Zadie’s Shoes, written by Adam Pettle, @ Factory Theatre until June 5

Although recently ending its Factory Theatre run, Zadie’s Shoes is a wonderfully written, often moving play with cleverly structured conflicts, easily recognizable and perfectly contrasting characters and relevant contemporary themes. Wow! That’s a mouthful AND an awful lot to cram into one play….well.

But prolific and award-winning playwright Adam Pettle does so with this modestly rewritten and tightened revival of his 2001 hit. But, of course, it takes more than a superb play to create a winner. Thus, the supporting and talented team of actors (Joe Cobden, Patricia Fagan, William Macdonald, Harry Nelken, Shannon Perreault, Geoffrey Pounsett and Lisa Ryder), co directors (Adam and his brother, Jordan Pettle), designers (Jackie Chow-set/costumes, Andrea Lundy-lighting, Christopher Stanton-sound) and stage manager (Tanya Greve), all play a major part in creating this excellent ensemble production.

Zadie’s Shoes tells the story of Benjamin (Cobden), a compulsive gambler, who plays the horses with, and loses, his girlfriend’s (Patricia Fagan) money, which she had saved for her “alternative” cancer cure and which he is under extreme pressure to win back before they leave town in a couple of days time for her treatment. Stressed to the max, Benjamin, a thoroughly non observant Jew, heads for a synagogue, hoping for God’s intervention/assistance and there meets up with an old, but wise codger (Harry Nelken) who generously dispenses practical advice, often sprinkled with humour, coming in the form of sage sayings and aphorisms. And this elderly gentleman keeps popping up throughout the script, advising, counselling and at times, badgering Benjamin.

For those of you familiar with the play Tuesdays With Morrie, this play, Zadie’s Shoes has some similarities. Both plays involve a North American secular Jewish sensibility and both contain conflict, wit, charm, humour, pathos and enough schmaltz (chicken fat) to make a large serving of very rich chopped liver. But Pettle’s play has younger characters and tackles more ‘with it’ and contemporary themes. In fact, I have seldom seen as many young people (16-40) in attendance at a local theatre for a non-musical, as I did here at the Factory Theatre for that Sunday matinee.     The high stakes and very humorous, yet poignant plot, is very shrewdly but seamlessly mixed with the universal themes of compulsive behaviour, family, love, faith and loss of relationships.

In the final analysis, Pettle tells a good story and understands that conflict must occur at strategic intervals in order to hook your audience. I, for one, was totally engaged, because Zadie’s shoes is clever ‘popular entertainment’ and definitely worth the trip to Factory.

Related posts:

1. Billy Twinkle, Requiem for a Golden Boy
2. Oleanna at Soulpepper
3. New York’s Theatre Scene

by Ron Singer

“National Theatre Live” is the name of a phenomenal and groundbreaking theatrical initiative that has been taking place in Toronto since January 2009, but you’d be hard pressed to find overwhelming numbers of Torontonians who know about it. What exactly is it? It’s the best of British Theatre, performances of outstanding plays of all types and genres that are performed in repertory at the three theatres of the Royal National Theatre in London and broadcast live via satellite directly to a select number of cinemas and performing arts venues around the world, including the Cineplex chain here in Toronto.

Think about it, some of the best plays from across the globe, featuring many of the world’s best actors and directors and produced by one of the world’s most reputable and successful repertory companies.. seen live, here in TO–without the tedious hassle of having to go to London, AND at a very reasonable cost per ticket.
Thus, I find it difficult to understand why there are not far more people ”breaking down the Cineplex doors”, so to speak, in order to attend this spectacular series.
If you haven’t been a fan, then take note, below are only some of the exciting productions that you have missed.

