It can be said that The Tempest is the least of his plays that bear a “Shakespearean” style. Not only is the dramatic structure very different from what we usually see in Shakespeare’s plays, but the role of women is marginalized to a subordinate, pretty figure. The only female character that appears in The Tempest is Miranda, Prospero’s dutiful daughter who merely serves to fulfill her father’s revenge over his brother Antonio.

The story is very simple. Prospero, the rightful duke of Milan, and his daughter Miranda have been stranded for 12 years on a remote island after Prospero’s brother Antonio overthrows and exiles him. For those 12 years, Prospero has been preparing his revenge. The play takes place during three hours on the island at the zenith of the action, culminating in forgiveness instead of revenge.

This is the only play by the great bard that follows the dramatic structure of Aristotle’s three classical unities of time, place, and action, and as such is perfectly suited for outdoor staging. Just the thing for Ottawa’s parks in the summertime!

Bear & Co.’s production takes full advantage of the outdoor space and its atmosphere. It also skillfully incorporates all three major themes in the play: magic, yearning for freedom, and love. The effects that invoke the storm are realistic and, in combination with music, make an eerie atmosphere. Well-chosen songs transport the audience to a different time. Add to all this beautiful, fiery and elegant spirit Ariel and magic is born right there before your eyes. Zoe Georgaras is a perfect fit for the role of Ariel. She is a light dancer, excellent actress, alluring, playful, and mischievous. Her ability to express thoughts and mood just with body language and facial expressions is superb. …

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Experimental Farm Theatre is a comedy collective who base their work on interesting contemporary stories. Given the fact that Ottawa improv-comedy is still small, they decided to jump in and enrich it by their endeavour. They produce funny sketches, and, as they say, “We’re trying to get people to just be present and be really perceptive listeners and to advance the story rather than just sacrifice it for the sake of jokes.” Very sound and admirable attitude!

Their first Fringe appearance, EFT-up: Just Like You, proves mean what they say. They find material for the script in the contemporary world: running for mayor, falling in love with the phone, having to spend a night in a disastrous hotel. Another point in their favour is that they don’t only rely on jokes, but rather try to develop strong characters. The audience’s reaction confirms that they are funny. Well, yes, they are energetic, fun to watch, and, sure, the potential is there. Some of material is hilarious, some not so much. Execution is engaging from time from time, though sometimes it is less successful. It is evident that there’s still a lot of learning and polishing to do, but I believe that Experimental Farm Theatre is on the right track. Hopefully, we will see them next year with even better material and acting skills. Still, EFT-up: Just Like You is an enjoyable show to watch.

EFT-up: Just Like You plays in Academic Hall.

After seeing Lara MacMillan’s exquisite show, Lara Loves Leonard, one understands that it is not just a title of yet another performance at the 2015 Ottawa Fringe Festival. It’s the simple truth:  Lara MacMillan loves Leonard Cohen! That love is embedded in every song she sings and in every verse she says.

This show is a tribute to Cohen. MacMillan’s interpretation of his work oozes emotion – passion, desire, and affection. Her voice and her silence speak volumes equally and keep the audience under their spell. By her precise pace and tone, she electrifies every corner of the venue, from the simple stage where she stands alone, to the visitors in the last row. Increasingly, one moment after another, she builds a magic atmosphere of love and tranquility. By the end, one feels that a whole new world living in Cohen’s poetry and music opens up to those willing to listen. With her honesty, expressiveness and deep understanding of art, Lara MacMillan proves to be a perfect transmitter.

Lara Loves Leonard is an absolute must for those who love Leonard Cohen, music, poetry, or simply for those who are in search for an extraordinary 60 minutes.

Lara Loves Leonard plays at Studio Léonard Beaulne

Screwtape is an adaptation of C. S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters and Screwtape Proposes a Toast (an after-dinner speech given by Screwtape at the Tempters’ Training College for young demons). Both address Christian theological issues, mainly those of temptation and resistance to it. The story is told through a series of letters written by senior Demon Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood, a Junior Tempter. In John D. Huston’s one man show version, Screwtape is a contemporary bureaucrat, who builds his career on preparing young tempters for the serious duty of re-routing the  race away from Heaven and toward Hell.

Huston sticks to the statement in the preface of Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters that states “The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid “dens of crime”…… but … in well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars..” He builds his character with the persuasion and poise bestowed only to those born as natural story tellers. The show is set up as a lecture to junior tempters, which is constantly interrupted by Screwtape’s nephew’s frequent phone calls. …

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Three Men in a Boat, a play based on Jerome K. Jerome’s 1889 British travelogue, is a funny and cleverly composed story about three rich friends , Jay, George and Harris, who decide to make an exciting change in their boring, unproductive lives. They decide to go for a boat trip on the river Thames. The audience follows their adventures – or rather misadventures- as the three of them, equally incompetent and clumsy, try to make the best of increasingly chaotic situations. Mark Brownell’s  brilliant adaptation of Jerome’s work keeps the audience captivated from the first to the last minute of the show.

