Reviewed by James
Karas
Vern Thiessen’s Bello
is a moving, scary and entertaining play playing at the Young People’s Theatre in
a fine production directed by Mieko Ouchi. You get two sources of
entertainment: the audience of mostly seven-year olds and the performers of the
play.
Thiessen weaves two
stories into his play. The first is about a little boy named Bern whose parents
die and he goes to live with an aunt and uncle who have a large family. They
live on a farm before electricity or cars or telephones were discovered. The
children have to walk five kilometers to school and they all have chores like
watering the horses, milking the cows and feeding the chickens. Bern’s cousin Peter
is nasty to him and he lives in fear.
Pictured (L-R): Gabriel Gagnon, Nicole St.
Martin and Morgan Yamada; Production Design by Patrick Beagan
Photo by Ali
Sultani.
On the way to school,
they see an abandoned barn which is occupied by a mysterious person. Is it an
old woman, a witch or what? She is very scary.
Three actors, Gabriel
Gagnon, Nicole St. Martin and Morgan Yamada, represent all the characters in
the play with consummate ability and speedy changes in roles. The actors are
grownups but they manage to be convincing in all roles that they take on to the
delight of the audience. Gagnon and Yamada play Bern and Peter respectively,
the main characters, but they take other parts as well.
Bern gets lost in a
blizzard on the way home from school and he runs into the mysterious and very
scary person in the abandoned barn.
The play lasts about
fifty minutes and it is done at a brisk pace perfectly apt for the youthful
audience. The play is billed as being appropriate for ages 6 to 9 but I think
that’s just a guideline.
Everything is done
some sheets, several boxes and an active imagination. Patrick Beagan is the Production
Designer.
The other source of
entertainment, as I said, is the audience of youngsters who are following
attentively and are instant theatre reviewers. No waiting for the end of the
play for them. “That is funny,” “that is disgusting” and “that was weird” are
just of the few comments that were shouted out for everyone to take heed of
audience reactions.
Morgan Yamada, Nicole St. Martin and Gabriel Gagnon; Production Design by Patrick Beagan
Photo by Ali Sultani.
The story is touching
with flashes of humour and of course a message about fear, intolerance and a
mystery behind the person in the abandoned barn. We hear of Bello, a little boy
after whom the play in named, we see reconciliation, tolerance and the
establishment of order and the maturing of the young.
I had two Visiting
Associate Reviewers with me and both gave the production very good reviews.
Almost-8 Akeelah liked Bern best but Almost-6 Kiera preferred Peter. Even
though Peter mistreated Bern, she felt that he deserved to be liked because he
said “I’m sorry” to Bern. The only criticism was that the play was too short!
In other words, an
all-around positive verdict for a very enjoyable albeit "short" afternoon at the
theatre.
Bello
by Vern Thiessen translated by Brian Dooley n a
co-production by Concrete Theatre and L’Unithéâtre, directed by Mieko Ouchi continues
until October 20, 2017 at the Young People’s Theatre, 165 Front Street East,
Toronto, Ontario. 416 862-2222. www.youngpeoplestheatre.ca
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