Sherlock Holmes... sort of

Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Hansom Cab Killer was performed at the Gladstone by the Black Sheep theatre company.  It was part of our subscription series.   The most clever idea was to have Mrs. Hudson, the housekeeper, be the brains behind Holmes.

It was a bit like a Company of Fools performance, with lots of costume changes, commedia dell'arte shtick and twisting of the original plot lines.  But it was not as polished as the Fools, and the action lagged from time to time. There was intriguing use of shadow puppets and shadow performances by the various characters. There were only 3 actors  and they played at least 15 characters. The quick changes, untied costumes and slapped-on wigs were part of the general folly.  It was somewhat amusing but not as good as we would have liked. If not for the sexy bits and rough language, it would have been suitable for schoolchildren. More like high school age-appropriate, but still a bit raunchy.

 

 



Newfie Tartuffe

 

 

Molière's Tartuffe, an excellent play and one of my all-time favourites, has been adapted by Andy Jones and some other wonderful Newfoundland zanies. The set was lovely, the acting excellent, and the whole idea of transposing Tartuffe and his hypocrisy to 1939 Newfoundland was brilliant. Andy Jones as Tartuffe was great and both the maid, Dorine, played by Petrina Bromley, and Madame Pernelle, Orgon's (Jamaican!) mother, played by Quancetia Hamilton, nearly stole the show.

I wasn't sure it would work, but it was a grand time!

You Fancy Yourself

A lovely play at the GCTC. Story of a little girl from Iceland who grows up (at least to teenage years) in Scotland. One woman performance with many characters. Excellent! Funny and touching. Truthful portrayal of an outsider who just keeps being an optimist.

We had Bea (who's 13) staying with us and she went too. And she enjoyed it.

Another movie actor, another kind of play!

Rémy Girard and Les Sept Doigts de la Main in Le murmure du coquelicot at the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde in Montreal, October 5.

What a contrast with the previous week's play. The play in Paris was full of fast, witty dialogue; this one was a monologue (mostly) with acrobatics!  Rémy's character keeps talking, sometimes in response to questions, while the people around him are gliding up and down poles, swinging on trapezes, and turning amazing somersaults over his head and theirs. It certainly held our interest. We were amazed by the physical prowess, and entertained by the wordplay at the same time. Unlike any other show I've ever seen.

Nos Femmes ----à Paris!

Since we were in Paris for the Jimmy Buffett concert on September 28, I decided we should see a play the night before.

One of our favourite movie actors, Daniel Auteuil, was appearing in a play called Nos Femmes at the Théâtre de Paris. We really enjoyed the play, and the lovely old theatre, despite the heat up in the balcony. It's a simple play, one set and three actors. They were all good, with great timing.

Noel Coward's Private Lives

At the Gladstone, we saw Private Lives. The actors were a little stiff, and some of the language and social conventions definitely dated, but there was enough to appreciate. Nice dancing. Some excellent zingers. But not really amazing.

A new Canadian play

Proud by Michael Healey, starring the author, is on at the GCTC.  It was a great evening of theatre, full of insight and laughter. The Prime Minister--entirely not unlike Mr Harper--has won most of the seats in Quebec, and has some interesting new MPs to work with and train.  The story had economics, sex, ethics, pragmatism, deceit and political legerdemain.

We stayed for the "Friday Night Fights", a series of debates on the play's themes. But it was more of a love-in than a fight. Still, it was interesting to hear inside press gallery stories, and meet a very good editorial cartoonist from Halifax, who draws for the Hill Times. The moderator was the publisher of the HT; I think he's a GCTC regular because he looked awfully familiar.