Up to Low via memory lane
Up to Low By Brian Doyle. Adapted for the stage and directed by Janet Irwin. An NAC English Theatre production
Up to Low is a journey in several senses. As well as a tale about traveling to a place at a certain time, it is a rite of passage in growing up and, most of all, a trip through memory.
Therefore, the dramatization of Brian Doyle’s novel for young adults is bound to have the greatest appeal for local residents who share some of the memories of the time and place described in and around Low, Quebec, circa 1950.
Adapted for the stage and directed by Janet Irwin, Up to Low was first presented in Ottawa in 2015. Several members of the cast are reprising their roles in the current version, a smooth ensemble production, admirable for its sharply drawn characterizations, its well-timed choral work, its precise movements, as well as its evocative set and excellent lighting.
Seen through the eyes of 15-year-old Tommy (Brendan McMurtry-Howlett), the trip to Low begins with a disastrous car ride through Ottawa and Gatineau. The short distance to his grandparents’ farm becomes a six-hour journey, via assorted crashes and stops, with alcoholic Frank (Attila Clemann) at the wheel, as Tommy’s father (Chris Ralph) tries to reassure him.
When they finally arrive, an assortment of colourful characters swirl around on stage and in Tommy’s consciousness. There’s Poor Bridget (Doreen Taylor-Claxton), so called because she is saddled with Mean Hughie (Paul Rainville). There are cleanliness obsessed Aunt Dottie (Kristina Watt), Hummer the healer (Pierre Brault) and Baby Bridget (Megan Carty), the girl who awakens love in Tommy’s heart. The group also plays various other cameos along the way, as well as functioning as the chorus.
Among the most powerful scenes are the depiction of Tommy and Baby Bridget rowing on the river as they transport the body of Mean Hughie in his casket and the recounting of the beating of a horse — the latter exceptionally hard to watch for anyone who cares about the welfare of animals.
Three musicians, led by musical director Ian Tamblyn, add the musical dimension, as well as accompanying a little step dancing, all part of the clanging of characters and the cascade of a teenager’s memories of going Up to Low.
Up to Low continues at the NAC Theatre to May 19.
Director: Janet Irwin
Musical director: Ian Tamblyn
Set/props: Brian Smith
Lighting: Martin Conboy
Costumes: Sarah Waghorn
Cast:
Hummer/Chorus………………………..Pierre Brault
Baby Bridget/Chorus…………………..Megan Carty
Frank……………………………..……Attila Clemann
Tommy…………………………………Brendan McMurtry-Howlett
Mean Hughie/Chorus………………….Paul Rainville
Dad…………………………………….Chris Ralph
Poor Bridget/Chorus…………………..Doreen Taylor-Claxton
Aunt Dottie/Chorus……………………Kristina Watt