Old Stock and Urban Tales give new twists to traditional tales

The latest production of the Segal Centre’s 2018-2019 season gives a fresh, interesting perspective to the story of the immigrant/refugee experience to Canada at the turn of the 20^th century, and it’s done in the form of “Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story”, which is playing an extended run at the Segal Centre until December 19.

Part gypsy caravan, part travelling show and part old-time vaudeville show, “Old Stock” was originally produced by the Halifax based 2b Theatre Company, and has played to great success at the Halifax and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, as well as across Canada and the U.K. Housed in a sturdy metal shipping container, it acts as a tableau to this representative story of what it was like for Jews to flee the anti-Semitism, oppression and violence of their Eastern European homeland during the early 1900s. It focuses on two Jewish refugees: Chaim (Dani Oore) and Chaya (Mary Fay Coady), who first meet as fellow immigrants when they land at Pier 21 in Halifax, and then make their way to Montreal to make a new life for themselves, and the hardships that they have to endure in their new home, whether it be assimilation, prejudice, the struggle to make a living, and raising a family at a time when infant mortality rates were quite high.

This historical narrative is strongly complemented with a live four-piece band (which includes the two actors who portray Chaim and Chaya) that vividly recalls the folk and traditional music of that era. And it is all held together with so much force by Ben Caplan, who portrays The Wanderer, who is its narrator, anchor and in a sense, its conscience. With manic energy, a raging talent as a musician, singer and dancer, and an amazing ability as a storyteller, Caplan is almost like Tevye on steroids, as he guides the audience through the story of Chaim and Chaya with so much flair that he knows how to wear the comedy mask (especially when he rattles off so many offbeat expressions and synonyms for the phrase “sexual intercourse”) and the tragedy mask (when he graphically describes what a pogrom in a Jewish Eastern European village was all about) to such great effect, that The Wanderer plays an integral part in this narrative of this historical tableau.

So whether you’re a first or fifth generation to immigrants to this country, “Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story” is a theatrical experience that you will not only be highly entertained by, but will strongly identify with.

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For the 12^th time, the Centaur Theatre offers the perfect antithesis to all that upbeat Christmas holiday season cheer with “Urban Tales”, which continues until December 15.

“Urban Tales” is a theatrical anthology of six stories about Christmas time (but in a dark, twisted manner) that are told by a solo performer (and accompanied by the guitar strumming courtesy of the multi-talented Harry Standjofski, who is also the creative force behind “Urban Tales”). This year’s theme is “Feathers”, and each tale has that avian material prevalent in each story, whether they play a major or minor role in the development of each narrative.

Standjofski begins the night – and sets the theme and the tone quite well – with the spiritually urban story “Exterminating Angel”; Danette MacKay’s story “The Woman’s Christmas” starts off with an exhibitionist neighbour and ends as a rather empowering story; “Motherless Milk” has Alarey Alsip relate the story of an aspiring ballerina and a rather deadly eggnog concoction; and Laurent Pitre proves that he is a rising star on the Montreal Theatre scene, as he performs two stories: “A Christmas Caroler”, a terrific piece of dark comedy about a high strung young man and a persistent, homeless man-turned-Christmas caroler, and “Douai”, a Canadian Armed Forces veteran’s Christmas story told after he is killed in Kandahar. And “Urban Tales” is wonderfully capped off with Standjofski’s manic story of a man and his dysfunctional family called “seven last words’.

And finally, a note about Standjofski’s talent as a guitar player, and his ability to create such layered musical pieces with his stringed instrument and his network of pedals that so effectively creates the tone for each story. One day, he should consider just doing a solo, non-theatrical show that would showcase his ability with the guitar and what wonders he can do with it.

So if you like to celebrate the holiday season with a dark twist to it, make “Urban Tales” part of your Christmas list … and it doesn’t matter at all of you’re naughty or nice!