• Phedre by Jean Racine starring a  nothing less than brilliant Helen Mirren playing the title role of Phedre in this savage play,
• The Habit of Art, an extremely witty and articulate play by brilliant British playwright Alan Bennett,
• A Disappearing Number by world famous theatre company, Theatre Complicite, a provocative, but superbly performed Hamlet,
• the recent Broadway musical hit, Fela and most finally,
• Frankenstein directed by famous film director Danny Boyle of Academy Award winning Slumdog Millionaire fame.
• And upcoming, Checkov’s Cherry Orchard, Emperor and Galilean and A Woman Killed with Kindness.
• 
  

And as if that’s not enough to satisfy even the most dedicated theatre officianado, the Cineplex organization is now hooking up  with Broadway producers and beginning to bring in hits directly from productions currently running on the Great White Way. One of these is the award-winning  show starring Brian Bedford in The Importance of Being Earnest  and the second of these Broadway offerings is the present long-running musical, Memphis.
Do not think that you’re  diminishing the importance of local theatre by supporting these foreign productions, you are, however, expanding your theatrical knowledge and experience, which can only serve to improve the quality of the theatre-going audiences in this City.

Related posts:

1. Hamlet live: at Cineplex
2. New York’s Theatre Scene
3. Announcing Expert Theatre Critic

reviewed by Ron Singer

This is not a well known fact, but the playwright, William Saroyan, who wrote ‘The Time of Your Life’, is recognized as one of America’s great playwrights of the 20th century, alongside the likes of   Arthur Miller, Thornton Wilder and Eugene O’Neill.
This play is Saroyan’s Pulitzer Prize winner and very much like Eugene O’Neill’s play,’ The Iceman Cometh’, it is set in a seedy bar and filled with characters longing for a better life.
The major difference between O’Neill’s play in a bar and Saroyan’s, is the highly unusual qualities of Saroyan’s central character, Joe, (performed brilliantly by Joseph Ziegler), the champagne-guzzling, always calm, always quiet, always thinking, always bored, always eager, always superior, millionaire philanthropist (Saroyan’s description), who is very much at the centre of this play, as he generously hands out gifts and cash to many who enter the bar. In essence, and primarily via this character, Saroyan is saying, “Live to the fullest in the ‘Time of Your Life’”.
Written by a perpetually optimistic Saroyan in 1939, as a dream-filled and loving ode to a corrupt, as well as economically and psychologically battered America, just prior to the start of World War Two, this play is in many ways, perfectly suited to our 21st century. Since it deals with people yearning to rid the world of evil and hoping for a better life, it is incredibly timely in this day and age where we also have our fair share of corrupt politicians, almost universal economic woes, unpredictable terrorist atrocities and a plethora of wars and revolutions.
The acting is strong and there are far too many in this extraordinarily large cast to single out all those who deserve special  praise, but I can’t help but zero in on Stuart Hughes for his brilliant portrayal as Kit Carson. Whenever he’s on stage, the scenes vibrate with energy and interest.  Additionally, the direction by artistic director, Albert Schultz is solid and the set, costumes and lighting are highly appropriate.
But, as strong as this production is, as relevant as the topic might be, as intriguing as Joe is as an eccentric character and as well written as this play may be, it is not going to be to everyone’s taste.
In simplest terms, this is a very verbal play, with almost abstract-like writing at times and it’s chock-a-block full of “life can be beautiful” aphorisms and philosophising, such as, “This is such a good world. Why then do I feel so lonely”? Or “I’ve got a Christian conscience in a world with no conscience.” AND the production also moves at an extremely “unhurried” pace.

Related posts:

1. The Doctor’s Dilemma
2. The Cherry Orchard
3. Oleanna at Soulpepper

reviewed by Ron Singer

I’ve barely got any hair left on my head and what’s still there is primarily grey. My wife of 45 years has a gorgeous head of pure white hair. And when we go to the theatre here in Toronto, we fit right in, since we’re pretty much in the age range of the average legitimate theatre-goer in this City. All by way of saying, the theatre-going population for the more traditional theatre companies in this City, (and Country) consists primarily of grey and white-haired folk…in other words, seniors. Not that there’s anything wrong with seniors, per say, BUT if we seniors constitute the majority of the present day theatre audience, and a younger audience isn’t being introduced to this art, then who will eventually take over from us once we stop going?

And the answer to that question is; Shakespeare in Action, one of several professional theatre companies in TO, that brings exciting theatre workshops and productions into our schools and directly to our youth, our audience of the future. And one of this company’s recent productions was the Diary of Anne Frank, which I saw at a local high school, along with over 250 students.

