Our second show of the season at The Shaw Festival this season was the comedy The Ladykillers at the Festival Theatre, directed by Artistic Director Tim Carroll.
The play is by Irish writer and director Graham Linehan, who adapted the play from the movie screenplay by William Rose. The original British film dates from 1955 and starred Alec Guinness; it was remade in 2004 with Tom Hanks in the starring role.
Linehan adapted the film for the stage in 2011 and it premiered in London later that year. This Shaw Festival production is the North American premiere, and we can thank former Shaw Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell for, as Carroll writes in the Director's Notes, "putting me on to it." Seems Maxwell saw Carroll's 4-man production of the Roman and Biblical epic Ben Hur a few years ago and decided at that moment the new guy really ought to stage The Ladykillers at Shaw at some point.
That point is this season and not a moment too soon. After an uneven season last year a riotous fill-the-Festival Theatre comedy was in order, and The Ladykillers fits the bill nicely. It is taken at a faster pace than the original film was, but even now I think it could move along at a somewhat brisker pace than Carroll sets for it.
The premise of The Ladykillers revolves around a group of thugs who plan to rob a train and decide to rent an upstairs flat in an old house right next to the train station in order to carry out their nefarious scheme. Problem is, the landlady is more than a little bit of a busybody and causes no end of trouble for the group of men masquerading as classical musicians who need a quiet rehearsal space in which to practice.
As Professor Marcus, the orchestrater of the mayhem, Damien Atkins steps into the Alec Guinness role and truly makes it his own. A formidable presence on stage due to his height, he shows brilliant comic timing to wring every last laugh out of the script. His comic foil of course is the veteran actor Chick Reid as the landlady Mrs. Wilberforce, who just seems to unintentionally throw a wrench into the plans at every turn. The ongoing gag of Reid accidentally stepping on Atkins' long flowing scarf never grows old in this production.
The band of so-called musicians represent some of the best comic talent on the Shaw roster this season, including Martin Happer as the ex-boxer One Round, Andrew Laurie as Harry, Ric Reid as Major Courtney and Steven Sutcliffe doing a delicious turn as Louis, the only real criminal in the bunch.
Together they allow the magic to unfold and make the play truly and enjoyable comedic experience. Each and every one has quirks in their respective characterization that makes for regular laughs; not often uproarious mind you, but on a regular basis throughout the play so it never seems to lag.
Honourable mention goes to supporting cast members Kristopher Bowman as Constable MacDonald, Fiona Byrne as Mrs. Tromleyton and Claire Jullien as Mrs. Goodenough; the latter two joining Mrs.Wilberforce for an impromptu "recital" by the non-musical musicians that presents one of the comic highlights of the play.
Judith Bowden's set design is a marvel: it depicts both the inside and the outside of the somewhat rickety old English residence, shaking and lights flickering every time a train rumbles by next door. The house revolves on the stage from the inside to outside scenes as needed, which takes some time but never really seems to detract from the action.
The house also allows for action on both levels, as Mrs. Wilberforce can be seen in the main floor rooms while the would-be robbers are plotting their heist in the upstairs flat. All in all, full marks to both Bowden and lighting designer Kevin Lamotte for making the set design work so well.
Will this be the biggest show of the season? Probably not. But I doubt you'll find anyone leaving the theatre disappointed with their choice. It's fun from start to finish and for that reason alone you should book your tickets before it's too late.
The Ladykillers runs at the Festival Theatre until October 12th and rates a strong 3 out of 4 stars.
For tickets, call the Shaw box office at 905-468-2153, 1-800-511-7429 or go to www.shawfest.com.
Have a great weekend!
August 18th, 2019.
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