A Raisin in the Sun

Another good soulpepper production. I went expecting to see another variation on the theme of American race relations in the 60's ( a la Palmer Park) so was pleasantly surprised to find that the play is really about families and the destructive relations that develop even in the families with the best of intentions.
Very strong play that is universal in subject matter and while definitely a product of it's time, this one should last for a long time.
Alison Sealy-Smith was great as the matriarch who has never let her son grow up. Charles Officer and Abena Malika and Cara Ricketts all gave strong performances as the younger generation.
I recognised Awaovieyi Agie, but did not connect him to Hotel Babylon which seems to be the only over thing I have seen him in - just shows that watching British soaps is a good thing!

Wild Dogs

It got great reviews, so I was expecting great things. But my reaction was mixed. A very strong cast - it almost seems silly to mention the cast since Toronto area companies always have great casts these days - but an odd play. The setting was great - a nice forest edge, where the characters gathered to talk to the audience. the effect was rather tlike having someone read a long, fluid poem. The language was smooth and rythmic, so much so that I had a hard time not falling asleep in the middle. But the plot was almost non-existent - each character had a perspective to present, but vey little interaction with each other. So we had to listen to the outsiders who have lost their dogs, use this as a metaphor for their loss of a place in society.
A couple of things were quite jarring - especially the final statement by Spencer that he had killed Lily not because he feared she was a dog or a monster, but because she was a woman. This came out of nowhere and felt like a gratuitous nod to Nightwood as a feminist theatre. Not a good nod either! Taylor Trowbridge and Tamara Podemski gave particularly strong performances.

Mrs Warren's Profession

Moya O'Connell and Mary Haney dominated the stage as Vivie and Mrs Warren, even though the rest of the cast were all excellent.
It is hard to portray Vivie without making her appear an insufferable prig, but Moya O'Connell managed to give her the humanity needed to make her sympathetic. You know that even after she firmly rejects her mother and refuses never to see her again, she is already regretting have taken such a firm position. Moya's Vivie is charming and full of ideas. She has firm opinions on everything and no hesitation in voicing them - so much like her mother in that respect. Mary Haney gave us a vulgar Mrs Warren - I think in keeping with Shaw's idea of the character. She can't pass in poilte society, except on the dodgy edges inhabited by types like Crofts, superbly played by Benedict Campbell.
But the relationship between the two women was tense, even when they were being happy with each other. Vivie is naive to think her mother has given up the life; her mother is naive to think Vivie won't care and will happily assume her duties as a daughter.

The Stepmother

Thank you Jackie Maxwell for finding and directing these wonderful lost gems. This play stands up very well against contemporary plays that have had more successful performance histories, so you do have to think that a bias against women writers may have had something to do with its lack of performance.
A great cast headed by Claire Julien and Blair Williams, but with very solid support from Marla McLean, Patrick Galligan and the rest of the group. Willams was such a convincing villain that is was hard to resist booing him at the curtain call - in fact some members of the audience could be heard doing so even while they were clapping for his performance, which was superb. Claire Julien gave a very strong and sympathetic performance as Lois. Jennifer Phipps was superb as Charlotte - only to be expected from an actor of her calibre and experience, of course.

After the Dance

If you simply watch this as a play about a specific group of people at a particular time and place, it seems a bit dated. But the costumes are lovely and so is the set, so you get a nice theatrical experience.
Rattigan's play may focus on the bright young things and the generation that came after them, but the underlying subject is communication and the need for people to be honest with each other if they are to be happy together. Joan kills herself because she finally realizes that she has never been honest with David - never told him that she loves him, which is all he really wanted to know. John is honest with David, but then loses a life long friendship. Helen suffers from the ability of the young to delude themselves into thinking they are being honest when all they are being is insufferable and patronizing.
Terrific performances by Patrick Galligan as David, Marla Mclean as Helen and Neil Barclay as John stand out among very sold performances by the rest of the cast. I remain a Neil Barclay fan and would like to see him get a really big part, rather than being cast as the friend time and again.

The President

Lorne Kennedy leads a strong cast on a fast and furious race to turn the communicst taci driver into a respectable industrialist in one hour. Absolutely hilarious and a must see for all managers and leaders. As I watched it I kept thinking "I have to use this in my speech on leadership next month" - there were so many great lines. Norrison pokes fun at the need to oil the machine, but at the same time knows it is critical to make the organization work.
The Shaw company can adapt to unforseen circumstances - this time laryngitis in one of the secreataries required one actor to do the movements while another spoke the lines. It worked so well that it actually added to the play rather than detracting from it. After all Norrison would have someone standing by ready to fill in if his secretary couldn't speak.
Chilina Kennedy and Jeff Meadows are both young actors to watch for in the future.