Verve Theatre Company presents “Blood Money”

By Paul Love
Guest Reviewer

“Blood Money” was written in the late 1990s by Neil, Lea, and John Heather — known in the theatre world as the Heather Brothers. The play is a modern-day comedy-thriller with a few twists thrown in. Before launching into my review of Verve’s Canadian premiere of “Blood Money”, I feel it needs to be said that the play itself is definitely not without its flaws. There are character transitions that seem too forced and abrupt in places, choices by characters that don’t seem to make sense, and the ending feels a bit sudden.

Having said all that, it is my belief that the review of a theatrical production should be based not on the quality of the source material, but on how well the cast and crew worked with the material they were given. And in the case of this cast and crew, they rose above the material, presenting a show that seemed to keep its audience entertained.

The play is about a womanizing celebrity game show host, Mike Mason (Aaron Sidenberg), whose relationship with his wife, Liz (Kendra West), has been crumbling for years, mainly because of a horrible, life-changing incident in their past that they’ve tried to keep buried. Seven years later, that incident seems to be coming back to haunt them.

Mr. Sidenberg plays Mike effectively, with a nice mix of charisma, charm, and a thin veneer of lechery. You always get a sense that nobody in his life really knows the real Mike.

Ms. West’s turn as Liz is most powerful in the character’s smaller, quieter moments. Sure, the arguments between Liz and Mike are fine, but it’s in her more inward moments that we see the hurting soul beneath the bluster. Ms. West plays drunk with a convincing subtlety — a feat some Hollywood actors have yet to master — which is so important because instead of making the drinking seem like a laughable personality quirk, she gives a sense of Liz’s drinking as a means of drowning out her inner demons.

Alanna Stewart plays Sue, Mike’s neighbour and affair of the moment, with a naïve but definitely not innocent effervescence that contrasts Mike’s smarm perfectly. If only the Heather Brothers had given her more to do. I am not able to mention her best moment for fear of giving away too much; suffice it to say that she plays terror well.

Dr. Campbell, Liz’s therapist, is a complex character. Christine Fraser plays her as a woman with passion and drive, and an enigmatic mixture of moods. It was in her character’s more relaxed scenes that I found it hard to make out some of her lines. However, it is in one particular monologue (the spoilery details of which I cannot divulge) where her performance shined its brightest.

Director Vicki Tompkins moved the cast about the stage naturally, matching the blocking with the technical aspects of the show well. Speaking of which, special acknowledgement must be given for how the complex technical side of this show was handled. Stage Manager (and Effects Designer) Sidnei Auler, ASM Jane Hickey, Sound Operator Linda Brent, Stage Hand Avery Ierullo, and whoever was working the lights deserve kudos for putting on a technical show that was as tight as a drum — and that’s no small feat in a production with so many intricately timed effects.

“Blood Money” has only two remaining performances — November 8th and 9th at the Newmarket Old Town Hall, 460 Botsford St. Both shows are at 8 pm. Tickets are available at the door or visit www.verve-theatre-company.com.

Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre Ensemble Presents 'Wait Until Dark'

By Paul Love
Guest Reviewer

From the moment The Capitol Theatre Ensemble’s production of Wait Until Dark begins, we know something bad is going on. A prowler searches a deserted apartment at night, with only a flashlight to light his way. Then another, seemingly more dangerous, criminal shows up and that sense of dread becomes downright sinister. Based on Frederick Knott’s 1966 play (famously adapted for film the following year), Wait Until Dark is a story of a blind woman who is terrorized by criminals who are after a very lucrative item, and who will stop at nothing to acquire it.

The aforementioned blind woman, Susan (Kristy Bird), lives in a basement apartment in Greenwich Village with her husband, Sam (Stacy Main), a photographer. Gloria (Alexia Boyagian), a young girl who lives in one of the building’s other apartments, visits Susan to keep her company, run errands for her, and occasionally be a thorn in Susan’s side. A bumbling ex-cop/ex-con by the name of Carlino (Neil Torrie) and a smooth-talking criminal named Harry Roat, Jr. (Craig Norton) attempt to pull a con on Susan in order to acquire a very important and valuable doll. At the same time, Susan is unexpectedly visited by a man named Mike Talman (Tim Houghton), who is one of Sam’s war buddies and was hoping to stop by for a visit with him.

