By Dan White – Special to the Sydenham Current
Hello again! I’m back and as promised, a little chatter about Stratford and maybe some other arts tidbits to help you while away a pre-summer minute or two.
As I noted in my previous column, Joni and I attended three shows in Stratford over 8 days. Annie was lovely, Macbeth was a significant disappointment and this week, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
In this musical Lawrence Jameson is a con man living on the French Riviera. You know he’s good at his vocation — because he lives on the French Riviera! He meets a rising con man from the U.S. and the two both compete and team up.
This show is funny, fast paced and very entertaining. The music is catchy and you will definitely be tapping your toes as you take it in. Side note — the music and lyrics are by David Yazbek, no relation to Joni, though she does have a cousin, David Yazbeck. No, it’s not a typo. It’s like those weird people that spell White, Wight.
The cast did a great job, there was not a weak voice in the show and I would highly recommend taking this one in if you are looking for a show in Stratford. You will walk away happy and your troubles will melt away for a few hours.
The beauty of live theatre is that it is real! Stuff happens and the cast must deal with it on the spot and most of the time the audience is blissfully unaware. Most of the time! At this performance I witnessed something I have never seen on a Stratford stage.
This was our second show with Brit and Janet and the opening song and dance kicked it off beautifully. Then, as the first song faded, a duet between Lawrence, played by Jonathon Goad, and corrupt police chief Andre Thibault, played by Derek Kwan, began. Immediately it was evident that there was a sound issue. Jonathon was much quieter than Derek. There were a couple of weird pops in the sound and I assumed that the sound tech was furiously trying to resolve the problem of a faulty mic or battery for the lavalier, or portable microphone. None of that is unheard of. What happened next was.
Part way through the song the asm, assistant stage manager, walked onto the stage, all dressed in black with intercom headset on and stopped the show. She apologized to the audience, explained that there was a “technically difficulty” and ushered the cast off of the stage. Several minutes later Jonathon reemerged on the deck, looked out to the audience and apologized stating, “I am the technical difficulty. I forgot to put my mic on. After 31 years in the business, I’m still learning. My apologies.” Without missing a beat, well, almost none… Derek returned with the balance of the cast and they picked up at the beginning of the duet. Stuff happens.
In live theatre you can’t just say, “CUT” and try again. You have to deal with everything as your patrons look on. In professional live theatre you don’t expect to notice these things. The impressive, and professional component in this experience was that it did not appear to rattle the cast or crew. Once the show reset, it was wonderfully done and the gaffe was a moment most would forget.
The other impressive element of this moment was that Jonathon did not redirect the blame. He could have. The sound team should be checking all mics prior to the show and ensuring that they are properly secured and working. It was not all on Jonathon. The great part about this moment with the cast and crew is that it will become a running “moment” with the company that will unify them. Maybe something like this will happen with Macbeth, it could sure use the infusion of life into that production.
Last weekend we attended Theatre Sarnia’s production of RENT. It’s unfortunate that I am writing about it after the show has closed as it was spectacular!
I ordered the tickets back in January and Joni and I went with my daughter, my youngest son and his sweet babboo. Fun fact, Janet and Brit were at this production as well. These two have immersed themselves in live theatre recently and it’s fun to watch them get excited about shows.
I have seen RENT in Toronto and New York back when it was new. It was not a show I was anxious to see again, but I knew Joni wanted to see it and Jake and Erin would enjoy it. Well, there was not a weak voice on stage. A litmus test for me is actually forgetting that I am watching a play (suspended disbelief) and feeling an emotional connection. What the professional production of Macbeth lacked this “amateur” production had in spades! I fought back tears, laughed out loud, and simply immersed myself in the experience. As a life-long fan of the stage and a former teacher of the art, that is not an easy task.
Going to shows at the Imperial is always like “old home week” for me. I catch up with long time friends and former students and am thrilled to witness many of both on stage. In chatting with my nephew, who was in the cast, after the show he spoke of a cast member who lives in London and drove from Sheridan College three times a week because he wanted to be in this production that badly. That’s commitment and that is community theatre at its best. Passion and the desire to elevate the performance.
Theatre Sarnia’s shows for next season are now out. They are worth looking at.
