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Hobson's Choice
by Harold Brighouse, directed by Christopher Newton
Shaw Festival Theatre, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
June 19 to October 26, 1996
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From the opening scene,
a dream sequence that was to foreshadow the entire play, we were
immediately swept back into the magic of the Shaw Festival, as
they recreate Bernard Shaw’s The Devil’s Disciple
on the Festival Theatre stage.
-----This is an old-style yarn of
an adventure story, described by Shaw as a melodrama, but also
a dark comedy and a critique of war. It’s set in the middle
of the American Revolution, favourably interpreting the rebel
cause and ridiculing the idiocies of London’s civil servants
and officers with purchased commissions. Yet the rebel Americans
are not all cut of the same cloth, even within one Puritan family,
as is apparent when devil-may-care Dick Dudgeon appears to inherit
everything and blaspheme all.
-----This was Shaw’s eighth
play, and the first to make its world premiere in North America,
in New York in 1897. It made Shaw so much money he gave up his
day job as a critic, and never looked back. A film version in
1959 starred Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster and Laurence Olivier.
-----The current production at Niagara-on-the-Lake
stars Gordon Rand as Dick Dudgeon, Neil Barclay
as his half-wit brother Christy, Andrew Gillies as the
historically-based General "Gentlemanly Johnny" Burgoyne
, William Webster as his nit-wit Major Swindon, Peter
Hutt as the Reverend Anthony Anderson, Sarah Orenstein
as his fickle-witted wife Judith, and Nora McLellan as
the grasping matriarch of the disgraced Dudgeon family. The play
is directed by Glynis Leyshon, and designed by Peter
Hartwell.
-----As with any Shaw Festival play
experience for me, it is often the little things that make it
so special, so perfect. The acting, the sets, even the incidental
music, are always so impeccably executed that you tend to focus
on the minutia that is often overlooked by other theatres. Like
the many set changes, in this case executed with military precision
by marching Redcoats, reminiscent of the opening dream scene.
Like the mincing sycophant Major Swindon soundly rapping his knuckles
on the table in defiance, and the nearly imperceptible grimace
of pain that followed. Like the stirring drama of the closing
scene with now-hero Dudgeon raised high on the shoulders of his
countrymen, fist in the air, with Old Glory waving proudly behind
him. Perfect, in every detail.
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As with many 1996 Shaw
Festival productions normal superlatives don’t offer enough
praise, Hobson’s Choice being no exception.
This impressive staging of Harold Brighouse’s wondrously
simple play is beyond criticism.
-----Set in the dirty, mean streets
of Salford, Lancashire in 1880, the story concerns the Hobson
family led by boot entrepreneur Henry and his three marriageable
daughters. Strong-willed Maggie, the eldest, is determined to
break free of her tyrannical father and carve out a life for herself
independent of the family. To achieve this she marries Hobson’s
prime cobbler, Willie Mossop, and concocts a scheme to enable
her two younger sisters to marry the men they love. The foundation
of this surprising play is in comedy, but it offers much more.
-----The script is tough in its language
and forthright in subject matter. Alcoholism and patriarchal suppression
of women were tackled by other playwrights, but Hobson’s
Choice is arguably the most popular play of the genre. To
journey with these wonderfully engrossing characters is a feast
for the audience.
-----The talented cast is led by
three actors who, among them, evoke every possible emotion.
Corrine Koslo is Maggie Hobson who reduces the spellbound
audience to laughter at one moment, and has them crying the next.
Surely a great career lies ahead for this Vancouver actress relatively
unknown to Ontario audiences.
-----Quiet and unassuming cobbler
Willie Mossop is portrayed by Simon Bradbury in clearly
the male performance of this year’s Shaw season. To watch
this character journey from simple craftsman to master of his
own destiny is a joy to behold. Bradbury (and all the cast) affect
these performances with technically perfect Lancashire accents,
honed in rehearsal by daily doses of Coronation Street.
-----Henry Horatio Hobson is brilliantly
played by Shaw veteran Michael Ball, whose blustering oration
on daughters is greeted with spontaneous applause. Scenes shared
with Bradbury and Koslo are particularly enjoyable, demonstrating
the remarkable chemistry among these three actors.
-----Hobson’s younger daughters,
vinegary Alice and innocent Victoria, are played by Alison
Woolridge and Shauna Black. Alice’s beau is lawyer
Albert Prosser, played by Mike Shara, and Brian Marler
is Vicky’s fiancé, Freddy. Convincing, delightful
performances by all.