What a perfect choice of play for these teens, the now famous, true story of Anne Frank (played intelligently and note perfect by Sasha Cole), a Dutch Jewish teenage girl, who came of age during the turmoil of World War 2, while hiding from the Nazis in an attic with her family and several family friends. Almost all of the experiences in this confined living space involving this bright, spunky, highly articulate and outspoken teenager, were familiar topics and of great interest to this particular audience.

The material that teens would find easy to identify with include scenes of tense family squabbles, Anne’s keen, witty or sarcastic observations of the adults, comments that deal with Anne’s  physical and psychological growth and development, as well a most genuine, touching and brilliantly-staged and acted sexual awakening scene between Anne and the attractive teenage boy in the attic. In fact, virtually all of this play with its message of hope and positive thinking and its image of a very strong, intelligent and caring heroine, was directly in tune with this audience.

When you add the fact that almost every artistic and technical aspect of the production was beautifully handled by this professional company, which includes excellent direction by Michael Kelly, superb acting by a truly talented ensemble of 10 (Bruce Beaton, Cindy Block, Joe Bucci, Shaun Clarke, Kaitlin Janisse, Chris Karzmar, Dan Karpenchuck, Alexis Koetting and Catherine McNally), an exquisitely designed, very appropriate claustrophobic set and effective lighting (Glen Davidson), music\sound (Thomas Ryder Payne) and costumes (Lori Hickling), then you’re almost certain to get the kind of dreamed-for, ideal, positive results that I witnessed that morning in that high school auditorium. The kids were hanging on to every word and action emanating from that stage. They were living their life through Anne. They were experiencing 1st hand, live, what theatre does best, it invites and encourages you to share meaningful emotions, in the moment. AND this young audience was also presumably learning to like theatre and what it has to offer them.
Bottom line? Companies like Shakespeare in Action are not as visible or high profile as many of our other professional companies here in town, but these lesser known companies that dedicate themselves primarily to youth, obviously serve an invaluable purpose.
They’re introducing theatre to the next generation while educating and developing a future theatre audience.

Related posts:

1. Time Stands Still: on Broadway
2. National Theatre Live
3. Hamlet live: at Cineplex

reviewed by Ron Singer

What a “mish mosh of an evening”, otherwise described as, “this play is all over the map”. More Fine Girls is great and it’s awful, it’s extremely amusing and it’s boring and….well, it’s different.

The story, based on the lives of three dysfunctional, high, high energy, constantly quibbling sisters (Ann Marie MacDonald, Martha Ross and Severn Thompson, a last minute replacement for Leah Cherniak) interacting after their parents die, is not that uncommon. But what makes this an unusual production, is 1)the script, which is more like a TV sitcom consisting of a string of comic one liners, 2)the acting choices, which are naturalistic, farce, vaudeville, comedia del arte, or who the heck knows what and 3) the set, which has props and set by Judith Bowden flying in and out and off and on from all directions on one of Toronto’s smallest and normally least flexible stages.

The play was created by the actresses, Leah Cherniak, Ann-Marie MacDonald and Martha Ross plus director Alisa Palmer and Jennifer Brewin. The acting at all times during this smorgesborg of a play, is frantic, yet grounded and interesting. And if that sounds contradictory, well so is this entire production, as I keep saying. There were moments where I was thoroughly engaged and enjoyably laughing out loud. But there were an equal number of embarrassingly schticky moments where I was totally removed, bored and cringing while I watched the very talented actors pushing way too hard, trying to create a comic moment and failing. I kept wondering, what is this play trying to say? That every family has it’s share of dysfunctional members & an equal number of family secrets? Probably.

My conclusion. This play and production is obviously very uneven. Some of the humour, acting and staging is brilliant, some pathetic and not exactly my idea of a great evening in the theatre.

Related posts:

1. Jitters
2. Death of a Salesman
3. The Fantasticks

performances through June 2011

reviewed by Ron Singer

No grand theatrics or spectacular technical effects here. A Spider Man, Turn Off The Dark, thankfully, it ain’t. In fact, it couldn’t be more different.

