Silly Little Country

William Saroyan's "The Time of Your Life"

Yet another Soulpepper triumph! And it is a bit useless to say, as we saw its second-last performance and the run has ended, unless they extended it, and I have not heard that. This is yet another play I have never seen.

What a perfect delight, in a very odd play, magnificently carried by the very large cast. Central was Joseph Ziegler as Joe T (we never do find out why telling Kitty that his Irishness is a hint to figuring out what the full surname is means), who carried this role wonderfully. I am very curious to see Cagney in the same role in the movie.

Stuart Hughes thoroughly exploits the opportunity to play a tour-de-force role; he is utterly stunning as Kit Carson, with the fabulous tales and the dissolute behaviour. I have enjoyed him in many roles but he carried this one utterly wonderfully! And this character gets the great opportunity to tell one last fable in the play that actually seems to be reality and is surely meant to be justice being done. And a foreshadowing of what the US would have to do short years later in the world.

The eye weekly review is excellent and says much of what I would have were it running longer.

The one other key fact is that this is the first Soulpepper production featuring Martha MacIsaac in which her character does not get killed (so far as I could tell).

posted by Alan Adamson @ 2:03 PM