Thousand Islands Playhouse: The Canadian
A new Canadian farce! Playing in the Springer Theatre until August 18, The Canadian by this new whimsical physical comedy world premiered by Thousand Islands Playhouse – takes the audience through a whirlwind of events so calculated and carefully timed that they could all crumbling down upon an accidental early entrance or line fumble. Director Rob Kempson reflects upon this in his Director’s Note, equating a farce to a “complex dance… where the beat of a door slam is as important as the next line of text”. Yet, a sense of predictability and inauthenticity creeps into the piece over the course of the performance, diluting the effect of the comedy the team works hard to achieve.
Likely set in the town of Gananoque, this narrative follows Nessa (Sophia Fabiilli) in her attempts to please everyone, apparently. First, there is her grandmother Karole (Paula Wing) who refuses to sell her family’s vacation cabin The Canadian to realtor Fortune Wells (Tyler Murree) who wants to demolish it and build a retirement home in its place, which Fortune insists will serve Karole and the rest of the elderly community in Gananoque well. Karole, however, is devoted to her family’s history that rests in the ground of The Canadian, and resists Nessa’s urge to sell (even though they are very tight for money) because “fortune favours the Canadian”.
Elsewhere, a goofy Sinclair (Alastair Forbes) barges into The Canadian unannounced, expressing a need for a room on behalf of his client Cassie (Christy Bruce) – a washed-up Hollywood actress currently caught in a scandal – even though the entire cabin is already booked because of a wedding. Chasing after her, of course, is her lover Jarred (Norman Yeung), who is also expectedly the opposite party in said scandal. Let me give you a picture of what the collision of those two storylines looks like through a brief analysis of the technical prowess of the actors.
From this play, as well as my own experiences, I understand that a cast of actors must collectively have a certain amount of chemistry, which then translates into authenticity onstage. Kempson echoes this sentiment in his Director’s Note, and emphasizes the need for chemistry and cohesion when you’re operating in a farce – and all of the wonderful and extremely calculated tropes that come with it. This cast, though, excelled at making sure all the laughs were hit, and never slowing the fast-paced nature of the show. While Fabiilli carried the show excellently as the lead character, Forbes delivers a standout performance as the character who delivered the most physical comedy throughout the show. The flips, jumps and tumbles that Forbes willingly and skillfully executed made sure there was never a dull moment onstage. Likewise, Bruce delivered a larger-than-life performance as Cassie, which made for excellent comedic moments when things wouldn’t go her way, or when she would be caught off guard by unexpected twists throughout the play. Since this is a farce, unexpected twists are the norm.
It is important to note that there is a difference between farces and absurdist theatre; while the former is partially defined by ludicrously improbable situations, it is still subject to the rules and probabilities of reality (albeit ever so slightly). The latter, conversely, operates in a different theatrical world entirely free of the constraints of reality. Since this is the case, I found a few dramaturgical and directorial aspects of the show to be forced in order to forward the narrative and the comedy. To give a couple examples, I found it highly improbable that Nessa would mention her family’s unpaid back loan unprompted, especially if the person to which she is speaking (Wells) would be able to use that information as leverage to get what he wants. Moreover, there is no conceivable realistic world in which Jarred would magically know of Cassie’s whereabouts (at The Canadian) without her mentioning something to him, which she explicitly says she doesn’t. It makes sense that the respective antagonists need these pieces of information to further the conflict, but the playwright must ensure that this information is revealed organically so that the audience doesn’t discredit the story’s validity and continuity.
There were, however, jokes for days. From punny misunderstandings of words or names to the slapshtick that is so timeless in its humour, this show will get you laughing. Hopefully, The Canadian will have a bright future in entertaining audiences in Ontario, as well as the rest of Canada. The pride in Canadian culture that exudes from this play is very much noticeable, and I hope that the sentiment repeated in the play – “Fortune favours The Canadian” – applies to the play’s success as well.
You can catch The Canadian at Thousand Islands Playhouse until August 18. Click here for show times and ticketing.