot of trouble (to quote a line from the play) “putting bums in seats.”
Technically sound, the acting is up to par, clever use of the equally cleverly designed set, even the lighting was well designed (for MainLine that is saying a lot), great costumes, and short enough (at under 80 minutes) to keep you entertained. What was most obviously lacking was some actual music. The dead silence in the background left my ears begging for some musical interludes to help smooth out the transitions. Good direction, and blocking was well paced but not perfect, yet for a touring company on a short run, adequate.
In the original, it’s protagonist the banished sorcerer Prospero, Duke of Milan, who uses his magical powers to punish and forgive his enemies when he raises a tempest that drives them ashore. The play takes place on an island under his control whose native inhabitants, Ariel and Caliban, aid (or in the case of Caliban, hinder) his work. While a comedy when it was initially published in 1623, modern editors have since re-labeled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. It did not attract a lot of attention before the closing of the theatres in 1642 but has since been critically acclaimed to the extent that it is now considered to be one of Shakespeare's greatest works.
If you are not a fan of the Bard you will still get a tickle from this adaptation, and if you are a fan, and you don’t like anyone tampering with your ‘Tempest’, then you will probably not care for this take. Which begs the question who is the audience for this production… or who isn’t? -To be in the audience, or not to be in the audience? Based on the smattering of people in the audience, my guess is no one knows. -Maybe high school students? With no posters, no sandwich-board out on the ‘Main’, no flyers, no programs, and not listed in the QDF calendar, then apart from the MainLine connection, this out of town ‘company of fools’ may have a lot of trouble (to quote a line from the play) “putting bums in seats.”
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Haunted House is a MASTERPIECE! Creative-intelligent theatre.
What do you get when you combine the following:
Inspiring and timeless poetry by A.M. Klien
Smart and clever text by Endre Farkas
Amazing and powerful set design.
Accurate and well balanced costume design.
Flawless performances by a well cast ensemble.
Stellar direction by Liz Valdez...
Haunted House - truly intelligent theatre.
Written by Endre Farkas it is inspired by the poetry and life of A.M. Klein, a Canadian writer of Jewish heritage, who wrote about a Montreal reality during turbulent times and how he imagined the city to be. He read the dictionary for amusement to learn new words, and then used the words that he learned in his daily conversation and in his writing. A community and political activist, lawyer, journalist, and poet, Abraham Moses Klien, like most poets, was relatively unknown and unappreciated during his own lifetime. It is through this play that we discover the impact of his accomplishments and his legacy.
The writing of the text by Farkas accompanied by the perfectly choreographed blocking and steady pacing of Valdez's direction, are a clear indicator of the clear understanding of the source material by both playwright and director; And the incredible synergistic relationship between the two is apparent in the result on stage with the energetic and enthusiastic performances of the entire ensemble.
One slight criticism would be with the lighting. Although accommodating the projection, -with lights hanging high we don't always get a clear enough view of the actors faces and on a few occasions they find themselves either not lit or under-lit, particularly in the latter 15 minutes of the play, where the action shifts to more still moments, the set tends to be too dark.
Presented by Tableau d'Hôte Theatre (http://www.tableaudhotetheatre.com/upcoming.htm) @ Segal Studio to March 5th. You don’t have to be an intellectual to appreciate intelligent theatre. Go C It!
Inspiring and timeless poetry by A.M. Klien
Smart and clever text by Endre Farkas
Amazing and powerful set design.
Accurate and well balanced costume design.
Flawless performances by a well cast ensemble.
Stellar direction by Liz Valdez...
Haunted House - truly intelligent theatre.
Written by Endre Farkas it is inspired by the poetry and life of A.M. Klein, a Canadian writer of Jewish heritage, who wrote about a Montreal reality during turbulent times and how he imagined the city to be. He read the dictionary for amusement to learn new words, and then used the words that he learned in his daily conversation and in his writing. A community and political activist, lawyer, journalist, and poet, Abraham Moses Klien, like most poets, was relatively unknown and unappreciated during his own lifetime. It is through this play that we discover the impact of his accomplishments and his legacy.
The writing of the text by Farkas accompanied by the perfectly choreographed blocking and steady pacing of Valdez's direction, are a clear indicator of the clear understanding of the source material by both playwright and director; And the incredible synergistic relationship between the two is apparent in the result on stage with the energetic and enthusiastic performances of the entire ensemble.
