Dangerous Corner: Characters become caricatures in J.B. Priestley’s period piece at the OLT.

Photo. Maria Vartanova

In many respects, J.B. Priestley’s Dangerous Corner, written in 1932, is like the early T-groups that became popular some 40 years later.

The T- or sensitivity-training groups, also known as encounter groups, were intended to encourage self-awareness by exposing emotions and attitudes. Some of the most controversial were effective in laying inner thoughts and feelings bare, but apparently had more trouble in putting those they destroyed back together. This is the warning implicit in Priestley’s psychological thriller. Do we really want to hear every uncomfortable detail of truth? Isn’t it more civilized and safer to retain a social veneer?

To emphasize the point, the opening, in semi-darkness, features the end of a radio play called The Sleeping Dog — which all the listeners would be better to let lie. But, the group, together for an elegant social evening at the home of Robert and Freda Caplan, do not hear the warning. Instead they turn the dangerous corner of total exposure of lies, theft, infidelity and emotional betrayal, sparked by opening a musical cigarette box — a true Pandora’s box in terms of the release of information about the various sins and desires of the cosy group. Only turning the clock back could have avoided the crisis of psychological destruction.

The good news about the Ottawa Little Theatre production is that director Geoff Gruson chooses to present it as a period piece and the use of the clock image is very effective throughout. The bad news is that he has the cast play their roles as caricatures, rather than characters. Only Venetia Lawless, as Freda, seems like a real person.

As her husband, Robert, Dale MacEachern, most of the time, acts as a blustering, pompous fool with a plum in his mouth. Chantale Plante, as Olwen, the company secretary, manages to escape from the stereotyped spinster shell once or twice, but, in general, the ensemble seems stiff and uncomfortable throughout.

Dangerous Corner is a really interesting play, but it is hard to tell through the lens of this production, which turns a dangerous corner into foolish excess.

Dangerous Corner continues at Ottawa little Theatre to June 27.

Dangerous Corner

By J.B. Priestley

Ottawa Little Theatre

Director: Geoff Gruson

Set: Tim Ginley

Lighting: John Solman

Sound: Melinda Roy

Costumes: Liane Racette

Cast:

Freda Caplan………………………………………………Venetia Lawless

Miss Mockridge……………………………………………Susanna Doherty

Betty Whitehouse…………………………………………..Heather Archibald

Olwen Peel………………………………………………..Chantale Plante

Charles Stanton……………………………………………Jarrod Chambers

Gordon Whitehouse……………………………………….Phillip Merriman

Robert Caplan……………………………………………..Dale MacEachern