If you’re a fan of Shakespeare — and particularly if you are not — you may be compelled by the latest offering at The Citadel.
Goblin: Macbeth, part of the theatre’s Highwire series, ponders what happens when a trio of goblins decides to produce Macbeth. Why goblins, you might ask?
“Why not?” says Calgary-born Rebecca Northan, co-creator and director of the show, which runs from Jan. 11 to Feb. 2 in the Rice. “It tickles our fancy.”
The show — which has been selling out everywhere it plays — is produced by Spontaneous Theatre, the folks who brought you the improv-heavy productions Blind Date and Undercover (both of which appeared at The Citadel). Northan and longtime collaborator Bruce Horak have rooted their considerable reputation for humour and whimsy in their values as artists “to pursue our joy and our wonder.” So far, it’s working rather well.
When the audience arrives for the performance, they will find Northan, Horak and their accomplice, Ellis Lalonde, wandering the lobby wearing black costumes and pointy, bewitching masks that hide their identity. As goblins (loosely defined as otherworldly creatures known to get up to mischief) they are mystified by the human beings inhabiting the theatre space, and are even more puzzled by the concept of live theatre. Why is everybody pretending?
“They have read Macbeth cover-to-cover and are blown away by this Shakespeare guy who seems to know a lot about fairies and witches and magic. ‘Maybe we should give him a chance, maybe we’re not so different after all?’” says Northan, trying her darndest to explain the comic concept. “They are trying to wrap their heads around humans but ultimately they are very confused.”
The actors perform an abridged version of Macbeth, with Horak and Northan in multiple roles. The show, which began its life in Calgary in 2022 and has since played from Vancouver to Stratford to Toronto, is described as “interactive.” But unlike Blind Date or Undercover, no one from the audience goes up on stage. Heckling is encouraged.
The show’s wild popularity is a puzzle to Northan, who wishes she could replicate the phenomenon.
“As makers of theatre, we’re desperate to figure out why so we can do it again. But we have no way of answering that. That keeps me up at night and makes me want to chew my own arm off…Sometimes it’s just the right place, and the right idea and that can be completely by accident.”
Shadow Theatre presents Bea
Bea, Shadow Theatre’s latest production, is the perfect fit for the Shadow audience, according to the show’s director.
Running Jan. 22 to Feb. 9 at the Varscona, Bea deals with “all the hard and sticky things that come with being a human,” says Amanda Goldberg.
The hard and sticky bit about Bea (played by Kristin Unruh) is that, at 26, she no longer wants to live with her chronic, debilitating disease. Set in 2010 (before medical assistance in dying was legal in Canada) and written by Irish playwright Mick Gordon, the narrative puts Bea’s mother Mrs. James (Kate Newby) and her caregiver Rae (Michael Watt) in a difficult situation with her requests.
While MAID is accessible today, at least in Canada, Goldberg — the artistic director of SkirtsAfire Festival — says there are still gut-wrenching emotional issues for sick people and their loved ones. Mothers must imagine losing their children. Caregivers feel responsible for the person they care for.
“I still felt the play was incredibly relevant, not really because of the conversation about MAID, but because of the theme of compassion and empathy, with the characters having or not having for each other,” says Goldberg, who chose the play for Shadow when she was an artistic fellow during its 2022/23 season. “That was my attraction to it.”
I’ve read the play, and despite its difficult subject matter, it has an appealing lightness. The audience sees Bea before her illness, when she was a clever and playful girl. Her relationship with Rae is also a source of delight; their banter is both humorous and heartening.
“When I am asked to describe the theme of the play, it’s about unconditional love or undiscovered limits of passion. We all want to believe we’d do anything for the person we love, but I do believe that’s naïve. Everyone has boundaries when it comes to their ability to care for someone,” says Goldberg.
Angry Alan at Northern Light Theatre
Many people know an Angry Alan — the eponymous character that forms the backstory for Northern Light Theatre’s new show, running Jan. 24 to Feb. 8 at Studio Theatre (inside Fringe Theatre Adventures 10330 84 Ave.) A men’s rights activist, Angry Alan is upset that his tenure as a privileged white male has come to an end, at least as he sees it.
But when a struggling father named Roger takes Angry Alan’s claims as gospel and sets out to attend a weekend workshop, he finds himself at the centre of an emotional hurricane that upends his already precarious existence.
Cody Porter plays Roger in the one-act directed by Trevor Schmidt. It’s a meaty role.
“There’s a lot to unpack,” says Porter, who may be familiar to audiences from recent appearances at the Fringe and the Freewill Shakespeare Festival. “In doing research for this role, there is a lot to think about in terms of what this person represents in our current climate and how easy it is to get lured into certain divisive thought patterns and beliefs and behaviours.”
Porter says it would be easy to play Roger as a caricature and to send up his frankly nutty perspective.
“But that’s not what makes this thing effective. I know so many of these guys and I don’t honestly think they are bad people,” he says.
The “proxy villain in every story,” the angry white man can be seen as disaffected, and frightened of being left behind. Porter also digs into the role’s comical elements, and the play by British playwright Penelope Skinner is peppered with them. You can’t help but laugh as Roger lurches from one disaster to the next. Porter hopes he’ll be able to leave people feeling empathy for Roger.
“Because we are so divided, any attempt to put out an olive branch to understand another perspective has the potential for healing those divisions. My hope for (this play) is that people have more compassion for each other and understand that we’re all going through stuff.”