This Festival marked the final adjudication by Ron Cameron-Lewis. The affection held for him by community theatre practitioners across Ontario was amply demonstrated by a lengthy and loud standing ovation after his on-stage public adjudication last night.
33 Variations
Written by Moises Kaufman
Directed by Henri Canino
Presented by Theatre Sarnia
My regular readers will recall that I reviewed this production in detail after seeing it in Sarnia last month. You can read that review here:
At this time, then, I do not need to write a full-throttle review which would just retread old ground. However, there are a few changes worth mentioning, and my reactions to seeing the show a second time.
Because the stage in Woodstock is much lower in height, the screens which carried the various projected backdrops had to be hung much lower. Certainly it didn't interfere with their important role in the show.
Unfortunately, the original pianist (Dan Sonier) was unable to participate in the remount of the production. His replacement, Cy Giacomin, also did splendid work in bringing isolated bits and pieces of the diabolical Diabelli Variations to life. A bit tentative at first, he definitely hit his stride by the amazing scene where he plays the culminating fugue as Beethoven talks through his process of composing this extraordinary movement.
I had mentioned the questionable use of a Gloria in excelsis which was not the version from the Missa Solemnis. (It matters, because publisher Diabelli is actually looking at the score of the Missa Solemnis as that music is played on the sound system.) This had been corrected, and the rip-roaring opening of the Gloria definitely gave Diabelli (Ralph D'Alessandro) a stronger motivation for the look of astounded joy which slowly spread over his expressive face.
During that intensely moving scene where the assorted characters start singing the Kyrie eleison from the Missa Solemnis, was the piano playing before? I couldn't remember, but I suspect it was as the underpinning gave security to the singers -- and certainly, the music is to be sung accompanied.
The first act proceeded much the same as before. In the second act, I sensed a definite heightening of intensity on the part of all the performers, an even greater immediacy and urgency. Not a huge difference, but a notable one.
It was a matter of extra "edge" in key moments like the one where Katherine (Audrey Hummelen) says to Gertie (Andrea Hughes Coleman), "You're not a friend! You're a kind acquaintance." Gertie's proud, wounded exit brought tears to my eyes.
Moments earlier, Clara (Claire Ross) finds out what her mother's dying wishes are -- the wrong way. Her succeeding speech is written as a series of questions, and Ross quite naturally asks them with each question finishing on an upturn. In this particular moment, I think the power would be heightened if she ignored the question marks and hammered her questions home as statements, without the upturn.
Another moment that had me in tears came when Clara slowly -- more slowly than last time? -- pulled her mother's arm around her in the final scenes. This action came slowly, but naturally and tenderly, and that one moment of mother-daughter closeness had incredible intensity.
The strengths I discussed before were all still there, and the performance as a whole definitely has gained power with additional work.
I think that some of this year's awards are already bespoken.
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