The Fantasticks is a small, intimate musical. And what exactly does that mean? Well, there are only eight cast members, two musicians (a brilliantly energetic Lily Ling on piano and a delightful Erica Goodman on harp), no major dance numbers and one very simple old fashioned, but relevant set (Christina Poddubiak). And yet, this show has the joyful impact of a successful, very-expensive Broadway musical.

The plot, music and lyrics are melodramatic, sweet and corny at certain moments and yet, they work, because like everything else in this production, directed by Joseph Ziegler, they are highly appropriate to the subject matter and they’re also beautifully simple without being simplistic. There is obviously nothing sensational here. Yet, the cumulative affect is absolutely sensational.

The Fantasticks is one of the longest running plays anywhere in the world, and seeing this production at Soulpepper led me to better understand why it can endure. I believe that it talks to old and young alike, it has an excellent balance of drama, comedy and intellect and it pushes the perfect emotional buttons for most people. It sure did for me.

The story centres primarily around two fathers (beautifully played by two stalwart pros, Michael Hanrahan and William Webster) who plot to have their respective son and daughter (very ideally cast with Jeff Lillco and Krystin Pellerin) become enamoured of one another and ultimately marry. The fathers’ thinking is, “If we order them to fall in love, they’ll never listen to us and they’re sure to do the opposite. So, let’s work at preventing them from dating and the odds are they’ll do everything in their power to disobey us in order to get together.” Does this plan work? Come find out.

Clearly, a play about young lovers is bound to deal with an abundance of youthful hormones and it’s also guaranteed to have its fair share of love songs. And it does.

For those of you familiar with the world of musical theatre, you’ll no doubt recognize the names of the superb writing team of Tom Jones (book and lyrics) and Harvey Schmidt who wrote excellently-crafted, if not always memorable, tunes for this play. However, the song that did make it big and that many in the audience will recall fondly, is Try to Remember. And Soon It’s Gonna Rain, may also be a song that generates positive memories for many. Additionally, the script tosses in references to Shakespeare and an ample number of philosophical quips to satisfy many who want more than an evening of song and dance.

The Soulpepper’s Artistic Director, Albert Schultz, seems to be having a grand old time playing the part of the Narrator who occasionally lapses into song and Michael Simpson and Oliver Dennis deliver outstanding, highly inventive comic relief.

Vocally, the cast is very capable. But then again, this play doesn’t need brilliant singers to succeed, as much as it needs strong acting. In fact, it’s the acting that takes this production to great heights. In the final analysis, I unhesitatingly call this a thoroughly gratifying piece of must-see theatre and I heap high praise on the extremely talented group of artists involved in its creation.

And as a P.S. This is the second time I’ve heard Albert Schultz sing (first time at a Tom Waits concert) and darn it, for an actor, he’s a bloody good singer. In fact, by the end of the final act, Albert and the production had me and the entire audience exactly where they wanted us. Most of us, I’d wager, were absolutely moved to tears when Albert, eventually joined by the entire cast, launched into Try to Remember, the show’s most moving at memorable tune.

Related posts:

1. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of The Desert
2. South Pacific
3. Scottsboro Boys

Winter Garden Theatre, Toronto until April 3 (excl. March 15-20)

reviewed by Tina Rogers

Sandra Shamas mastered story telling decades ago, and continues to deliver her two-hour monologues in her inimitable and hilarious style after an almost nine-year gap since Wits End II. In the cozy familiarity of the Winter Garden Theatre on Yonge Street in Toronto, Sandra Shamas had a packed house of mostly women, but also a noticeable number of men, laughing out loud.

“WIT’S END III: LOVE LIFE continues Sandra’s story. She is still on the farm, still dealing with everything life throws at her. With brilliant insight, Sandra tackles every hurdle, and along the way she pokes fun at her own foibles in an earthy, honest and hilarious way. From exploring changes in her body as she ages, to dealing with the delicate negotiations of purchasing the perfect little red tractor, to hiring someone to help with the heavy farm machinery, Sandra never loses sight of the importance of loyalty, humour and love.”

