Zadie’s Shoes

reviewed by Ron Singer

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.

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