Of course, the impeccable execution helps a lot. Matt Pilipiak’s (Jay) story telling talent is so superb that he changes the genre to a mix of storytelling and painting pictures on the stage through his outstanding acting. Scott Garland and Victor Pokinko are hilarious in their roles of Jay’s friends Harris and George. Their use of body language and facial expressions is essential to understanding the performance. The three of them in the capable hands of director Sue Miner, paint pictures of their life on the river Thames so skilfully that the whole stage comes to life with landscapes and characters, as naturally and convincingly as if they were part of the set. The audience is transported into a different world and time and enjoys every second of it. Three Men in a Boat is a funny, fast-paced, witty comedy and a true artistic experience. No wonder that this show is selling like hot cakes!

Three Men in a Boat

Pea Green Theatre Group’s Production

Three Men in a Boat plays at Studio Léonard Beaulne.

Although the title “Finished Girls” A Tale of Colonial Sex Trade sounds rather dark, the show is actually modern comedy full of fun and laugh.

Phoebe and Moira are two prostitutes in late 19th century Ottawa. They want to go out and find a legitimate job but their pimp, Cluster, uses all the tricks of the trade to keep them in the business. It is obvious that the girls are exploited. Contrary to her friend Phoebe, Moira is very much aware of the situation, but it seems that she cannot find a way out. It is only after a customer severely beats Phoebe that the two girls manage to leave their manipulative employer and break up with their profession, which is leading them nowhere. Rick Kaulbars wrote a dark comedy in a light way. This topic that probes into the lesser-known part of Canada’s history is intriguing enough for a deeper examination. For now, the show stays on the surface.

The play is well executed, with a few minor problems –the singing is not incorporated in the best way and  the scenes seem to be unfinished at times. Other that that, most of transitions are well done and the actors make their respective roles into very clear and distinctive characters. There are a few really good moments, but the play still needs some work.

All in all it was an enjoyable performance, full of fun and tasteful humour.

Finished Girls” A Tale of Colonial Sex Trade plays at ODD Box.

Photo. Courtesy of the Ottawa Fringe Festival.

Macbeth was never an easy tragedy to read and understand. Numerous directors and actors have struggled to reach the meaning behind its story. Very few have succeeded. After seeing Weird: The Witches of Macbeth, it is clear that Phillip Psutka is definitely one of them. He rips Shakespeare’s famous tragedy apart, pulls out its essence, and puts it together in a new way.

Psutka’s presentation has a true Shakespearian atmosphere. The time and the actions are right, but the angle is completely different. He shifts the focus on the three sisters who plot and steer the cause of events in the famous tragedy. Why do they decide to help Macbeth, how do they realize their mistake, and what does it take to correct their misdoings? Phillip Psutka & Lindsay Bellaire explore the reason behind the three witch’s actions and the price everybody involved has to pay.

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Produced by Epstein and Hassan – New York

The Black and the Jew Go Buddhist is one of those shows that promises a lot and gives a little. Epstein and Hassan tell a story of their happy 27-year marriage. They tackle all sorts of sensitive subjects – race, spirituality, sex. Since they are not “politically correct,” the comedy in the show has the chance to develop in a really provocative and challenging manner.  Unfortunately, except for some blunt phrases and being funny from time to time, they tell us basically nothing. There is no theatre element, but rather a lesson on how to treat each other when in a mixed race relationship. Audience participation makes it possibly a fun workshop, but definitely not a decent theatre piece of any genre. Another problem they encounter is trying to encompass too much in one hour, so that, in the end, they do not say very much about anything. The connecting thread is not there, a promising idea is lost in trivialities, and stress is put on a “shock” effect, killing any chance of digging a bit dipper into a problem which is still persistent in our world. Being funny and entertaining still can result in a good quality theatre. Unfortunately, Epstein and Hassan missed the mark this time.

The Black and the Jew Go Buddhist plays at Ottawa U in Studio Léonard-Beaulne

Tonya Jone Miller tells a story about a girl who, by merely being enrolled in studies of Asian history and languages, falls in love with the subject and, following her heart, travels to far away Vietnam to teach English. There she connects with the people, especially with a disabled orphan boy who she wants to adopt and take with her to America. In the meantime, many complications arise: the war ravaging the country is taking its toll, Americans (civilians) are leaving the country, Vietnamese people are trying desperately to leave with them in order to at least save their children, and there are bodies alive and dead lying along the streets. Plus, Tonya is nine months pregnant and about to give a birth to her child in the Saigon airport.  She lives through this chaos and reaches the USA, where she is reunited with her brother just in time to see him in the hospital dying of leukemia.   

The story is very touching, but told without passion. There is a lack of  connection with the character. It is more than clear that the actress never lived through the kind of hell she describes., so naturally, cannot understand its devastation. The only scenes where she comes to life are the one in the airport when she thinks that she is giving birth to her child, and the one when her brother is dying. There, she fully connects with the story and shows what a good actress she might be once she fully understands the problem. Her story telling lacks natural flow, especially the phrase endings which sound unfinished.

Tonya Jone Miller includes too many details and events in the story. The focus of the narrative is lost, and with it, the atmosphere that is so essential for this kind of theatre.

By: Tonya Jone Miller

Threads plays in Academic Hall.