Reviewed by James Karas
Judith Thompson is back at 71 with a captivating new play called Queen Maeve that is now playing at Tarragon Theatre in Toronto. The ads show a determined woman of a certain age holding a large sword and probably stabbing someone. In case your knowledge of Irish mythology is sparse, you should know that Maeve is described by one source asstrong-willed, ambitious, cunning, promiscuous, and an archetypal warrior queen.
The play’s main character is Mrs. Nurmi (Clare Coulter), an elderly woman in a nursing home in Cornwall. She is crotchety, impatient and demanding. She has some mobility problems but that has not affected her ability to express herself. To put it colloquially, she is a tough cookie. And oh yes, do not call her Mrs. Nurmi. She is Queen Maeve.
Queen Maeve/Mrs. Nurmi is looked after by Siobhan (Caroline Gillis), a caregiver of extraordinary ability, common sense, patience and forbearance. Gillis plays the role wonderfully.
Queen Maeve is Mrs. Nurmi's alternate and of course imaginary personality. She is visited by her grandson Jake (Ryan Bommarito) who travels by bus from Sudbury. Mrs. Nurmi shows genuine affection for her grandson. He wants money from her to do podcasts about the stars. She becomes suspicious that her grandson wants the money for drugs and becomes Queen Maeve. She takes her sword to fight him off.
Her daughter Georgia (Sarah Orenstein) visits after many years of separation. I am not sure what grievances the mother and daughter have against each other but Mrs. Nurmi or is it Queen Maeve considers her daughter’s conduct unforgiveable. There seems to be no room for forgiveness or reconciliation or understanding.
Mrs. Nurmi shows anger and obstreperous behavior even against the kindly and basically wonderful Siobhan, so we have some difficulty appreciating her unforgiving conduct towards he grandson and daughter. We can understand her refusal to give money to Jake when she knows he will spend it on drugs.
Thompson does not provide enough details about Mrs. Nurmi’s behavior and her taking the personality of a mythical queen may be more than just quirky conduct. Alone and perhaps horribly lonely even with Siobhan as her caregiver may have had more serious effects on her than we can imagine. There is a secret to Mrs. Nurmi’s conduct but what is it?
The questions that we may want to consider are whether
Mrs. Nurmi was visited by anyone at all or are they like Queen Maeve figments
of her imagination. Is that the mystery at the
heart of Thompson’s play? There is no
resolution that I could discern at the end of the play.
The acting is superb with Coulter doing an outstanding job. She is on stage during the entire performance and deserves kudos for perseverance, subtlety and stunning work. Bommarito does excellent work as the desperate conniving grandson who tries to extort money from his grandmother when she knows that he is on drugs. Orenstein gives a praiseworthy performance as a daughter who cannot get an ounce of forgiveness from her mother.
With a tough woman who thinks she is Queen Maeve and her visitors, we cover a lot of territory but there is a mystery at its core, and I have several guesses whirling in my mind, but I will keep them to myself. Go see the play and make up your mind about it.
The set by Ken MacDonald consists of a simple room in a nursing home with an ordinary bed and some furnishings. The presence of Siobhan as caregiver makes it look fine but Mrs. Nurmi’s behavior gives one the chills.
The penultimate bow goes to Mike Payette for
his fine and careful directing. The final bow and standing ovation go to Judith
Thompson. Don’t stop. We need more plays from you.
_________________
Queen Maeve by Judith Thompson in a Tarragon Theater production
continues until March
29, 2026, at the Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman Ave. Toronto, Ontario. www.tarragontheatre.com
James Karas is the Culture Editor of The Greek Press, Toronto
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