Drabinsky's Sousatzka A Waste of Talent

Sitting in the audience of Sousatzka on Opening Night, there were moments when I hung my head at what was allowed to be presented on the stage of the Elgin Theatre. 

Montego Glover and Victoria Clark

photo by Cylla von Tiedemann

Based on the novel Madame Sousatzka by Bernice Rubens, this incarnation is a Garth Drabinsky produced version in which a young piano prodigy (actor Jordan Barrow) is caught between the demands of his mother (Montego Glover) and a very forthright music teacher (Victoria Clark). The show attempts to link the oppression faced by Sousatzka in Nazi occupied Warsaw and the oppression faced by those living under Apartheid in South Africa, in particular, Soweto. This glorious theme of unity is undermined by the production's own ignorance. How could they be so blind to their offensive portrayal of Soweto, and South Africa. When they chose to include projections of the savanna, did no one investigate the fact that Soweto is an urban setting, not grassland? When the script made fun of someone's name did they not realize that such cheap jokes would not be welcome in 2017, especially when the lead character has a name like Sousatzka? When they were choreographing the dances, did they not think to hire someone who could manifest on stage the high energy and distinctive forms of South African dance? With the Warsaw elements being fully and beautifully realized, the shoddy Soweto section makes songs such as "Rainbow Nation" absurd.

Jordan Barrow photo by Cylla von Tiedemann

Overall, the songs, music and dance in Sousatzka are the weakest I have ever seen in a major commercial production. At one time, the music coming from the pit reminded me of my junior high music class on a bad day. I felt sorry for the orchestra having to play such juvenile compositions. I also felt sorry for the actors. No fault can be placed upon Tony winner Clark (The Light in the Piazza, Gigi), Tony nominee Glover (Memphis, Les Miserables) and Tony winner Judy Kaye (The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked), whose resplendent voices had no matching lyrics to showcase their immense talents. The weak balletic moves I saw on stage would have had the students from the National Ballet School laughing out loud; the punk rock music scene had lots of plaid but the dancing was underwhelming, lacking the inherent hardcore physicality and simmering violence of that music scene.

I can't help but think that the ovation the show received on opening night was a an acknowledgement of the actors having to perform in such dreck.

Sousatzka is a pre-Broadway production that, in my opinion, isn't ready for any stage. If it should go to Broadway in its current state, the critics will have a most delightful time crafting their scathing reviews and they will be justified.

If you must:

Sousatzka (until April 9th)

Elgin Theatre
189 Yonge Street
http://sousatzkamusical.com/

Director John Shooter on Radiant Vermin

Note: Apologies to all for this late interview post. I was blindsided by a horrible cold that sapped my energy and  concentration.

donna g: Radiant Vermin makes the second time that Precisely Peter Productions is presenting a play by Philip Ridley. Was this always the intent, or were you spurred on by the success of Pitchfork Disney?

John Shooter: Philip Ridley is one of my favourite playwrights. I love his imagery, his sneaky twists and turns and the fact that, even his darkest, most gruesome plays are laced with black humour! I intend to do a trilogy of his plays.

donna g: Plans with your first venue fell through. Once you got past the panic, how did you deal with the resulting challenges?

John Shooter: I intended to stage Radiant Vermin in Double Double Land. However, following the fire (of a DIY creative venue) in LA (which killed 36 people), many such venues around the world have now been under strict inspection and have been forced to close. Even if they do in fact comply with health and safety rules. Unfortunately, Double Double Land is one such venue and we only found out three days before we were due to start rehearsing. The DDL guys are really great though and are working hard to get their venue reopened as soon as possible. I loved working with them and hope to go back there in the future.

I had to find a new venue extremely quickly and managed to find Dirty Talk, run by music producer James Beare. It's an amazing venue and James has been phenomenal in allowing us to utilise the space in any way we wanted. We couldn't have wished for anything better. I'd also love to bring another show back here. Of course, moving venues means rethinking the show in some ways. Entrances and exits are very different in both venues but, due to the understanding and generosity of the cast and designers, the change was as smooth as could be!

donna g: You've only been in Toronto a handful of years yet you've managed to create theatre in established spaces as well as the historic Campbell House and even hip corners of Kensington Market. Nothing seems to hold you back. What keeps you going?

Marium Carvell

John Shooter: What really keeps me going is the fact that l have met and worked with such extraordinarily talented people. I often work with people l had never met before starting a show and they are always so kind and generous and take a chance on me. I finish each show on a high and am sad that our time together is over. But, l store the memories and believe that we'll work together again. If this wasn't the case, l doubt l'd have the enthusiasm to continue. They inspire me and so do the plays, of course.

donna g: Radiant Vermin has been getting positive reviews since its Opening Night. Are there any chances of an extended run, or are you already thinking of your next project?

Julie Tepperman & Jonas Widdifield

John Shooter: Radiant Vermin is a magnificent play but it has been so challenging to pull off and do it justice. But in the hands of these wonderful actors and designers, l think they did it. They are superb. This play has a certain rhythm to it and asks to be performed at breakneck speed with boundless energy. There is no fancy set, lighting or sound and so relies primarily on the skill of the actors to bring the story alive. There's nowhere for them to hide. This is a great achievement on their part. I'm not entirely sure what my next project will be. I have several ideas though and so l hope you'll watch out for us. Regarding an extension, that would be great but these pigeons need to rest. They've put out everything into this show and never faltered.

Radiant Vermin
A Precisely Peter Production
Until March 19th
Dirty Talk
167 Augusta Avenue (just north of Dundas)
Kensington Market
facebook.com/PreciselyPeterProductions