My second visit to the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake this season brought us to the cozy confines of the Court House Theatre, often home to some of the Festival's most challenging and interesting productions.
So it was again this season as we caught the highly-anticipated Caryl Churchill play Top Girls. Set in Thatcher-era 1982 Britain, the play still resonates over thirty years later and packs a powerful punch even now.
First-time Shaw director Vikki Anderson works with some of the finest female talent at the Shaw Festival, and the results are impressive. Everyone is on their game here, and you feel you're part of something special right from the get-go.
Mind you, that almost surreal opening scene in a restaurant will leave your head spinning as you head out for intermission. You see, the fantastical cast of characters, be they either real or make-believe, take no prisoners as they tell their stories, often talking over each other as they go. That can prove problematic for the listener, but it suggests clearly the characters are strong-willed and not to be trifled with.
The opening scene depicts a dinner hosted by Marlene, played by Fiona Byrne, celebrating her new promotion at the Top Girls Employment Agency. She has clawed her way to the top, been strong when she had to be, and if some toes were stepped on during that ascent, well so be it.
The mythical characters around the table include Lady Nijo (Julia Course); Isabella Bird (Catherine McGregor); Dull Gret (Laurie Paton); Pope Joan (Claire Jullien) and Patient Griselda (Tara Rosling). Each tells their story of how they beat the odds to reach the top and how many sacrifices they each had to make in order to achieve it.
Two of particular note are Jullien's Pope Joan, who fooled the um, masses she was in fact a he, and Laurie Paton's Dull Gret, who led a group of peasant women to invade hell. Jullian is a standout, and not only because of her elaborate vestments including head-gear that would do The Jetsons proud.
Paton is uncharacteristically quiet for the longest time in that first act, concentrating instead on stashing as much bread and silverware as her canvas bag can hold, just in case she needs it later on. When she does speak, she explodes with her fantastic tale and the trials and tribulations she endured.
Once you get past that opening scene the play settles down to tell the story of Marlene and how difficult it has been for her to reach the top of her profession. She is tough, yes, but not without reason.
In the second act, she returns to the office only to find her niece, Angie, played by Julia Course, has left home and wants to stay with Marlene. The real reason becomes known in the final flashback scene when it appears clear Angie, a mentally-disturbed child, believes Marlene is really her mother rather than her aunt.
Marlene also has a bitter exchange with Laurie Paton's Mrs. Kidd at the office, who has come to request Marlene refuse the promotion because Mrs. Kidd's husband can't handle working for a female superior. You watch this exchange and you are left shaking your head, but such was life about 30 years ago, at least for some.
As mentioned, the final scene is a flashback to about a year previous, when Marlene visits Angie and her mother Joyce, played by Tara Rosling, and the bitter exchanges over first tea and then liquor lays bare their long-festering family wounds. But the scene brings everything into relatively clear focus as the play comes to an end.
This is a powerful play with some great acting and directing, although clearly it will not be for everyone. The key will be to get through that opening scene and give the play time to chart a course towards the searing final scene.
If nothing else, it is reflective of the time in which it was written, with a British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, as tough as nails and not willing to back down from almost any fight she encounters. Marlene, it could be argued, is an extension of Thatcher herself.
Top Girls plays at the Court House Theatre until September 12th and rates a very strong three out of four stars.
Have a great week!
August 3rd, 2015.
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