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To purchase tickets for “Old Stock”, go to www.segalcentre.org. To purchase tickets for “Urban Tales”, go to www.centaurtheatre.com.

A Doll’s House, Part 2 works as a theatrical sequel

There are not many sequels of classic dramatic plays that surface nearly 140 years after the original’s stage debut, especially after its original author is long deceased before they can even commit a sequel to paper.

Lucas Hnath somehow had the audacity to walk in the shoes of 19^th century Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and wrote a follow up to his iconic 1879 drama “A Doll’s House” called, appropriately enough “A Doll’s House, Part 2”, which is now playing at the Segal Centre until December 9.

The play takes place in the year 1894, exactly 15 years after its ahead-of-its-time protagonist, the unhappy, suppressed housewife Nora Helmer (Sarah Constible), slams the door and leaves her husband Torvald (Oliver Becker), and the stifling marriage that went along with it. During that time, she has done well for herself, building a successful career as a writer of books that are geared towards women, and that promote ideas about marriage that are seen as radical.

What prompts Nora’s return to the home of her former husband is to clear a certain issue regarding their divorce, or she faces certain public exposure by the judge that can be ruinous – and criminal – to Nora. As she tries to air out the tensions between her and Torvald, her mother-in-law Anne Marie (Victoria Barkoff) and their grown up daughter Emmy (Ellie Moon), Nora discovers that this legal impasse was due to a simple reason: Torvald failed to officially file for the divorce in court, which makes their separation illegal. This puts a wrench in what Nora hoped would be a cathartic visit to the place where she went through a rather loveless marriage.

Although it feels like a play that is literally 140 years in the making, “A Doll’s House, Part 2” is not awash in 19^th century thinking, as it deals with domestic issues that still resonate today. As well, the dialogue is not of the stiff, stuffy nature that was common with drawing room dramas of that period; it is written with a clearer, comprehensive slant to it that contemporary audiences will better understand the situations and dilemmas of Nora and Torvald (and complete with some modern colorful language, too). However, to fully appreciate this play, it’s best to familiarize one’s self with Ibsen’s original work so that you don’t have to go into this production rather blindly (and thanks to the Segal Centre, they provide a concise summary of it in the programme book).

And kudos to set designer Pierre-Etienne Locas for his simple, understated set, which combines late 19^th century parlour décor with a minimal, neo-expressionist air to it.

“A Doll’s House, Part 2” is a compelling play of how a strong, female character who strikes a blow for women’s rights at a time when they really didn’t have any to speak of, tries to find a sense of personal closure and still has to smash through more glass ceilings before she reaches that closure. It achieves that rare accomplishment in theatre of a sequel to a classic piece of drama that actually works, so that a difficult situation can go full circle and reach its hopefully logical conclusion.

“Once” the ultimate date play

I am aware that when it comes to dating, there are such things as a “date night” or a “date movie”, but a “date play” is quite a rare thing, practically something that is unheard of.

That is, until I saw “Once”, the Tony-winning musical that kicked off the Segal Centre’s 2018-2019 season, and runs until October 28.

This is a charming, heartfelt production that is a wonderful testament to the power of music and the role it plays in the lives of ordinary people. It takes place in Dublin, Ireland, and follows the building of a strong relationship between an Irish musician (Greg Halpin) and a Czech immigrant (Eva Foote), whose common bond is their love of music.

The Czech girl somehow manages to bring out the musician’s hidden musical talent (he spends his spare time busking on the streets of Dublin, when he is not working as a vacuum cleaner repairman at his father’s appliance shop) to the point where she takes him to a studio and have these songs recorded for posterity. However, throughout this growing relationship built on music, things get complicated when they reveal they have their own set of personal baggage; the girl has a young daughter and a husband who has left them, yet she is hopeful he will return; and the guy hopes to move to New York City to further his career, where he has a girlfriend waiting for him.