Admittedly those of us ‘of a certain age’ likely related more intimately to her accounts of Sex-Ed in the sixties, and more recent menopausal symptoms, but there was indeed something for everyone in her material which she delivers with aplomb and a delicious sense of mischief behind her twinkling eyes. Over two hours with a short intermission, and not once did she falter or lose her engaged audience.

“Love Life” is less about romantic interludes and more about the joys of living an interesting and tumultuous life, including becoming a small farmer, going to parties in Toronto as a single woman, and the coming of age stage for women over 50. The material is extremely well written and presented impeccably. The time simply flew by, and left us all wanting just a little more.

Can’t wait for Wits End IV, but we sincerely hope it won’t be another nine years in the making. This is Sandra Shamas at her best.

From the SHOW website …

One of Canada’s most celebrated comic artists, Sandra came into her own as a performer, writer and producer in the mid 1980s with My Boyfriend’s Back and There’s Gonna Be Laundry. From its very first performance at the Edmonton Fringe, the show was a smash success, eventually touring the country and even playing the legendary Old Vic Theatre in London, England (the first Canadian show to have that distinction in the theatre’s long history). Two more Laundry plays followed, each playing to sold-out houses across Canada; the trilogy eventually published and shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award and the Stephen Leacock Award for Humour. Sandra won a Gemini Award in 1991 for Best Performance in Comedy, and won the Best Theatre Award at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in March 2003.

After some time away from the spotlight, Sandra returned to performing with Wit’s End, a show that chronicled her move to country living. It played 11 sold-out weeks at the 1,000-seat Winter Garden and then toured to major theatres across the country. It was followed by Wit’s End II: Heart’s Desire, which enjoyed similar success.

Related posts:

1. Announcing Expert Theatre Critic
2. Go to Second First
3. Anne Murray honoured at Sisterhood Soiree

reviewed by Ron Singer

Saint Carmen of the Main was written by the prolific French Canadian playwright Michelle Tremblay and it was originally produced in 1976 in Montreal during that 70′s period of the Quiet Revolution in Quebec when Separatism was a hot political topic.

Tremblay’s plays were the first to directly and blatantly champion French Canada, French Canadians and French Canadian culture. And one of the ways he did that was by using Joual, the French Canadian dialect, in all his plays. This went a long way to legitimizing the dialect. (The word Joual, is a corruption of the French word cheval, or horse and is the way the average French Canadian presumably pronounces the word cheval. As a consequence, for who knows what reason, the word, Joual has become the official name for the Quebecois dialect.)

Beyond encouraging French Canadians to be proud of their dialect, Tremblay wrote honestly about the lives of the ordinary French speaking people of Quebec, hoping to show them through his writing that they and their culture were as valid and authentic as any. In this play particularly, Carmen of the Main, Tremblay was unequivocally urging Quebecers to wake up, acknowledge and accept who they were and be proud of themselves. He wrote this play like a Greek tragedy, using a Greek Chorus and the story of Carmen’s life and career as an allegory to encourage the emerging Quebecois Nationalism.

For Quebecers, particularly at that time in the mid 70′s, the style and content of Tremblay’s plays had a dynamite affect on the Province. They were a phenomenal and timely fuel feeding a rapidly exploding cultural awareness.

The play centres around Carmen (Laara Sadiq), a French Canadian Country and Western singer who performs in a seedy bar that is owned and operated by a slimy, cynical French Canadian businessman, Maurice (Jean Leclerc). This disreputable man and his bar cater to the drag queens, hookers, transvestites, pimps and their likes on The Main (otherwise known as St Lawrence Boulevard) in Montreal. And this rag tag group of every conceivable size and distorted shape takes on the role of Greek Chorus in this play, narrating and at times forecasting events, both joyful and tragic.

As the play opens, we learn via the very colourfully attired but raucous, and irreverent chorus that Carmen, their absolutely favourite singer, has been away and is now returning home. She has been in Nashville for the past six months learning how to yodel in order to be a better Country and Western performer and the denizens of The Main can’t wait to hear the new and improved Carmen. However, rather than the more polished C and W Carmen, she reveals an entirely new and very different voice.

