Vigilante: High Energy, Raging Fury, An Opera of Epic proportions.
Written composed and directed by Jonathan Christenson, produced by Catalyst Theatre (Edmonton) in collaboration with the NAC English Theatre
Massacre of the Donnelly family in Lucan, Ontario (1860) was one of the bloodiest crimes ever to take place in Canada. The fact that it was never solved has kept historians, writers and researchers interested for many years. As rumours grew, imaginations were fueled and the family of seven boys and their parents, who had emigrated from Ireland, were transformed into a local legend of monstrous killers who terrorized the community. Probably the best known work of fiction based on the murder, was the Donnelly Trilogy, a verse drama by James Reaney, first performed in 1973 -1974 and finally published in 2000. It came to the National Arts Centre many years ago but, as I remember, the impact of that event was minimal. The horror and the tragedy did not click with a production that mainly foregrounded the literary qualities of the text that explained the story. …