Miss Caledonia: A beautiful way to get off the farm

Photo, Barbara Gray

Melody A. Johnson

Winning a beauty contest is a way to escape farm living and extreme poverty. At least, 15-year-old Peggy Ann Douglas hopes this will be her path to a new life, which at the very least will include indoor plumbing. (It was the route to stardom for movie actress Debbie Reynolds, so why not for a teenager from rural Ontario?)

Based on her mother’s history, Melody A. Johnson tells the story of how a gawky teenager in the 1950s transformed herself into a confident baton-twirling/singing beauty queen.

Johnson is a fine storyteller and comedienne, delivering clear and often amusing sketches of Peggy’s parents, assorted neighbours and acquaintances.

However, the harshness of some aspects of the tale is worrying. For example, the description of entering the chicken coop, stalking and slitting a chicken’s neck is unnecessarily graphic. Further, killing an animal in the presence of other animals is unconscionable. It is equally inappropriate to wring humour from disabilities. Neither a severe stutter nor a wall eye is appropriate fodder for mockery.

Aside from this reservation, however, Miss Caledonia is generally effective, although it periodically gives the impression of being expanded beyond its natural length.

The most positive memories of the tale are a moving portrait of the Christmas delivery of a Clydesdale foal, the way the prize money is spent, the baton-twirling finale and Johnson’s talent as a performer.

Miss Caledonia continues at the NAC Studio to May 25.

Written and performed by Melody A. Johnson

National Arts Centre English Theatre

Directors: Rick Roberts and Aaron Willis

Musical Director and accompanist: Alison Porter