I must admit that I’m a skeptic when it comes to Canadian-written works of theatre. In fact, I’m not entirely sold on plays written by those other than the masters-Shakespeare, Shaw, Wilde, etc.-particularly when it comes to comedy. However, whether it was the performers, the director, or the writing itself, I was forced to push my cynicism aside and enjoy Hart House Theatre’s recent production of WASPS (the final play of the theatre’s 2004-05 season).
Written by Sally Clark, WASPS places us in present-day Toronto (so, here and now) and then launches us through the looking glass of normality where we encounter characters dealing with schizophrenia, incest, and fetishes (just to name a few). Our Alice in Wonderland, so to speak, is a nerdy librarian named Val who is newly married and desperately trying to make sense of the insanity that follows suit. And, because we are a sadistic society, we enjoy this… a lot.
Of course, sole credit cannot be given to Clark’s manic script for the success of this production. Kearsten Lyon’s portrayal of Val was nothing short of professional. With impeccable comedic timing and an intoxicating stage presence, she was able to pull off the role without a hitch. Her casting was certainly inspired-clad in an oversized cardigan and tweed skirt and employing an occasionally raspy voice, she appeared to give her all to the performance.
Amanda Montague was quite convincing as Val’s schizophrenic sister-in-law (who vacillates between two personas-bitchy Sondra, and psychotic Sam). Blain Watters, who played a delinquent book-borrower with a fetish for librarians, was definitely an audience favourite and was able to match Lyon’s comedic panache. Finally, Morgan Norwich as a lesbian book collector added some extra hilarity to the mix.
Despite the many great performances, several weak spots hindered the play’s credibility. Several actors suffered a slew of articulation and projection issues, perhaps due to opening night jitters. This was most prevalent in Matt Langer’s portrayal of the schizophrenic Cyril. Though he was in character for the duration of the production and managed to get some laughs, it was unfortunate that those of us sitting beyond the first few rows often had trouble hearing what he was saying.
The set was simple and classy, yet many of the scene changes appeared nonsensical. For example, the photocopier and library desk were not struck from the stage when the scene returned to Val’s house. This oversight was rather bizarre, as there was a hired stage crew moving furniture around for other scenes.
Aside from a few unpolished moments, WASPS proved an entertaining evening of theatre-kudos to Hart House for opening my mind to Canadian drama.
