Generous: Good acting barely holds together a messy script

Watching Michael Healey’s play Generous reminds me of a saying about Branko Radičeviċ, a Serbian poet whose premature death gave rise to a saying in the Former Yugoslav Republics: “He wanted a lot, he started a lot, but…” Well, the idea is that he did not deliver exactly what he wanted. Healey wants his play to be a political comedy; he intends it to be complex and he tries to stir our minds. Generous deals mainly with politics and it is funny – I will give it that. As for the structure – it is more complicated (even if so) than complex; to provoke our minds, one should be more subtle and avoid “spoon-feeding” the message at the end, as Healey does.

The play seemingly tackles numerous issues in our society: political manipulations, greed and abuse of power. In addition to that, it touches on human weaknesses, emotional instabilities and repressed personalities. In the first act, we follow four separate stories taking place either 15 years ago or in the present. Three of those events are connected in the second act.

It starts 15 years ago in Ottawa, where a minority government franticly discusses its political fiasco, a potential vote of no confidence. In the heat of discussion, a wounded junior minister appears at the door and admits that she has killed a rival MP, following the instructions of her leader to “slit her throat.” No one in the room cares about the junior minister’s wounds and eventual death, as they are too preoccupied with the more pressing issue of avoiding a vote of non-confidence.

The next sketch, “The Death of the Alberta Report,” is set in Calgary at about the same time. An oil executive, a ruthless and scandalously frank lady, seduces a journalist to whom she granted an interview.

The third story introduces more sex, this time between a lady judge and a young clerk. The last scene of the first act is dedicated to Lily, who happens to be the judge’s daughter, and the clerk’s ex-lover. Lily wrestles her own demons involving a non-existent rape and father’s suicide.

The second act connects the murder from the beginning, the judge, Lily and the clerk. The scene underlines the guilt, the wish to do something good (or right), and explains the nature of government. At the same time, the oil executive lady is coaxing the Alberta journalist into joining her in her ambitions to become a prominent politician. This story stands by itself, unrelated to other three.

When all is said and done, Generous deals only with two issues: the will for power and sex. While sex is used for guaranteed laughs, the will for power gives the play a political note, though as a political comedy, it leaves a lot to be desired. Structurally, it is very amateurish and lacks a natural flow: one scene is rigidly cut from another. It is neither realistic, nor symbolic. There is no sharpness or biting satire. In trying to incorporate a little bit of everything, Generous develops into a mess of different scenes, connected naively into an unimaginative and predictable conclusion. In its current form, it is more an essay than a theatre play: it has an introduction (political situation 15 years ago), arguments (next three scenes) and conclusion (the clerk’s thoughts on government at the end). The story about the lady oil-executive with political ambitions seems to be the closest to what the author wants to present. Her personality is intriguing, her actions outrageous but immensely charming, and her brutal honesty is mind-boggling.  Although a completely negative character, she manages to make us fall in love with her. She is a symbol of politics with all its faults and corruption, someone who can definitely set our minds in motion. It is a pity that Michael Healey did not focus on this story. It has sharpness, pace and credibility; it is hilariously funny without being overbearing. It makes the other three parts look like bad and unnecessary additions.

On a positive note, I have to add that the cast is very good, regardless of a few slips of concentration. The characters in the play are single-sided, without much diversity or depth, but the cast succeeds in developing distinct and recognizable types very well.  That way, the actors manage to keep the audience entertained most of the time.

Generous plays at Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC) from September 17 to 27, with matinees on Saturday and Sunday

 

Generous

Written by:                           Michael Healey

 

Cast:

Peter/Richard                       Matt Cassidy

Tommy/Julia                        Marion Day

Eric/Alex                               Drew Moore

Len/David/Scotty                Adam Pierre

Cathy/lily                              Katie Ryerson

Marc/Maria                          Kristina Watt

 

Artistic team:

Director                                  Eric Coates

Set and Costume design     Jennifer Goodman

Lighting design                     Jock Munro

Composer                             Keith Thomas