This new Carmen abandons C and W in an attempt to help the people discover their voice. She writes about the people in order to validate them and her song starts a revolution. Then, since this play was written in the style of an ancient Greek tragedy, suffice it to say, things predictably go downhill for the Antigone-like Carmen, as they ultimately do for all tragic Greek heroes/heroines.

Carmen of the Main is a co-production between the National Arts Centre in Ottawa and Canadian Stage with the director (Peter Hinton) and a generally strong acting company imported from Ottawa. But in spite of the over-all very capable cast and interesting director, there were only two exciting performances. The first was Hairlip, (Diane D’aquila) Carmen’s butch-lesbian dresser/caretaker and the second was Toothpick, (Joey Tremblay) a hit-man, whose ominous and threatening presence could be felt throughout the play.

Having grown up in Quebec during the cultural revolution, I found this revival interesting and somewhat nostalgic, but overall, it didn’t really work for me. It was far too heavy in its emphasis on style (costumes and set) and that tended to weigh it down and prevent it from ever taking off.

Some critics have labelled this play as outdated, but I don’t necessarily agree. It’s not the subject matter that is out of date, since a people awakening to their problems and subsequently rebelling is obviously still very much in vogue and always will be.

Of course, with some effort and a bit of a stretch we can draw parallels to the masses rebelling in the Middle East. So, it is not irrelevant today even though Separatism is no longer a prime threat. But director Hinton’s over-eager attempt to update the play by creating a visual spectacle, simply didn’t work.

Related posts:

1. Jitters
2. Announcing Expert Theatre Critic
3. The Cherry Orchard

at Toronto Centre for the Arts until April 10

reviewed by Tina Rogers

Directed by Bartlett Sher for Dancap, this celebrated production of Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein’s prize-winning musical SOUTH PACIFIC, completely revivalist and “earning unprecedented raves this past summer from Toronto critics”, opened at the Toronto Centre for the Arts in February 2011. Lead performers David Pittsinger as Emile de Becque and Carmen Cusack as Ensign Nellie Forbush returned to Toronto for this engagement, and were two of three performance highlights in this throwback from 1949.

Based on James A. Michener’s Pulitzer Prize winning book Tales of the South Pacific, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s SOUTH PACIFIC has music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan.  Set in an island paradise during World War II, two parallel love stories bloom amidst the trappings of war and prejudice. The show’s score includes such classic songs as “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair,” “There is Nothin’ Like A Dame,” and “Some Enchanted Evening.”

As Pittsinger (in this role until Jason Howard returns in March) and Cusak lilt into “Some Enchanted Evening” in the opening scene, it’s like slipping into an old pair of slippers – it feels that comfortable and predictable. And this theme of comfort and predictability resonates throughout what can only be described as a sleepy production. Truly, the set is commendable, the large cast well-managed and on their marks, and the adherence to the traditional South Pacific is like SuperGlue.  But, and it’s a big ‘but’, there was no apparent attempt to improve or update the old to bring it into the 21st century. The production ranked as ‘good’, but not spectacular.

Keeping it all traditional – or perhaps being only the fourth night after opening – made for an extremely slow and turgid pace. Nothwithstanding the great talents of David Pittsinger (superb bass-baritone) and Carmen Cusack who together carry the show, the commitment to character displayed by Timothy Gulan playing Luther Billis, and the superb musical performance by the orchestra, this was an anachronism of a production that was screaming for an update. Apart from Gulan, the performers were stiff, the (French and Arkansas) accents were appalling, and the material – lacking stellar performances by the crew – was seriously outdated. It left me convinced it was deliberately hammy’ to parallel the performance styles of 1949.

So much do I love live performances of almost any kind including musicals, that this has never happened to me before: I’m ashamed to admit I nodded off. Not the head back wide open drooling mouth kind of sleep on airplanes, but the head-nodding slip into temporary unconsciousness with a quick wrench back to a more or less awake state. S-L-O-W.

If the cast can whip through the material faster, with fewer uncomfortable/sleepy pauses, commit to their dramatic performances not just the musical side, and convince the audience that they are having the best of times on stage, this would help to enliven a solid musical brimming over with nostalgia, especially for baby boomers.

