A few years back, Michael Healy’s play The Drawer Boy garnered a prestigious Governor General’s Award, among others, and press accolades for its various stagings. And that’s really nice. Of course, it really doesn’t tell you anything about his new play, Plan B. Awards mean nothing and given the play’s title, there would be a certain amount of poetic justice if Plan B were somehow… uhm… second rate. People are rushing to see it, though. Its opening weekend in Toronto (at the Tarragon Theatre, where it is appearing as a Shaw Festival co-production) was completely sold out. So, are people being suckered or what?
No. Not in the least. Plan B is advertised as a political comedy—smart and fast, presumably. And it sort of delivers hard style! It’s swift, razor sharp and incredibly funny. Here’s the story:
In the not-too-distant future, a second referendum vote is held to determine the future of Quebec. This time, however, the sovereigntists take it…but not by much. Negotiations begin in earnest on two fronts—one for real and one for the benefit of the press. And that’s where the play opens. In a Hull ballroom overlooking the Parliament, Finance Minister Michael Fraser (Peter Donaldson) and crusty Saskatchewan Senator Colin Patterson (Peter MacNeill) stare down Quebec’s new PM-in–waiting, Mathieu Lapointe (John Dolan), and his brilliant and beautiful Internal Governmental Affairs Minister, Lise Fréchetter (Marie-Hélène Fontaine). Once the swearing subsides, it becomes clear both parties know that their dialogue is all for show. And that’s when things heat up. The Canadian Finance Minister is bored; Quebec’s Internal Governmental Affairs Minister is antsy. What’s to be done? They strike up an affair. And in a quaint and amusing sort of way, their illicit relationship is a metaphor for Quebec’s long and tumultuous relationship with Canada. But things get a little messy when the real negotiations fall through. Suddenly, the “for show” negotiations take on a heck of a lot more importance. And it’s at this point, just when everything actually “means something”, that the Finance Minister decides that instead of doing his best in bad circumstances (i.e. negotiating a settlement with Quebec that is beneficial to Canada) he decides that he’s just going to ask Quebec not to go. Though it’s never stated overtly, this is his Plan B. It’s a crazy idea that just might work and… I wouldn’t want to ruin the whole play for you, but… as you might expect… it just doesn’t work. What it does do is get everybody really really excited. Which makes for great theatre. And yes, many many laughs. When the real break-up with our francophone sweetheart does come, let’s hope it’s at least half as amusing as Healy’s version.
