Here’s to a better 2025 and a major return to prosperity in the theatre world.

By Gary Smith | Special to the Hamilton Spectator

Tuesday, December 24th, 2024

Theatre has survived another year, and audiences are returning to performances in greater numbers. But there are still too many empty seats to celebrate a return to pre-pandemic levels.

Only the most popular shows sell out these days and the uncertainty of sales is frightening to even the most celebrated companies.

Here’s to a better 2025 and a major return to prosperity in the theatre world. And here’s to seeing you in a theatre soon.

In no particular order, here are the 13 best shows I saw this past year.

“Ragtime” at Encores City Center New York. This rangy, sprawling musical with its passionate score and stunning cast was a magnificent reminder of how powerful great theatre can be. Hamilton-born star Caissie Levy played Mother and she stopped the show cold for six minutes while the audience stomped, cheered and screamed the place down. Her version of “Never Go Back to Before” was riveting.

“Salesman in China” at the Stratford Festival. This was the most compelling theatre experience of the Stratford season, recalling the great playwright Arthur Miller’s experience directing his heartbreaking play “Death of a Salesman” in Beijing with an all-Chinese cast. At Stratford, Tom McCamus, Ying Ruocheng, Sarah Orenstein and George Chiang gave stirring performances that buried themselves deep into the imagination. An illuminating experience.

“Maggie” at Goodspeed Opera House in Goodspeed, Conn. This musical, originally produced at Hamilton’s Theatre Aquarius, was even better in its American iteration with the astounding Christine Dwyer in its titular role. Everything about Mary Francis Moore’s elegant direction was braver and richer in Connecticut.

“Something Rotten!” at Stratford Festival Theatre. Yes, this is only a so-so musical with a lot of silly business and not so memorable songs, but director Donna Feore made up for that with smart staging and stunning choreography. She is a wizard at making the ordinary spectacular. Long may she set folks dancing at Stratford.

“The Master Plan” at Theatre Aquarius Hamilton. No, not everyone liked this powerhouse play by Michael Healey, but it was sensational theatre, acted by a crack cast and directed by the gifted Chris Abraham. The energy, pace and star power of its cast, led by Mike Shara, Philippa Domville and Ben Carlson, was superb. The show deserved sold-out houses in Hamilton — sadly, it didn’t get them. Great theatre is hard to come by and this was great theatre.

“Next to Normal” at Wyndham’s Theatre London, England. Hamilton’s Caissie Levy was again burning a patch off the stage in a power-packed performance as a woman haunted by the death of her son. This was Levy’s second time in this role and she led an amazing cast. She was nominated for an Olivier Award as Best Actress. She didn’t win. Doesn’t matter. She was terrific.

“Mary’s Wedding” at Lighthouse Festival Theatre Port Dover. Forget the perch at the restaurant, this was the reason to go to Dover this summer. A first-class production of Stephen Massicotte’s Canadian play was directed beautifully by Derek Ritschel. Every shade and nuance was carefully etched into exquisite performances by Daniel Reale and Evelyn Wiebe.

“Water for Elephants” at New York ‘s Imperial Theatre. Burlington-born choreographer Jesse Robb was nominated for a Tony for his work on this stunning show and Paul Alexander Nolan, who has starred at Theatre Aquarius, was superb in it. This show has everything: fine music, a great story about finding yourself and dance to die for. It’s closed now after a good run. Maybe it will come to Toronto. We can always hope.

“Beautiful Scars” at Theatre Aquarius Hamilton. This rangy musical about the epiphany that gave Hamilton musician and writer Tom Wilson a whole new world was written alongside Shaun Smyth, with larger than life music by Wilson. It was a knockout in a visual kaleidoscope of a production smartly directed by Mary Francis Moore.