Related posts:

1. The Fantasticks
2. The Cherry Orchard
3. Legally Blonde

until March 5

reviewed by Ron Singer

David Mamet’s plays are unique in several ways. His characters speak in a particular North American contemporary rhythm and in what is classified in theatre circles as realistic dialogue. In other words, how Mamet uses language plays a major role in his work. Additionally, pretty much everything David Mamet writes is highly controversial. But in this provocative play on the topic of gender politics, he takes the provocation that much further.

Oleanna is a two-handed play that concerns a university professor (Diego Matamoros) and one of his female students (Sarah Wilson). The plot is direct and simple, but how the story unfolds isn’t. The student has come to the prof’s office unannounced in order to complain about her low mark on an assignment that she had recently submitted and failed. And the roller coaster of a ride we go on from here as the two try to work out a solution to her complaint, is what makes this work so controversial and fascinating.

Misogyny

In most theatre circles, it is assumed that by the end of the play the audience is going to leave the theatre debating who was right and who was wrong, the teacher or the student. But allow me to state my bias right up front. Contrary to how most critics, academics, directors, etc interpret this play, I don’t think there’s any ambivalence in Mamet’s writing re who HE thinks is the guilty party and again, contrary to popular opinion, I think David Mamet, as great a writer as he may be, has written a misogynistic work. I do not for one minute think he tried to be fair and even-handed re showing the pros and cons of both sides. For, no matter how these two characters are depicted in any production of this play, and I’ve seen many, I believe the script ultimately leaves you no choice, but to come away convinced that the female student is an out and out manipulative bitch and that she is being guided primarily by the viciously anti-male Women’s Movement in her college.

Case and point: when I saw the NY production of this play, even though the director did attempt to shape the performances so that there was blame on both sides, a majority of the audience, nevertheless, actually cheered when at one point, the professor got the upper hand. Now, in reference to the Soulpepper production… Even though Mamet stacked the deck, so to speak, in favour of the teacher, an audience can still be made to sympathize to a degree with the student ‘IF’ the director so chooses.

It’s all in how the director asks his actors to play their lines. In fact, in several other productions I’ve seen, particularly, as I previously stated, in the 1st NY production of this play directed by Mamet himself, the director found countless moments where the prof’s behaviour and reactions to the student were frequently rude and aggressively and manipulatively despicable. And this behaviour contributed to the student’s initial confusion and timidity and to her ultimately soliciting the assistance of the Woman’s Group and most importantly, it also kept the audience guessing and wondering if perhaps the teacher’s provocations weren’t sufficient justification for the student’s decision to seek revenge on him.

Who is the ‘bad guy’?

Played this way, both parties are culpable and it creates a somewhat more even playing field, as well as a more dramatic and conflict-filled battle scene in the earlier moments of the play. However, in this Soulpepper production, Laszlo Marton, the director, has shaped the play so that the female student is pretty-well the only ‘bad guy’, so to speak, and the teacher the good guy. Watching the profs performance, I could only conclude that Marton decided that the prof be played as a passive, innocent and kind-hearted soul, who inadvertently gives the vicious and scheming student enough personal information about himself so that she can ultimately crucify him.

If from the start of their relationship, we see the prof as a sincere, but principled innocent and the student as someone who is planning to “Get him”, then much of the potential for great dramatic tension between the two characters in the first act is dissipated and subsequently, we have no choice but to believe that her vengeful behaviour in the last act is unprovoked, especially given that her professor had, in fact, been so kind and caring.

If we’re to conclude that the actors took their intentions on how to play the characters from the director, then I have no option but to attribute what I perceive as a misdirected play, to Laszlo Marton, but I must also add that both actors most certainly performed their roles, as directed, to perfection. Theresa Przybylski’s off-kilter set most definitely helps to create a sense of an unbalanced environment and if you’re wondering where the title, Oleanna comes from, it was the name of an actual failed utopian educational community in the 1800′s.

Definitely a play worth seeing if you crave after-theatre discussions.

Related posts:

1. A Month in the Country
2. Jitters
3. Announcing Expert Theatre Critic