1979 - Finborough

[theatresellers]

Hoping to see this early January. By Canadian playwright Michael Healey. 1979 refers to the year Joe Clark was Prime Minister.  Very interesting, potentially risky choice, as very few in audience will likely have any personal experience or interest in a former short-lived Canadian Prime Minister. At the same time, it’s a satire that might resonate if people aren’t too bored by a “political play.” Healey wrote one of the most popular modern Canadian plays (the Drawer Boy).

Three actors are playing more than ten parts. In my view, that type of thing can help keep a play from getting boring. 

[bee]

Yes, I'm going to this. Like you suggest, I know nothing at all about the real story behind it but I like to support Finborough when I can. They've produced an odd range of stuff over the last year or so, most of which I've liked so I'll give this a shot.

[theatresellers]

I might be a partisan Canadian but I found this to be an extremely interesting and enjoyable play.

The Arts desk review said it was exactly what “fringe theatre” should be. I’m not sure if that’s referring to the play or the Finnborough theatre itself.

Finnborough has done four plays by this playwright Michael Healey. I hope they can get The Master Plan over here next. One Toronto-based opera/theatre reviewer judged it the best Toronto production of 2023 (https://operaramblings.blog/2023/12/31/best-of-2023/. )

[Dave B]

I liked this. The screen did too much of a text dump, especially at the start where you had to chose between reading it or listening to characters. Liked the guy playing the PM, he brought more to it than the bland nobody that everyone describes. Walked out wanting to read more and spent the train ride home on Wikipedia, so some measure of success. Just hits 3 stars for me.

[bee]

I thought this was marvellous. A brisk run through a short but important episode in Canadian history, really well played by a three person cast. Samantha Coughlan in particular was brilliant in a number of different roles. I suppose in a way the screens providing the background context were a bit of a cop out, it should be the playwrights job to include all of that within the text, but I suspect that would have led to a much longer, duller play.

4, maybe even 4.5 stars from me.

[Steve]

Just saw this, and thought it was superb, as funny as it is illuminating!

The projections of background facts tell you all you need to know about what's going on, and frankly, would be just as necessary for a young Canadian audience as for a London audience, as 1979 just isn't current for most people.

It's like a grown up, genuinely funny sitcom, albeit one without an annoying laugh track (the audience provide that), and the fact that it's basically a true story makes it a must-see, for me.

The only downside is that the last 15 minutes are a bit of a didactic downer, but not so much as to take the shine off an otherwise brilliant show.

Some spoilers follow. . .

This is basically Ted Lasso the Prime Minister, with a well-meaning, likeable, empathetic, principled, second tier politician somehow catapulted to the top, and struggling to survive with the sharks.

Joseph May is a perfect Ted Lasso (aka Joe Clark, the short-lived, surprise, Compassionate Conservative Canadian Prime Minister), evincing an amiable, out-of-his-depth, fish-out-of-water, down-to-earth decency that you can't help loving, as well as laughing at, as he comes into contact with snazzy, switched-on, rockstar politician, Liberal ex-PM, Pierre Trudeau (Justin's Dad), played with exhilarating exuberance by an infectiously punchy Ian Porter (who also plays other roles superbly, but to less effect).

Also hilarious is Samantha Coughlan as Clark's rockstar Wife, Maureen McTeer, too alpha to take his name (a fact politicians used against Clark), who outshines her husband in the charisma stakes lol.

Unfortunately, Coughlan also plays "Steve" (not me, lol, but rather a massively important political figure that will have significantly more resonance for Canadian audiences than us Brits), a character who shows up at the end to explain the meaning of the play, which is good, but also drains it of momentum, which is bad. For a moment, as Steve arduously elaborated a metaphor comparing Clark to a "bunny," I wished he would just break out into song, performing Urinetown's "Don't Be the Bunny," which would have been much funnier and equally to the point.

Anyhow, overall, I LOVED this production. It's really funny for the first hour, and it's really meaningful for the duration (and beyond). 4 stars from me.