Blindness is still a fairly new part of Susan’s life and the sense of her still learning and adapting to this new aspect of her life (particularly when she is overwhelmed by a stressful situation) is clearly present in Ms. Bird’s performance. Also present, and absolutely necessary for this entire show to be believable, is the sense of Susan’s strength and determination, which Ms. Bird portrays very nicely. Susan spends much of her time alone, and another great challenge for the actor is expressing feelings and reactions without dialogue. Ms. Bird handles this challenge effectively, and in particular, there is a moment where she reacts to a major turning point in the plot, and her visibly shaken — yet almost silent — reaction sent a chill down my spine.

Every great hero needs a great villain, and Roat is that villain. The actor who plays Roat must be able to portray a sociopath who has the intelligence and wherewithal to make you not even think for a second that he is a sociopath — until something or someone gets in the way of his plans. Mr. Norton does this beautifully with his performance. His Roat is smooth-talking — charismatic even — and disturbingly detached emotionally, which makes the moments where his frustration explodes into a fit of rage chillingly effective.

Neil Torrie’s Carlino is the perfect archetype of the bumbling, all-brawn-no-brain “New Yawk” wiseguy. There were volume issues with some of Mr. Torre’s lines, but I imagine this is due to the show being early in its run. Tim Houghton plays Mike Talman with just the right mixture of warmth and clipped emotion. Kudos to Ms. Boyagian for marvelously creating Gloria’s pertinent, fair weather attitude. The true standout moments were those where Gloria quietly pushes back against Susan’s scolding, giving a wonderfully subtle sense of Gloria’s troubled home life which, although not important to the overall story, gives a deeper understanding of this all-important character.

The costumes were appropriately ’60s, and set designer/director Jim Finan’s set had a comfortable, lived-in feel. The exposed brick wall was a nice touch. My only complaint is that the all-important centre stage window seemed a bit high for the sight lines, but the cast were convincing enough to make me believe.

Mr. Finan stages the action of the play well, particularly in the opening scene, which establishes the mood of the play perfectly, while also giving a sense of realism with Carlino’s flashlight flitting about, casting light on the audience, and drawing us into the action that is taking place.

Show Details

The show is being staged until October 31st, 2018 at the beautiful Cameco Capitol Arts Centre, 20 Queen St., Port Hope.

Evening performances are at 8:00 pm (except the performance on October 31st, which is at 7 pm) and matinees are at 2:00 pm.

The show is approximately 2 hours with one 20-minute intermission.

More details are available at capitoltheatre.com.

Toronto Irish Players stage modern classic "Dancing at Lughnasa' by Brian Friel

By Joe Szek

I’m almost positive it was just opening night nerves as there is so much to enjoy and to appreciate with this solid production of Brian Friel’s 1990 memory play. It is August 1936 in the fictional town of Ballybeg in County Donegal, Ireland. The play is told from the point of view of the adult Michael Evans (Enda Reilly). He recounts the summer in his aunts’ cottage when he was seven years old. His aunts, Kate (Erin Jones), Maggie (Rebecca De La Cour), Agnes (Donna O’Regan), Rose (Aine Donnelly) and Christina (Lauren McGinty) speak of past brief loves.

Read more at Inside Looking In ->

Borelians' production "Soldier's Heart" is told with dignity and compassion

By Joe Szek

For a point of reference, ‘soldier’s heart’ is now known as ‘shell shock’.

I’ve only seen two of the David French Mercer family plays – Salt Water Moon and Leaving Home. I know, I’m slowly making my way to see them all in my own time; nevertheless, I wanted to make sure that I’ve had the chance to see top notch presentations. This Borelians’ production is just that, and I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to see this solid cast in action.

Read more at Inside Looking In ->

L - R: Bryan Mailey, Hayden Lysecki, Glen Warren. Photo by Jonathan van Bilsen.

Port Perry Theatre Group marks 100 year anniversary of WWI

After speaking with several local community theatre artists, and feeling strongly about this issue as well, I’m of the firm mindset that any participant must not solely relegate himself or herself simply as an actor, director or backstage crew member. Get up on that stage if you have always wanted to do so. Go backstage so you can see the tremendous amount of work involved in the operation of a live production. Envision a picture of a story within your mind and bring it to the stage.

Read more at Inside Looking In ->