MISCHIEF - REVIEW OF 2026 PRODUCTION AT TARRAGON THEATRE

Reviewed by James Karas 

Lisa Nasson’s play Mischief, now playing at the Tarragon Theatre, was rightly anticipated and held a lot of promise. It is about the fate of Nova Scotia’s Mi’kmaw people and their objections to the story and statue of Governor Edward Cornwallis. He was governor of nova Scotia  from 1749 to 1752 and is credited with being the founder of Halifax and a heroic figure whose achievements were celebrated with the erection of a bronze, Roman-style heroic statue in the center of Halifax in 1931.

The indigenous Mi’kmaw have a different narrative about their fate as a conquered people whose land war wrested by British imperialism and their subsequent mistreatment.

Mischief provides a story telling the indigenous side of their objections and protests at the presence of the Cornwallis statue in the guise of a heroic figure without much reference to imperialism, colonialism and gross mistreatment of the natives.

All of that is welcome and badly needed but unfortunately the play does an uneven and at times unsatisfactory job of presenting it. The program described Mischief as a gentle comedy from Mi’kmaw writer Lisa Nasson that celebrates the power of community. Brooke, played by Nasson, is a young lady who runs a small convenience store and sells a lot of cigarettes to non-indigenous people. They are represented by Fisherman Fred (Devin MacKinnon). He is loud, demanding and probably considers Brooke just an easy to pick up, native.

Nicole Joy-Fraser, Jeremy Proulx, and Lisa Nasson. Photo: Jae Yang

Brooke’s Uncle Chris (Jeremy Proulx) owns the store and he tries to take her out for ice cream and one’s not quite sure about what this loud-mouth is up to. He has a relationship with the depression-prone Tammy (Trina Moyan) and shows decency towards her. The play also has Emily (Nicole Joy-Fraser), a 288-year-old Ghost who appears several times wearing bizarre clothes. She startles Brooke who exclaims “Jesus Christ” and Emily corrects her that she is not Jesus Christ. A funny reply. 

Brooke attends a rally carrying a sign reading “Edward Cornwallis Makes me Nausheous” [sic] and she tosses a bomb. She runs away and a Good Guy (Devin MacKinnon) approaches her in the woods where she is hiding. Mischief, usually extended to Mischief to Public Property, is a criminal offence and you can take the rest of the plot from there.

Unfortunately, the play and the performances proved a disappointment. The dialogue was frequently awkward, repetitive and ineffective in propelling the plot. The actors sounded awkward and uneasy with the repartee and listening to them was uneasy for the audience as well.

The old Ghost was supposed to provide a connection with the past, I suppose, but repeating “I am not Jesus” several times wore the joke thin. Other examples of unsatisfactory, repetitive dialogue abound and had the same effect.

Andy Moro is the Set, Costume and Projection Designer. The set consists of five arches that may be whale bones. Projected videos are used so extensively they provide a side show. They cover the entire stage and start with a view of a starry sky on top and views of fish on one side and a large bird hovering above on the left side. This illustrates the metaphor of the Mi’kmaws being the fish that are eaten by the imperialist bird. But the projections cover much more. When the Ghost talks about the brain, we see projections of what looks like  a brain. When Brooke drives to the protest, we see a lengthy video of a highway with a speeding car and views of the scenery on each side. It is a long video being shown long after we get the message. We also see Brooke lighting the fuse of a bomb or is it a firework?

The set for the sparsely-stocked Chris’s Convenience is brightly lit and pleasant. The change to the darker scenes with the Ghost and the projected videos are frequent and one may say overdone. Brooke’s drive to the protest seems to take as long as if it were in real time.

Director Mike Payette, designer Andy Moro, writer Lisa Nasson and the cast deliver an uneven production on many levels. The positive aspect of bringing to our attention a significant if little-known history outside of Nova Scotia of the “heroic” Edward Cornwallis is welcome. The play could use the help of a dramaturge and then another production.                                       
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MISCHIEF by Lisa Nasson, a Tarragon Theatre, Native Earth Performing Arts and Neptune Theatre co-production continues until  February 8, 2026, at the Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman Ave. Toronto, Ontario.  www.tarragontheatre.com

James Karas is the Culture Editor of The Greek Press, Toronto