The underlying question raised by Michael Healey’s social satire Generous seems to centre on whether political office, private enterprise or sexual connections are about public service or personal advancement.

The unnecessarily complicated structure — presumably meant to underline that a through line is not required for the playwright to make his point — is set in three offices, a judge’s chambers and two private homes over 15 years. Through three occasionally connected story lines and a cross-gender casting requirement in the opening scene, a series of selfish characters indicate that generosity results by accident, when of use in satisfying the greed of the perpetrators.

The grotesque, cartoon-like opening scene set in the Prime Minister’s Office shouts neither murder nor mayhem can obscure that power is all that matters. A slight shift in the next scene gives sex equal influence on the power ladder and even offers a nod to the influence of journalism. There follows a quirky view of the judiciary and an alternate sexual involvement. The first act closes with a short mimed sequence featuring an abusive relationship, while the second act shifts the lens on power, politics and sexual liaisons to demonstrate even less generosity of spirit. …

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Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit weaves a serious thread into his ghostly comedy. In a less happy balance, the current Ottawa Little Theatre production is a mix of careful attention to detail and some unfortunate sloppiness and occasional missteps.

Blithe Spirit, in part the comic account of the unforeseen consequences of a séance undertaken for an insincere purpose, also depicts the two unsuccessful marriages of a heartless man to the flirtatious, ethereal Elvira (even before she was a ghost) and the pragmatic and socially proper Ruth.

 

The marital spats between socialite, novelist Charles Condomine and his two wives and the tug-of-war between the two women are among the strongest scenes in the script, while the colourful medium Madame Arcati is the most memorable character.

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Evening the odds is at the core of Wait Until Dark. Although the thriller by Frederick Knott creaks a little after 51 years, the central theme continues to hold its own.

The protagonist, Susy, is learning to cope after an accident that blinded her. When a psychopathic killer, aided by two con men, terrorize her in their search for a drug-stuffed doll, she seeks to outwit them by making their world as dark as hers.

For anyone who has not seen the twist in the exciting climax, either on stage or in the 1967 movie starring Audrey Hepburn, Wait Until Dark can be a nail-biter. Although the excitement of the unknown is lost the second or third time around, a strong production makes the drama well worth revisiting.

And the Classic Theatre Festival production of Wait Until Dark, directed by Laurel Smith, is certainly that. Most notable for its attention to detail — the occasional noises from the refrigerator, for example — as well as a sensitive characterization from Alison Smyth as the feisty Susy, the tension builds with her realization that her various visitors are not what they seem. …

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Poster for the Ottawa Little Theatre.

Seeing the aging shock rocker peel off his sleeves of tattoos is the single most effective moment in the Ottawa Little Theatre production of Bedtime Stories.

It is a reminder that Norm Foster comedies can be very funny, even touching at times.

Sadly, this group of six vaguely connected skits set in various bedrooms is worthy of few laughs, rarely touches and leaves one wondering why Foster has so often been called the Canadian Neil Simon.

The opening sequence of the group, written in 2006, is both ridiculous and distasteful: an ambitious radio host has paid a middle-aged couple $5,000 to have sex on air. The conservatively clothed couple is less than the passionate pair he envisioned. Yet, the sounds of their bedtime activities become an irritating recurring theme through the remaining playlets. Other repetitions such as mention of a cab driver, who constantly loses her way, and her foolish sister, an incompetent exotic dancer, are hardly worth a smile, never mind a laugh.

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Jean-Denis Labelle photo.

The heavy breathing that is a key feature of Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park has nothing to do with sex and everything to do with trudging up many flights of stairs to a fifth-floor walk-up apartment in New York. And that minor inconvenience is just one of the many problems with the nest that enchanted the impulsive and newly-wed Corie Bratter. Perhaps, if her lawyer husband had seen the cramped apartment before she rented it, he might have noticed the hole in the skylight, the minute bedroom, the faulty radiator or the excessive rent.

When it premiered on Broadway in 1963, Barefoot in the Park was an instant hit, running for more than 1,500 performances — a record run for a non-musical play. Later a successful movie starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, the comedy — written as a tribute to Simon’s first wife — focuses on the attractions between opposites and the steep learning curve in the early days of any marriage—50 years ago or today.

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If an operatic aria about battling stage four testicular cancer, a bouncy ditty about a circumcision bris and a little heavy rock seem an incongruous mix, think again. Try adding in a story about solo performer Daniel Tobias’ bacon-loving Jewish family and his father’s embrace of the Santa Claus tradition, his admiration for cyclist Lance Armstrong (until his fall from grace) and a commercial for T-shirts and other products.

The Orchid and the Crow is a well-constructed autobiographical show that combines storytelling, assorted musical genres, humour and zest for life with the occasional lapse of judgment.

Funny, compelling, high-energy and occasionally moving.

Note: This show is 70 minutes long.

The Orchid and the Crow

Written and performed by Daniel Tobias

Arts Court Theatre (Venue 1)

In On It is an interesting concept that only half works as presented, mainly because of the unevenness of the performances among the large cast.

The play within the play at one side of the stage is a closeted gay playwright’s way of trying to work out the issues in his dying relationship with his helper (a good performance from the helper, but he like the rest of the cast is unnamed.)

The story of the fiction within the fiction is about Ray (another good anonymous performance) who has just been diagnosed with an apparently terminal illness. As he searches for sympathy from the various members of his family, they turn away, another reflection of a dying relationship.

Like the performances, the tempo is uneven, giving the impression of insufficient rehearsal time. The result is that this production of In On It falls into the middle ground of barely adequate but forgettable.

In On It by Daniel MacIvor

Too Much Sugar Prod.    Arts court Theatre (Venue 1)

Courtesy of the Ottawa Fringe. Jon Paterson and Martin Dockery.

This clever, absurdist style drama maintains its momentum despite the circular arguments that are its focus.

The confrontation between two friends — soon to become erstwhile friends because of the deep-seated envy that unites and divides them — frequently revolves around a box (unseen) that may or may not be a toy or a time-travel device and may or may not work.

Repetition, a risky tool in drama, requires fine acting and careful timing to be effective. Both are here in spades as Martin Dockery and Jon Paterson dance in and out of the reality of the ties that bind and separate them.

Simply superb.

Inescapable By Martin Dockery RibbitRePublic

                                                                                            The Courtroom (BYOV A)