-----In smaller but powerful roles
are Jillian Cook as snooty benefactor Mrs Hepworth, Allan
Gray as the (why are they always Scottish?) doctor, and, as
a special surprise stand-in, the Shaw’s artistic director
Christopher Newton as Hobson’s friend Jim Heeler.
-----Hobson’s Choice
is directed by Christopher Newton, who is surely among
the upper stratosphere of stage directors, this season also directing
Mr Cinders and (with Denis Johnston) Shall We Join the
Ladies? An example of his creative genius: delivery boy Todd
Witham who clogs and dances wordlessly between scenes.
-----A trio of magnificent sets has
been created by newly appointed Head of Design, William Schmuck.
Act One is set in Hobson’s boot shop, surrounded by the coal-smoked
world of 1880s Salford. Act Two moves to Willie and Maggie’s
shop and living quarters, ingeniously designed to convey a poor
basement environment on the large Festival stage. The last act
is in the Hobson suite, through the door of which—gasp! do
we see a gaffe here?—we see the stocked shelves of Hobson’s
bootery. But no, Shaw never gaffes: we are in the living quarters
attached to the shop. Schmuck’s sets are met with spontaneous
and justified applause.
-----Lighting is designed by Kevin
Lamotte, whose work for the Shaw has already garnered him
a bevy of Dora nominations. His special effects with firelight,
candles and streetlights are breathtaking.
-----Only have the time or budget
for one play at Shaw this season? Make Hobson’s your
choice: a perfect symphony of comedy, drama and design. Call 1-800-511-SHAW
for tickets. Playing until October 26.
Where does one begin with
The Hollow? The standard superlatives seem inadequate
to describe this outstanding production directed by Paul Lampert
and now playing in the Royal George Theatre at the Shaw Festival
in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
-----The Hollow, Agatha Christie’s
46th book of detective fiction, was published in 1946. Her first
stage adaptation appeared five years later, in a successful West
End (London) première that presaged TheMousetrap the
following year (but didn’t quite equal the latter’s
44-years-and-still-counting run). The original book featured one
of Christie’s favourite detective creations, Hercule Poirot,
but, as was often Christie’s convention, he was dropped from
the stage version, forcing the audience into a more active role
in solving the mystery.
-----The mystery begins upon entering
the theatre. Why, in the usually perfect Shaw Festival environment,
is there still a stagehand puttering about with last minute corrections
to the set? What is he doing there? As 8:00 p.m. passes, he is
still there, in the shadows upstage, quietly trying to finish...what?
At 8:05 the lights come up, the stagehand turns around, and it
is sculptress Henrietta Angkatell, niece of Sir Henry whose home
she is visiting.
-----And a grand home it is, conceived
by the incomparable Cameron Porteous, head of design for
the Festival since 1979. Scott Henderson’s creative
lighting initially casts shades of blue, then during the opening
scene, the entire set and the actors’ costumes are in black
and silver and grey, reminiscent of an old film classic. During
the play, certain items of potential importance appear in red.
A mole cage, a lobster, a purse, a book... are they clues to the
mystery, or simply "red herrings"? The lighting during
the murder scene is particularly dramatic as the entire stage
is washed in a blood-red glow. A wonderful effect.
-----The exceptional cast is headed
by Jennifer Phipps(left) whose portrayal of the absent-minded
Lady Angkatell evokes the quintessential essence of British nobility,
a mannered behaviour that combines upper-class accent with working-class
affectations provoking moments of hilarity on the heels of pathos.
Henry Angkatell is played by the venerable Tony Van Bridge
(right) whose dottering, lovable manner is always endearing to
Shaw audiences. Niece Henrietta Angkatell is portrayed by Jan
Alexandra Smith in a standout performance that evoked the
unmistakable spirit of an intense young artist. Her flawless upper
middle class English accent made an already remarkable performance
perfect. (One fault in the entire production: the quiet rubber
"bump" as one of her stone-carved busts "crashes"
to the floor.)
-----Another pair of visitors to
the estate is Dr & Mrs John Cristow, played by Douglas
E. Hughes and Sharry Flett. In an unflattering role,
Hughes plays the philandering physician with glee. Subject of
his glee: filmstar and neighbour, Veronica Craye (Tracey Ferencz),
a bitchy cross between Joans Crawford and Collins.
-----Shaw visitors will be delighted
to find Jack Medley in another of his curmudgeonly butler
roles. Others in the cast include Peter Millard as son
and heir, Edward Angkatell; Isolde O Neill as free-spirited
friend, Midge; Bridgitte Robinson as the nosy maid; and
David Schurmann and Robert Clarke as the policemen
who, despite their best efforts, fail to solve the case.
