His Greatness, now playing at the Factory Theatre (125 Bathurst St.), is a possibly true account of two days in the later life of celebrated playwright Tennessee Williams.
Daniel MacIvor, who wrote and starred in the play as “The Assistant,” gives a wonderfully meticulous performance of a tired, bitchy gay man who feels as if he has wasted his life. While admittedly, his acting in the first few scenes was a bit stale and over-rehearsed, he quickly recovered and his monologue that ended the play brought tears to the eyes. His relationship with “The Playwright” (Richard Donat) was beautifully developed and Donat’s performance was positively stunning as his physical and emotional portrayal of the self-destructive has-been playwright simultaneously made the audience want to laugh, cry and throw their shoes at him (in a good way).
Greg Gale, who played “The Young Gentleman,” was also absolutely wonderful. His character came armed with a Newfie accent that was completely annoying, reminiscent of the infamous Fran Drescher laugh, but it only added to the brilliant and garish subtlety of his character. As a vehicle for the comic relief in the play, Gale managed to deliver laughs even in the most serious of moments and was able to offset the tragedy of “The Playwright” without stifling Donat’s performance.
All in all the production was magnificent. Its witty, tragic, and complicated subject matter and staging managed to keep the entire audience enraptured during each and every scene.
HI Greatness runs until Oct. 23 at the Factory Studio Theatre, 125 Bathurst St.