“The Hills of California” at the Broadhurst Theatre, New York. It’s too late to catch this one in its outstanding U.S. premiere, but someone will do it in Toronto, or maybe even Hamilton. Jez Butterworth’s script about a dysfunctional family is excoriating and Sam Mendes directed a brilliant cast that shone through the play’s hills and valleys of hope and despair. A real stunner.

“Come From Away” at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto. OK, it’s been around the block and just won’t go away — and that’s because it’s good. Back in Toronto, the show is still telling a heartwarming story about pluck and courage and Canadian good manners. And Hamilton’s Kristen Peace is still in it and terrific as usual.

“The Marilyn Conspiracy” at Park Theatre in London, England. This play about what might have happened to Marilyn Monroe is a real shocker, with some heavyweight accusations about some very famous people. Performed at a small theatre in London, it was riveting theatre with Genevieve Gaunt as a clone of Monroe. The Kennedys would certainly never endorse this stunning conclusion to the mystery of Marilyn’s death. Maybe someone will do the play here. It will certainly shock you silly.

“A Christmas Story The Musical.” Hamilton’s Theatre Aquarius offered a terrific production of what is really just a so-so musical to bring family entertainment back to their stage. Performers Jamie McRoberts, Adam Brazier, Finn Kirk and Addison Wagman made it work, along with some smart direction by Mary Francis Moore.

And that’s it. The best of 2024. Have a very happy 2025 and support theatres everywhere. They need us more than ever.

_{Opinion articles are based on the author’s interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details}

Gary Smith has written about theatre and dance for The Hamilton Spectator, as well as a variety of international publications, for more than 40 years.

Norm Foster and a terrific cast make senior passion dance at The Lighthouse.

By Gary Smith | Special to the Hamilton Spectator

Thursday, August 29th, 2024

Canada’s favourite playwright, the guy who knows mirth-making better than anyone else, has a sweet comedy on his hands.

In our world of increasing tensions, we all need someone like Norm Foster to kick back and make us laugh.

Over the years, Foster has had some heavyweight successes. His comedies, “Here on The Flightpath,” “The Melville Boys” and “The Affections of May,” have been golden.

This time out, with the world premiere of his comedy “Lakefront” in Port Dover, he’s in a warmer, nostalgic mood.

His characters here are weathered, touched with a tinge of time. Feeling the rush even of “that enemy time,” something Tennessee Williams called the windstorm of regret and a fear of impending mortality.

But 70-year-old Robert and 68-year-old Christina, Foster’s aging risk-takers in “Lakefront,” are not through with life, not by a long-shot. Neither are they past the notion of romance’s soft caress. And maybe, just maybe, they’re ready to kick over the traces and risk a wild weekend together, somewhere nostalgic, like a worn-out old cabin, with its shabby furniture and tasteless orange cushions.

There’s a feel here everything’s tugged from some weather-beaten past. Fringed with dollops of clean white snow resting on its eaves and piled up around its extremities like globs of sugary marshmallow, it’s well, a tad surreal.

Somehow it suggests a world of old love, a world that needs the kindling flame of a roaring flame to ignite stilled passion.

Happily, Foster creates a necessary undertow in his excellent first act of this ultimately sweet and funny play.

Looking for love on the sunny side of 70, his characters are insecure, frightened and lonely. They’re also a tad rambunctious. They may be frightened of where they’re going and what they might do when they get there, but they’re going just the same.

The sadly worn cabin they rent for their tryst is of course a metaphor for the way time erodes everything.

There’s little decoration, faded furniture and a decided whiff of the ‘70s about the place. Those dobs of snow I’ve talked about already stretch across the roof and rest like waves of regret round the outer limits of the flimsy door.

Into this world, Robert and Christina stumble with their pasts as tightly held as their roller bags and shoulder cases. Of course, they’re looking for a second, or is that a third chance at happiness?

They’re likable people, especially in the nicely calibrated, oh so truthful performances from Melodee Finlay and Ralph Small. She’s waifish and vulnerable. He’s bullish and loud. Both are believable for every moment of the first act of Foster’s play.