-----We can’t leave this production
without mentioning the program, that typically flimsy, staple-bound
sheaf of advertising that includes a cast list and, if you are
lucky, thumbprint-sized pictures of the actors and their backgrounds.
A Shaw Festival program, however, is a smorgasbord of information,
on the play and its production history, its playwright, the period
background against which the piece was written, and, delight of
delights with The Hollow, weighing in at nearly a full-page each:
a large photo of each actor and generous biographies. Carrying
through the design of this production, the black and white program
notes are interspersed with drawings of period objects from the
play—in suspicious red, of course.
-----Because, typical of Agatha Christie,
nothing in this world is simply black or white.
-----The fast selling-out hit of
the season The Hollow, has just been held over, now till November
24. For tickets ($12 to $60), accommodation information, and a
wonderful weekend in beautiful Niagara-on-the-Lake, phone 1-800-511-7429.
J.M.
Synge deliberately chose the title, The Playboy of the Western
World, for its ambiguity, for a "playboy" may
be an athlete or seducer, and the "western world" may
refer to western Ireland, the United States, or the western hemisphere.
This ground-breaking play caused an outrage when it debuted in
Dublin in 1907. Most other productions of the period were light-hearted
musical romps and melodramas with sentimental scripts. The
Playboy portrayed the desperate poverty of Ireland’s
western islands in a painfully realistic fashion, to the shock
and disgust of middle-class and gentrified audiences, not only
in Dublin, but in London and Irish-populated Boston and New York.
The only reaction to the outstanding 1996 Shaw Festival production
is the audience’s riotous applause at the play’s conclusion.
-----Young Christy Mahon arrives
at a remote pub in the west of Ireland. Scared out of his wits,
Christy explains that he’s killed his father. Instead of
being reviled as a murderer, he finds himself lionized as a folk-hero
and immediately propositioned by two village women, until his
father turns up, much more alive than dead. Comic scenes contrasting
with dramatic overtones result in a richly moving play.
-----The creative team is headed
by director Jim Mezon, veteran Shaw actor and creative
talent. The superbly realistic set was designed by the inimitable
Cameron Porteous, with the subdued, moody lighting designed
by Elizabeth Asselstine, together re-creating the sadly
dull world of a turn-of-the-century rural Irish pub. The lighting
is particularly effective in two scenes: the opening act is lit
by a single blue spot, evoking a cheerless candlelit interior,
while a last burst of brilliant light immediately before the final
fade symbolizes Christy’s earlier summation of his star-like
appeal. Set in the Court House Theatre, the audience feels intimately
involved in the action. Indeed, front-row patrons are inches from
the actors in several scenes.
-----Typical of Shaw Festival productions, the
acting ensemble is marvelous. Oliver Becker is commendable in the title
role, although his command of the difficult accent, especially in comparison
with the balance of the cast, appears somewhat less than totally believable.
Kelli Fox, fresh from a Jessie Award in the shattering Keeley and
Du (Canadian Stage, 1996), is superb, true to the role, in a standout performance
as Pegeen Mike, mistress of the pub pursued by two suitors, Christy and Shawn.
Shawn, the milquetoast and spurned suitor, is played by Gordon Rand,
wonderfully acted and with a flawless Irish accent.
-----In supporting roles are William
Webster as Pegeen’s drunken father; Peter Hutt as
Philly O’Cullen, ingratiating and funny, especially in the
scene where he performs a drunken backward fall almost into the
audience; Andrew Gillies as Jimmy Farrell, a very well
acted, subdued role in marked contrast to the erudite General
Burgoyne he played in The Devil’s Disciple; Sarah
Orenstein as temptress Widow Quin, somewhat younger and more
likable than perhaps Synge had in mind; and Richard Farrell
as Old Mahon, the belligerent father who wouldn’t stay dead.
-----The Playboy of the Western
World plays at Niagara-on-the-Lake until September 28. For
tickets, call 1-800-511-SHAW.
Shaw’s biggest (only?) mistake of
the season must surely be Rashomon, an ill-selected piece, the blame
for which must surely be left on the doorstep of the Festival’s artistic
director and usually infallible Christopher Newton. However, pick it
he did, and the luckless task of trying to make something of it falls on director
Neil Munro of Dr Jeckyll & Mr Hyde: A Love Story (Canadian
Stage: 1995) infamy. (Yes, Neil, "they all got it in fo’ me").