“Once” is a musical that is ideal for taking your spouse or significant other to, as the ultimate “date play”. The plot is honest without having to resort to a mawkish, schmaltzy ending that one would see in old Hollywood romance movies of the 30s and 40s. And the two lead performances are excellent, especially Eva Foote as the Czech girl, who is quite captivating and delightful and brings a mix of humour, enthusiasm and boundless spirit to the role; in fact, she practically wins you over the moment after she utters her first line of dialogue.

And a word about the music. The 10-piece band does a splendid job in the show, as it plays a rollicking repertoire of Irish and Czech folk music that plays an integral part in the show’s plot, pace and as a bridge between scenes.

For more information, or to purchase tickets to “Once”, call 514-739-7944, or go to www.segalcentre.org.

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And speaking of the Segal Centre, its Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre began its 60^th anniversary season with a production that it has been presenting at the Segal Centre (and under its original name the Saidye Bronfman Centre), as well as touring around the world, for 22 times since 1972 … “A Bintel Brief”, which had a brief, week-long run from October 14 to 21.

The play is a selection of vignettes that are based on a column of the same name that appeared in the New York-based Yiddish newspaper The Forward. In it, readers aired their concerns, problems and dilemmas, and hopefully could be supplied the answers they were seeking courtesy of the paper’s editor.

“A Bintel Brief” is a fascinating snapshot of the Jewish immigrant experience in America during the turn of the 20^th century, and portrays a number of scenarios both humorous and dramatic, from a bigamist with two large families, a Yiddish/English vaudeville show, an evening English class, a young immigrant girl being roped into a marriage she doesn’t want, and the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in March of 1911, which killed 146 young immigrant workers.

Add to that a topnotch veteran cast, authentic costumes, and a verve to bring back the days of how our ancestors lived between the old country and the new world, “A Bintel Brief” was a fitting, entertaining way for the Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre to starts its seventh decade.

"Les Miserables" a thundering triumph

Earlier this week, I saw the musical version of Victor Hugo's epic 1862 novel "Les Miserables" for the very first time, as the national touring company is making a brief run at Place des Arts in Montreal until February 11.

From the first pounding notes of the musical score that signals the moment the curtain goes up on a group of prisoners rowing in the underbelly of a French naval vessel in the early 19th century, to the highly-charged emotional finale, I can readily see why "Les Miz" has been nothing short of a thundering triumph on Broadway and London's West End for over 30 years, and has played around the world to the same enthusiastic reactions.

The production, which is a breath taking tale of the triumph of the human spirit and personal redemption in the face of adversity and tragedy -- and is all embodied in the main character of Jean Valjean -- is also a vivid portrayal of the harsh life among the wretched of post-Napoleonic France, as it  is about to erupt in a populist uprising against the French establishment and its military. And what I liked about it is how this story is told in a very operatic manner, complete with powerful music, authentic costumes, and striking scenery that not only immerses you into this turbulent period of French history, but also makes you think you are experiencing it within the majestic confines of New York's Metropolitan Opera House.

As well, the cast of "Les Miz" is first rate all around, including Nick Cartell who anchors the show so admirably as Jean Valjean; Melissa Mitchell as the tragic figure Fantine; Monte J. Howell and Sarah Cetrulo, who excellently provides the comic relief as the innkeeper and his wife; Danielle J. Summons as the passionate rebel Eponine; and of course, Josh Davis, who plays the policeman Javert -- who is Jean Valjean's nemesis -- to such menacing perfection.

And of course, you can't forget the show stopping songs such as "I Dreamed A Dream", "On My Own", "Master of the House"and "Stars", which were greeted with thunderous ovations from the audience.

"Les Miserables" is a thundering triumph, not to mention a vivid example of how a musical production is not only an epic visually and musically, but also how it can tell a sweeping, life-affirming story in the process. It is -- and will always be -- a definite stage must-see.

To get your tickets for the remaining performances of the show's Montreal run, go to www.evenko.ca
or www.placedesarts.com.