Finlay has never looked lovelier. She wears her maturity and well, let’s say it, age, like a translucent skin that gives her a slightly fuller frame and more mature appeal.

Over the years, Finlay has starred in a number of plays at Dover, but she’s never been better than right now.

When she walks out of the bedroom door of Eric Bunnell’s weathered old set, hair tousled, eyes lit up like blinking stars, her little shuffle of love, joy and contentment is so endearing you just long to hold her hand and squeeze hard.

Small, who began his theatre career in Hamilton, and about a year ago was so polished and perfect in Sky Gilbert’s wonderful play “Pat and Skee” at Theatre Aquarius, finds such revelatory moments in Foster’s Robert that you ache for his masculine fears about sex, life and the whole damn thing.

You don’t quite want to laugh at his slightly distended paunch wrapped in perfectly outlandish pyjamas, but of course you do. But the laugh is bittersweet, because we know he’s trying so hard to recapture what might be left of his youth.

Together, these two wonderful actors find everything exquisite in Foster’s play and more.

They’re aided and abetted by rubber-faced Derek Ritschel’s comedy turn as Duane, the cabin park’s babysitting factotum.

Ritschel has this role down so well that with every pop-eyed twitch and double take he makes us laugh. It’s not his fault his character simply wears out before the end of the play’s problematic and protracted second act

It is, after all, that second act that’s the problem here. It doesn’t quite equal the authenticity of Foster’s first one. So, the play nosedives into a series of short, awkward scenes that neither flesh out the play, nor its characters. Not even the fine performances, nor the felicitous direction of Jeffrey Wetsch can prevent this happening.

As always, costume wizard Alex Amini has given the characters perfect duds to wear. As always, too, all the production values at Dover are first class.

So, let’s not be churlish, Foster has given us characters to care about and a play worth watching. If “Lakefront” had the power and punch of its first act, right up to its rambunctious curtain call, we’d be dancing out of the theatre on a wave of love.

It doesn’t. No matter. Half a wave is better than none. And Finlay and Small will make you dance anyway, until the final moment, just like some latter day Rogers and Astaire, no matter what they say or do.

Lakefront

Who Lighthouse Festival Theatre

Where 247 Main St. Port Dover and Roselawn Theatre, 296 Fielden Ave. Port Colborne.

When In Dover until Sept. 7 then Port Colborne from Sept. 11 through Sept. 22. Evenings at 8 p.m. most days. With matinees at 2 p.m. some days, Call the box office for details.

Tickets Port Dover, $46 to $51; Port Colborne $45. Students and equity members reduced to $18 at both theatres. For either theatre call 1-888-7703 to purchase.

Gary Smith has written about theatre and dance for The Hamilton Spectator, as well as a variety of international publications, for more than 40 years.

Theatre that asks you to believe in dreams fills the stage with wonder at The Lighthouse, writes Gary Smith.

By Gary Smith | Special to the Hamilton Spectator

Saturday, July 6, 2024

If you only see one play this summer, for goodness sake make it Lighthouse Theatre’s ravishing production of Mary’s Wedding.

The Lighthouse in Port Dover is primarily known for its relentless comedies that are mostly laugh-out-loud funny.

Yet, every so often, one of these whiz-bang laugh machines combines laughter with serious thought. Norm Foster’s Halfway There and the heartwarming gay comedy Bed and Breakfast from last season come instantly to mind for the way they do that.

But this year there is something more. When you least expected it, something special has come along.

Mary’s Wedding, a tender, heartbreaking drama by Canadian playwright Stephen Massicotte, has just opened to elevate the theatre season.

It’s a richly written, poetic drama that will make you sit bolt upright in your seat. You’ll care for its characters, Mary and Charles, strangers who meet by serendipity one stormy night in a weathered old barn. As the thunder growls outside sheltering walls, and blinding lightning pierces the gloomy darkness, these ingratiating souls long for their lives to intersect in a way that might suggest a welcoming, happy ever after moment.