-----Billed and publicized in overblown
and bombastic terms, questions of "What’s the point?"
and "Why do it?" come to mind as one watches the overwrought
production of this simplistic script. Set in Japan a thousand
years ago, it tells (and re-tells ad nauseum) the story
of a samurai warrior who, with his wife (a former servant of his
household), is captured and robbed in the forest by an infamous
bandit. The crime comes to trial and each of the players has a
different version of "the truth."
-----Authors Fay and Michael Kanin
have combined two stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa (1892–1927)
and still failed to achieve one solid tale. The Broadway premiére
in 1959 ran for only 167 performances. There was a reason why
it never saw its 168th: No guts, foundation or depth. Mercifully,
at less than 90 minutes, it is probably the shortest play ever
to grace the mainstage Festival Theatre stage, and this despite
the longest and clumsiest fight sequence I have ever witnessed.
-----The tale is revealed by three
players who meet under the gate of Rashomon in war-torn Kyoto
(which, incidentally, dominated the entire and expansive proscenium
arch of the Festival Theatre): Greg Spottiswood is the
Priest, in an understated and reserved performance that contrasts
with that of the philosophizing Wigmaker (Guy Bannerman)
and self-righteous Woodcutter (Roger Honeywell).
-----The simpering samurai (Husband)
is wimped out by Nigel Shawn Williams, surely a thankless
role for this Dora Award-winning actor.
-----His Wife is played by Laurie
Paton in a multi-faceted performance. Her nearly invisible
roles in the first two versions of "the truth" in the
first act were countered by a shrewish explosion in the second
that, though completely unbelievable and anachronistic, at least
served to awaken the dozing audience.
-----Jim Mezon was the central
figure of the play, as the Bandit, with a snarling nastiness that
was completely believable. This physically demanding role required
countless ascents and descents through Leslie Frankish’s
impressive rain forest set (albeit perhaps borrowed from her previous
Once On This Island (Canadian Stage again: 1994) triumph.
-----Another successful scene involved
the kabuki-masked Medium (Robert Benson), invoked to tell
the tale from the dead Husband’s perspective. The apparition
ascended from a hidden trap in the mountain set, sprouting silken
banner arms that traversed the entire span of the stage, billowing
in the wind, while his electronically amplified voice evoked the
omniscient spirit of his character.
-----To see for yourself how an extremely
talented cast and the exceptionally gifted design team of Frankish
and Lamotte can try to make a silken kimono out of dirty underwear,
call the Shaw Festival box office at 1-800-511-7429. You have
until October 27. Don’t rush.
Shall We Join The Ladies is
a small but brilliant jewel in the Shaw Festival lunchtime series
of one act plays that exhibits the versatility and artistry of
the company. A murder mystery by J. M. Barrie, the author
of Peter Pan, this wonderfully inventive play manages to
thrill, to shock and to amuse all at once. We join the players
at dinner in a country house, searching among the guests for the
murderer of the host’s brother who died in Monte Carlo under
mysterious circumstances. Beautifully constructed, this play has
a vitality that belies its age.
-----One act plays, once popular
curtain-raisers to a full evening of theatre, are now seldom performed
because of the expense and effort involved in producing short
pieces. Artistic Director Christopher Newton seems unfazed by
these constraints as he continues to mount these neglected gems
each summer. Newton is assisted in directing this superb example
by Denis Johnston, with a visually stunning design by Kelly
Wolf. The entire cast of sixteen superbly carried off their
roles as upper-crust house party guests and servants.
-----The cast includes David Schurmann
as The Host; Janet Lo, Kelli Fox, Shaun Phillips, Sharry
Flett, Peter Millard, Alison Woolridge, Wendy Thatcher, Robert
Clarke, Tracey Ferencz, Ben Carlson, Lisa Waines and Douglas
E. Hughes as guests; Al Kozlik and Elizabeth Inksetter
as Butler and Maid; with a special appearance by Tony Van
Bridge as The Policeman.
-----Even if you don’t take
in a full matinée or evening performance, no visit to Niagara-on-the-Lake
could be complete without at least this $12 exposure to the exciting
Shaw Festival. Shall We Join The Ladies? runs until September
22. Call 1-800-511-SHAW.
Disclaimer: Nothing here is "official." Everything is a composite of media releases, information supplied by or procured from the theatres by direct or devious means, or downright personal opinion. If you don't like what you see, blame us, not the fine folks in the theatres of Southwestern Ontario.