by Frances Beames
(Kind Permission of Main Street)

In a departure from their usual three-act productions, Theatre Morin Heights presented three one-act plays on November 2nd, 3rd and 4th. These were greeted with the same enthusiasm given previous plays, and in another break with tradition, one of the plays was written and directed by a local (well, Montreal, but with local connections) young man of whom we shall certainly hear more.

The opening playlet, The Background, a tragi-comedy based on a short story by Saki, presents the trials of an Englishman in an Italian courtroom. It is not an actual trial, as the Judge (ably played by Lorne Barratt) assures him, “merely an inquiry” into the disappearance of a painting by now-deceased Italian. The artist’s widow, a beautiful and shapely Signora (Lee-Ann Mascis), delighted the audience by venting her anger at the Englishman (Chris Beames) spitting on him at every opportunity, when she wasn’t flirting with the Judge or the policeman, Willie Ladek, at the door. As the only ‘straight’ player in the farce, Chris turned in his usual capable performance, this time as a beleaguered and misunderstood gentleman; in his endeavour to explain what happened to the painting, he succeeds only in getting a twenty-year sentence.

Second on the bill was the premiere performance of The Lives They Had, a play written and directed by Andrew Mackay, who also played the lead. Could one young man possibly do all of that successfully? The short answer is a resounding YES!

The play took us back to the Second World War, when young men got married, ‘joined up’ and were sent overseas, leaving their often pregnant wives to wait and hope.

Not an easy concept for a one-act play, but Andrew Mackay used a series of short scenes separated by blackouts to take us from the early romance of Roger Cassidy (Andrew) and Emma Cassidy (Chelsea-Leigh Brennan), through their marriage, his call-up, her pregnancy, his war (complete with realistic battle scenes), the birth of their daughter, his news that he was coming home, and (but we knew it was too good to last) to the “we regret to inform you” telegram.

The final scene is Emma Cassidy’s dream, in which her husband returns, and tells her he will always be with her and their baby. This is a truly touching moment, and almost believable; however, it might have worked even better had the lighting been changed, or a smoke effect provided, to indicate that this is a dream. Yes, we knew that. But a little magic (perhaps only possible in an actual theatre?) could differentiate the scene.

Mackay’s supporting cast was well chosen. Every woman in the audience must have empathized with his girlfriend/ wife/widow, who was absolutely believable in all three phases of her life. The cautiously polite relationship between Emma Cassidy and her mother-in-law, played by Colleen Mackay, was perfectly portrayed both in the writing and in performance, never slipping into farce. And a cameo by Edna Downey, as Oliana, a bombed-out victim of the war in Italy, touched the heart.

Spot on, too, were the soldiers, Captain James Harper, well played by Chris Schlachter, and Roger’s buddy, Thomas Pike (Jonathan Orr). When Pike is killed, the Captain and Roger reflect on the tragedies of war and meaning of comradeship, and their pain is apparent.

Andrew Mackay is a man to watch. Writer, director, actor…we are going to see his name again, in headlines, and in lights.

***

After that heart-wrenching experience the audience had an intermission, returning to relax and chuckle at When the Job Was Nicely Done, written by Colleen Curran and directed by Penny Rose. This clever take on the Lizzie Borden story, a true tale of gory axe murder in Fall River, Massachusetts, was directed by Penny Rose, who skillfully brought out the inner bitch of the local ladies.

A small gathering of the town’s leading lights has met in the home of charming, slightly ditzy Mrs. Lowell, delightfully played by Billie Strang. Her neighbours, Mrs. Thatcher (Libby Barratt) the banker’s wife, plus her outspoken daughter Hazel, (Kailtyn Helstrom), and Mrs. Beulah Bailey (Katherine Weary) who is a very grande dame indeed, are there to meet (or perhaps interrogate?) their new neighbour, Miss Elizabeth Andrews.

From the conversation before their guest arrives, we gather that this lady is something of a mystery. Talk swirls around to the women’s rights movement, then to the notorious Fall River axe murders a few years prior, thought to have been perpetrated by Lizzie Borden, daughter of the murderees, although she has been acquitted of the crime.

Tea is served by Katie, the uninhibited darlin’ Irish maid played amusingly and well by Anita Stranzl, who provides light-hearted (and true!) comments as the women gossip and sip and their characters emerge. We see that Mrs. Bailey considers herself the First Lady, with the last word (always acidic) on every subject. Mrs. Thatcher tends to go along with the gossip, though Hazel sometimes interrupts to disagree, while Mrs. Lowell is a gentler creature who wants to think well of everyone.

And then—the doorbell! Excitement! Katie ushers in ‘Miss Elizabeth Andrews’ (Janet Sallie) an attractive and confident young woman who is quite undaunted by the cautious interrogation that follows. She boldly states her views on women’s rights, and when the subject of the Fall River murders comes up, presents another slant on the picture, suggesting that the perpetrator might have had good reasons to axe her parents.

Asked where she had lived before coming to the town, Miss Andrews says firmly, “Fall River.” Hazel, fascinated, asks Miss Andrews “Did you know Lizzie Borden?” “Yes, I knew her,” was the quiet response. ” “ Did you ever attend her trial?” “Yes, every day.”

While the ladies are still in shock at this revelation, one of them asks Ms. Andrews whether she has decided to settle down in their village. Rising to leave, she replies that she has decided not. And where, then, is she going to live? “Fall River!”

And with this she sweeps out, leaving a horrified tea-party to realize whom they have been chatting with.

This was a delightful play with an excellent cast of actresses who made the most of their lines. The costumes, especially the feather-trimmed hat concoctions, were marvelously of their time.

The entire three-play production was well-balanced, from the farcical Italian court scene, through the very real tragedies of World War II, and finally the drawing-room comedy.

The logistics of presenting three one-act plays compared with one three-act play must have been daunting. Fifty-five people were involved, with three stage sets, three lots of costumes, stage managers, lighting, props, make-up, publicity, front of house…too many to name individually, but all contributing to the success of the three plays.

Kudos to Producer Corina Lupu for putting it all together. The trio of plays gave us a fine evening of drama, farce and fun.