So, why do we sit in our seats for the play’s bracing two acts knowing this is not likely to happen?

Call it intuition.

We soon realize playwright Massicotte is refusing to make the world a welcoming place for such willing young lovers. We follow his wayward path as he allows fate to intervene. The horror of the trenches and the bayonet attacks of the First World War become a cruel, intrusive part of the story.

Massicotte takes us down some frightening paths precisely because he is a playwright who, in the end, writes truth, not fantasy.

Mary’s Wedding is not a linear play where one moment necessarily leads logically to the next. There is poetry at work here. It’s not for nothing that Mary quotes from The Lady of Shalott and Charles relates the rougher, masculine world of Rudyard Kipling’s rallying cries for empire and false heroics.

Much of Massicotte’s play is filled with the exotic world of the great poets. Nothing is truly what it seems. And this playwright has us wandering the labyrinth of the human imagination, lost and fearful as we seek the elusive exit from some frightening maze.

This is theatre that is gripping and passionate. You can’t let your mind wander for an instant. Better pay attention. This one’s filled with the grace notes of a remarkable imagination.

Now, none of this would matter a whiff, if Mary’s Wedding were given anything less than a superlative production. It’s not the sort of play to survive half measures.

Fortunately, it has at its helm in Port Dover a director deeply invested in the play’s rich poetic heartbeat.

Derek Ritschel, who also happens to be the artistic director of the Lighthouse Festival Theatre, has taken a breathtaking risk in scheduling such an elegant and thoughtful play for inclusion in a summer theatre season normally predicated on more pedestrian, lightweight fare.

But it goes deeper than that.

Ritschel has directed this anti-war, love story brooding with fantasy and surreal thought, and given the play’s sometimes dark and demonic themes, a sweet coating of romantic truth. It’s something that resonates in the imagination long after you’ve left the theatre.

Ritschel has wisely liberated the poetic fantasy of this riveting work. More importantly perhaps, he has cannily unleashed from his talented young actors, Daniel Reale and Evelyn Wiebe, performances that reverberate with the wondrous ring of truth.

These are star turns that would not be out of place on a Broadway or West End London stage. Yes, dear friends, they are just that good.

Reale and Wiebe unlock in Massicotte’s exquisite drama such thrilling moments of tenderness, fear and passionate longing that we cling to faint hopes their lives will have some glorious happy ending.

Here is where Massicotte exercises reality. By the time the last lingering shadows of Wendy Lundgren’s painterly lighting have vanished from William Chesney’s stunning, battered barn of a setting, and we have surrendered completely to the fantasy landscape that is the surreal world of Mary’s Wedding, we are wed to hopes of happiness, but will they happen?

Go see Mary’s Wedding.

Go dream the dream. It is after all a play about dreams, desires and passionate longings. This one asks you to travel through time and space and totally suspend disbelief. It’s a remarkable journey to the outer limits of the imagination.

Plays like this don’t come along all that often. And when they are directed and acted with a kind of powerful charisma that leaps right off the stage, well, you need to be there to catch them.

Gary Smith has written about theatre and dance for The Hamilton Spectator, as well as a variety of international publications, for more than 40 years.

This late-life look at love and companionship is funny, well-acted and smartly directed.

By Gary Smith | Special to the Hamilton Spectator

Saturday, June 1, 2024

You won’t find a funnier playwright than Norm Foster. He’s written close to 80 comedies over a long and prolific career. And he’s still on his mark as far as laughter goes with “Doris and Ivy in the Home,” a late-life look at love and companionship.

Doris is a retired prison guard from a tough correctional facility who has lived in a mostly imperfect marriage. Ivy, soon to become her good friend, is a shamed skier who 54 years later is still trying to live down a disastrous finish in the big downhill competition in her native Austria.

