Review by Shane Kelley - June 30, 2010
I love a great story that runs deep enough through the gamut of
emotions so that I'm laughing out loud during one scene, and then
fighting back a tear in the next. Mending Fences is a brilliantly crafted
play that zeros in on the extreme discomfort that isolates many men
from their true natures and intimate relationships.
Gifted playwright Norm Foster gives us Harry (Bill Rowat), an
uncommunicative man who hides his fear of true intimacy, hurt and
disappointment, behind an ornery, bad-tempered, stubborn bravado,
Drew (Paul Van Dyck), his long estranged son who is a lot more like
his father than he realizes, and Gin (Melanie Doerr), the widow next
door who loves Harry and sees beyond his gruff exterior.
After 13 years away, Drew now 29, has traveled 32 hours to visit his
father at their old family cattle ranch in rural Saskatchewan. Cold
and tired after the long journey and an hour's wait at the closed and
frozen train station, Drew is bristling with resentment from the
first moment of his reunion with his emotionally cold and
unapologetic father. But Drew is also desperately trying to forge a
reconnection with his father. He wants his father's approval of the
man he's become, and to find some answers both from the past, and
from his father in the hopes it will help him figure out his own life.
All three actors do a great job playing off each other and their
timing of lines is really terrific, especially during the back and
forth cursing between Harry and Drew. Bill Rowat's characterization
of the stoic Harry is so good and rises so far above cliché because
he so subtly shows us glimpses of Harry's tender heart beneath the
armor. Paul Van Dyck is a superb young and diversified actor well
known to the Montreal theatre scene. Van Dyck causes you to be so
involved with Drew's frustrations, pain, and struggles with his
father that you will feel your heart ache every now and then.
Gin ends up refereeing Harry and Drew's frequent confrontational and
awkward conversations, and often steps in to break up the heated
moments between father and son and redirect the play back to its
comedic heart. At the same time she adds her own tragic elements to
the story, and though she loves Harry, she is also struggling with
his inability to commit to the relationship and admit his feelings.
Gin's strong character and Doerr's great delivery offers up some of
the funniest and most priceless dialogue in the play.
Foster uses flashbacks from the ranch kitchen of now to the unhappy
period years ago when Harry chose farm over family when his former
wife could no longer endure the isolated prairie lifestyle, and
returned to the city with their son Drew. Doerr expertly fulfils the
multiple roles of Harry's compassionate, understanding and often
witty and playful lover, and during the flashback scenes also plays
Harry's former wife. In one telling scene she plays a third role and
appears as his alcoholic mother. Her roles help us see why Harry has
such a seemingly tough protective exterior, and also explains his
extraordinary discomfort and struggle in trying to show and tell both
her and Drew that he cares.
A thoroughly entertaining production for
fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, husbands, wives and girlfriends.
Directed by the theatre's Artistic Director Andrew Johnson, Mending
Fences opened to a full house June 24 as part of Hudson's Village
Theatre's 2010 season opening gala.
All of the summer season's plays are under the expert stage
management of Heather Bowser and she did a great job keeping the pace
and energy of the play moving. The farm kitchen set was dramatically
and interestingly lit by lighting designer Gordon McVicar and
lighting Tech Kevin McVicar. Costume Designer Maggie Macaulay
dressed the three characters and their alter-egos right on the mark
and as always, Peter Vatsis's Set Construction and Chris Brown's set
design were superb and created a welcoming setting for our 'visit' to
Harry, Drew and Gin's imaginary but true-to-life complicated lives.
After the opening play Mending Fences comes the North American
premiere of Peter Quilter's Celebrity (July 15-Aug. 1). Celebrity's
train date is July 17.
The third play is Alan Ayckbourn's Snake in the Grass (Aug. 5-Aug.
22). The train date is Aug. 7. The fourth much anticipated
production of the 2010 season is Wake of the Bones, October 28 to
November 7.
Don't miss the next two train dates, when you can hop aboard from
downtown Montreal or Beaconsfield and spend a lovely day in Hudson.
The Hudson Village Theatre train leaves the Lucien l'Allier train
station at 12:30 p.m. and the Beaconsfield train station at 12:50
p.m., June 26, July 17 and Aug. 7. The train leaves for the return
trip at 8 p.m., sharp. The train-ride/ play package costs $55, taxes
included. Passengers can choose either the 2 p.m. performance or the
5:30 p.m. performance. All ticket packages are available only through
the AMT (Montreal's transportation agency). For reservations,
514-287-7866, escapadesentrain@amt. qc.ca.For Hudson Village Theatre
info, 450-458-5361 or www.villagetheatre.ca