By James Karas
The (Post) Mistress
has the ideal pedigree for a Canadian play. It is performed in not two but
three languages. Alternatively in French and English, of course, with suitable
surtitles. But partly in Cree also in all performances.
The book, music and lyrics are by Tomson Highway, a prolific writer,
pianist and composer but that’s nothing in the “ideal pedigree” sweepstakes.
According to the program bio, Highway “was born in a snowbank on the
Manitoba/Nunavut border to a family of nomadic caribou hunters.” He was raised
in two languages: Cree and Dene. He is a major contributor to the growth of
native playwrights, actors and Native theatre companies across Canada.
After all that his plays, novel, compositions and piano performances
come as almost a letdown. Of course, they are not.
The (Post) Mistress
is a musical about the largely imaginary life of Marie-Louise Painchaud, the
postmistress in a small town in Northern Ontario. It is performed by the
talented Patricia Cano with pianist Highway and saxophonist Marcus Ali accompanying
her. Cano is Peruvian-Canadian who performs
in French, English and Cree. There is more to her but all of it goes to define
the Canadian ideal of a civilized multicultural society.
Director John van Burek, founder of Théâtre français de Toronto and
Pleiades Theatre (the co-producers of the play), cofounder of Tarragon Theatre,
teacher of theatre in French and English, translator … well, you get the idea,
is the type of artist Canada dreams of.
Marie-Louise Painchaud is 49 years in the town of Lovely somewhere in
Northern Ontario. She has a vivid imagination and tells us a series of stories
and sings a number of songs about the people of the town and her (imaginary)
life. The stories range from the hilarious to the moving with an extraordinary
denouement.
Cano gives an exuberant performance. Marie-Louise is a simple,
overweight woman who manages to read other people’s mail and fantasizes about a
life that is in dramatic contrast to her reality.
She imagines going to Buenos Aires and having an affair. Her description
of her experience reaches a climactic crescendo that leaves her gasping for air
as if it were the real thing. After that imaginary affair she returns to her
husband and gives herself the punning moniker “post-mistress”. The French title
of the play is Zesty Gopher s’est fait écraser par un frigo (Zesty Gopher got
squashed by a fridge.) Zesty is a character in Marie-Louise’s world.
Unfortunately there is
a dark side to the play.
Highway on the piano and Ali on the saxophone are supposed to accompany
Cano when she sings, not compete with her. They are frequently louder than her,
at times making it very difficult to hear the lyrics and always playing at
annoying volume. That is unacceptable.
There are some melodies that poke their heads though Highway’s jazz
music but more often we hear clanged-clang, clanged-clang piano chords at unacceptable
volume. Cano and the musicians are miked in a small theatre where that should be
unnecessary and undesirable.
With a better balance between musicians and actor and no mikes, Cano’s
passable singing would sound fine and the stories she tells more than carry the
play. Even without the music and singing, the script is hilarious, the
characters appealing or funny, the plot development very good and the final
result would have been outstanding.
Too bad its effectiveness was seriously reduced.
______
The
(Post) Mistress by Tomson Highway continues until November 6, 2016 at
the Berkeley Street Theatre Upstairs 26 Berkeley Street, Toronto, Ontario. 416 534
6604. www.theatrefrancais.com
No comments:
Post a Comment