One slight criticism would be with the lighting. Although accommodating the projection, -with lights hanging high we don't always get a clear enough view of the actors faces and on a few occasions they find themselves either not lit or under-lit, particularly in the latter 15 minutes of the play, where the action shifts to more still moments, the set tends to be too dark.
Presented by Tableau d'Hôte Theatre (http://www.tableaudhotetheatre.com/upcoming.htm) @ Segal Studio to March 5th. You don’t have to be an intellectual to appreciate intelligent theatre. Go C It!
Gone fishing -with Trout Stanley @ TSC.
There is nothing fishy about Trout Stanley by Claudia Dey playing at Theatre Ste-Catherine until Feb. 21st. It is the second week for this production and there is a reasonably full house for this benefit presentation for Herstreet (http://www.laruedesfemmes.com) on a snowy Wednesday evening in Montreal. Produced by Found Wave Theatre, a co-operative: Glenda Braganza, Stéphanie Breton, Vanessa Matsui, Caitlin Murphy, and Shannon Topinka. http://www.foundwave.ca
One is first greeted with the set, which is striking, -especially on the TSC stage, were we are more accustomed to a more bare stage, or a sparse stage design. It compliments the play and assists the actors in creating 'their world'. Establishing exactly what and where is 'their world' isn't obvious at first, and a lot of the physical elements on stage are not obvious either, -in that we question if they are 'real' or 'fake', i.e. fantasy. What they all are is fantastic: the set, the staging, the sound, and the costumes, are all essentially perfect for this production.
The physical action and the interaction is most compelling, -again when we consider that it is on the compact TSC stage with a full set, -we quickly become accustomed to a less is more approach to the choreography and detailed blocking. The performances are spot on and the casting is as well, -with each character having individual balanced moments to shine on their own as well as in the pairing of each scene. Stéphanie Breton's portrayal of Sugar Ducharme is hysterically funny and very endearing, and the character whom I connected with most in this dysfunctional three-way. The characters of Vanessa Matsui's (Grace Ducharme) and Vincent Leclerc's (Trout Stanley) are exact polar opposites and they play off each others magnetism to perfection.
There were a few funky light transitions, -rather abrupt in some places, and a few too many (unnecessary) blackouts, -but it Is hard to get precise lighting in this small performance space.
Just long enough in running time, the pacing is also parfait, so the time flies by in both acts.
Go C It!
One is first greeted with the set, which is striking, -especially on the TSC stage, were we are more accustomed to a more bare stage, or a sparse stage design. It compliments the play and assists the actors in creating 'their world'. Establishing exactly what and where is 'their world' isn't obvious at first, and a lot of the physical elements on stage are not obvious either, -in that we question if they are 'real' or 'fake', i.e. fantasy. What they all are is fantastic: the set, the staging, the sound, and the costumes, are all essentially perfect for this production.
The physical action and the interaction is most compelling, -again when we consider that it is on the compact TSC stage with a full set, -we quickly become accustomed to a less is more approach to the choreography and detailed blocking. The performances are spot on and the casting is as well, -with each character having individual balanced moments to shine on their own as well as in the pairing of each scene. Stéphanie Breton's portrayal of Sugar Ducharme is hysterically funny and very endearing, and the character whom I connected with most in this dysfunctional three-way. The characters of Vanessa Matsui's (Grace Ducharme) and Vincent Leclerc's (Trout Stanley) are exact polar opposites and they play off each others magnetism to perfection.
There were a few funky light transitions, -rather abrupt in some places, and a few too many (unnecessary) blackouts, -but it Is hard to get precise lighting in this small performance space.
Just long enough in running time, the pacing is also parfait, so the time flies by in both acts.
Go C It!
DON'T POOP ON MY PARADE
To those tiny little 'main men' who are wallowing in envy and awe of all that I am able to do, whether it is homophobia, jealousy, or just plain old penis envy (trust me we've got you beat on that last one too): "DON'T DARE POOP ON MY PARADE".
This is something to think about when a few negative people are doing their best to rain on your parade. Remember this story the next time someone who knows nothing, and cares less, tries to make your life miserable by bad mouthing and spreading trash about you.