They meet in a classy retirement home where the residents are treated to sushi nights and art classes.

Ivy is rather sweet, but has a bit of chip on her shoulder. Doris is abrasive and nosy and has absolutely no social filter.

They stand on the back patio of the Paradise Village Retirement Home, an unfortunate nomenclature for a home where folks are closer to the end than they are to the beginning.

They spy on residents out in the garden having ferocious coitus in the cucumber patch. They trade stories, and sometimes insults, about life in general and Doris, ever a meddler, soon makes it her prerogative to fix up Ivy with Arthur, the home’s handsome and available nice guy.

Most of Foster’s play is concerned with how this is going to happen, since Ivy is just not attracted to handsome Arthur in “that way.” After all, she’s been burned three times by unholy marriages.

Oh, and did I mention, poor Arthur, though looking robust and healthy, has only two years, or is it months, to live?

For all this, “Doris and Ivy in the Home” is a very funny play. It perks along at a crack pace in Jane Spence’s nicely staged production.

It’s played on an attractive set from William Chesney, complete with light-up gazebo and comfy furniture and the cast is clad in costumes by Alex Amini that suit their personalities and look lived in.

If you go to see this laugh-fest be ready to laugh right out loud. It’s that kind of play.

Troubles don’t actually start to creep into the narrative until the second act, when the play detours a bit too much from reality trying to foist a happy ending on the characters and on us.

Foster is in fine fettle with the comedy but unlike his better plays like “Halfway There” and “Jonas and Barry in the Home,” he’s so much in laughter mode he veers toward comic laugh lines at the expense of truth.

Now, what do the actors at Port Dover make of Foster’s play? Well, actually quite a bit.

Director Spence has assembled a first-class cast that lob home the comedy and laugh off the weaker aspects of Foster’s story.

The best performance comes from Brigitte Robinson’s, nicely balanced Ivy. She gets her laughs without working too hard. In truth, she has the best written role in Foster’s play.

There is something vulnerable and sweet about this Ivy, so beneath the chit-chat and the need to time a comic line, Robinson creates a believable world of a woman who has made the best of bad luck and choices. Any production of Foster’s play requires someone like Robinson to provide a necessary balance.

Melanie Janzen is a tremendous comedienne. She has warmth and plenty of zing. She gets her laughs and then some.

Her Doris, however, has a tad too many facial tics and kinetic wriggles and jiggles for my liking. Yes, it’s hilarious, but she doesn’t let Doris settle down enough to let us see as much of her undercurrent of vulnerability as necessary. She does however suggest brilliantly a woman who is always “on” because she doesn’t know who she is and what she wants.

Ian Deakin, a fine actor, has the task here of trying to flesh out a mostly underwritten role. We don’t learn quite enough about this Arthur so Deakin is saddled with being a plot function, rather than a real person.

After all this, you might be wondering whether I liked “Doris and Ivy in the Home?”

Well, yes I did. It’s funny, well-acted and smartly directed. What it isn’t is a play that finds its feet in its final act to provide a serious enough counterpoint to the laugh machine that has been driving it for two hours.

For folks who just want to have fun, I’d say you’ll find it with Doris, Ivy and Arthur. Go laugh yourself silly.

Gary Smith has written about theatre and dance for The Hamilton Spectator, as well as a variety of international publications, for more than 40 years.

Doris and Ivy in the Home

Who Lighthouse Festival Theatre

Where Lighthouse Festival Theatre, 247 Main St. Port Dover. Roselawn Theatre Port Colborne. 296 Fielden Ave. Port Colborne

When At Port Dover until June 8. At Port Colborne June 12-23. Evenings at 8 most days with matinees at 2 p.m. some days. Call the box office to check on performance details.

Tickets Port Dover $51, at Port Colborne $45. Students and equity members reduced to $18 at both theatres. For either theatre, call 1-888-779-7703 to purchase.