A woman was at her hairdresser's getting her hair styled for a trip to Rome with her husband. She mentioned the trip to the hairdresser, who responded:
"Rome? Why would anyone want to go there? It's crowded and dirty. You're crazy to go to Rome. So, how are you getting there?"
"We're taking Continental," was the reply. "We got a great rate!"
"Continental?" exclaimed the hairdresser." That's a terrible airline. Their planes are old, their flight attendants are ugly, and they're always late. So, where are you staying in Rome?"
"We'll be at this exclusive little place over on Rome's Tiber River called Teste."
"Don't go any further. I know that place. Everybody thinks it's gonna be something special and exclusive, but it's really a dump, the worst hotel in the city! The rooms are small, the service is surly, and they're overpriced.
"So, whatcha doing when you get there?"
"We're going to go to see the Vatican and we hope to see the Pope."
"That's rich," laughed the hairdresser. "You and a million other people trying to see him. He'll look the size of an ant. Boy, good luck on this lousy trip of yours. You're going to need it."
A month later, the woman again came in for a hairdo. The hairdresser asked her about her trip to Rome.
"It was wonderful," explained the woman; "not only were we on time in one of Continental's brand new planes, but it was overbooked, and they bumped us up to first class. The food and wine were wonderful, and I had a handsome 28-year-old steward who waited on me hand and foot.
And the hotel was great! They'd just finished a $5 million remodelling job, and now it's a jewel, the finest hotel in the city. They, too, were overbooked, so they apologized and gave us their owner's suite at no extra charge!"
"Well," muttered the hairdresser, "that's all well and good, but I know you didn't get to see the Pope."
"Actually, we were quite lucky, because as we toured the Vatican, a Swiss Guard tapped me on the shoulder, and explained that the Pope likes to meet some of the visitors, and if we'd be so kind as to step into his private room and wait, the Pope would personally greet us.
Sure enough, five minutes later, the Pope walked through the door and shook my hand! I knelt down and he spoke a few words to me."
"Oh, really! What'd he say?"
He said: "Where'd you get that awful hairdo ? "
Dee Arr does have a point... -and is a fabulous bitch!
This is something to think about when a few negative people are doing their best to rain on your parade. Remember this story the next time someone who knows nothing, and cares less, tries to make your life miserable by bad mouthing and spreading trash about you.
A woman was at her hairdresser's getting her hair styled for a trip to Rome with her husband. She mentioned the trip to the hairdresser, who responded:
"Rome? Why would anyone want to go there? It's crowded and dirty. You're crazy to go to Rome. So, how are you getting there?"
"We're taking Continental," was the reply. "We got a great rate!"
"Continental?" exclaimed the hairdresser." That's a terrible airline. Their planes are old, their flight attendants are ugly, and they're always late. So, where are you staying in Rome?"
"We'll be at this exclusive little place over on Rome's Tiber River called Teste."
"Don't go any further. I know that place. Everybody thinks it's gonna be something special and exclusive, but it's really a dump, the worst hotel in the city! The rooms are small, the service is surly, and they're overpriced.
"So, whatcha doing when you get there?"
"We're going to go to see the Vatican and we hope to see the Pope."
"That's rich," laughed the hairdresser. "You and a million other people trying to see him. He'll look the size of an ant. Boy, good luck on this lousy trip of yours. You're going to need it."
A month later, the woman again came in for a hairdo. The hairdresser asked her about her trip to Rome.
"It was wonderful," explained the woman; "not only were we on time in one of Continental's brand new planes, but it was overbooked, and they bumped us up to first class. The food and wine were wonderful, and I had a handsome 28-year-old steward who waited on me hand and foot.
And the hotel was great! They'd just finished a $5 million remodelling job, and now it's a jewel, the finest hotel in the city. They, too, were overbooked, so they apologized and gave us their owner's suite at no extra charge!"
"Well," muttered the hairdresser, "that's all well and good, but I know you didn't get to see the Pope."
"Actually, we were quite lucky, because as we toured the Vatican, a Swiss Guard tapped me on the shoulder, and explained that the Pope likes to meet some of the visitors, and if we'd be so kind as to step into his private room and wait, the Pope would personally greet us.
Sure enough, five minutes later, the Pope walked through the door and shook my hand! I knelt down and he spoke a few words to me."
"Oh, really! What'd he say?"
He said: "Where'd you get that awful hairdo ? "
Dee Arr does have a point... -and is a fabulous bitch!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
