Saint Joan

Uptown Magazine

B+

A Haunting and Poignant Portrayal

George Bernard Shaw's fascinating take on the life of Joan of Arc is in capable hands at Theatre by the River. The young theatre company, along with veteran director Debbie Patterson, brings heartfelt vigor and joy to this production, and the enthusiasm is infectious.

With much the same zeal as Joan herself, the cast of Saint Joan embraces its roles with fervour. Following the events leading from Joan's appearance at the Castle of Vaucouleurs, where she convinces the oh-so-skeptical military captain Robert de Baudricourt of her quest to lead the French to victory over the English invaders and to crown the Dauphin king, to her death (and a bit beyond), Saint Joan is an appealing, although sometimes slow-going, work.

As Joan, Mel Marginet wonderfully embodies the bright-eyed single-mindedness of a young girl on a mission from God. Marginet's Joan is an earthy, infectiously likable creature whose certainty makes her impossible to refuse. Her strong performance is a delight to behold.

Although this is a very serious tale, including Shaw's exploration of nationalism, and religious and political intolerance, the cast and director allow plenty of room for humour. Brent Hirose's Dauphin (Charles VII) is a comically pathetic and spineless ruler, and Luke Friesen offers some fine physically comedic turns as a steward and page.

All in all, the wonderfully costumed cast is up-to-task, especially for the lighter side of the work. But when the text focuses on the political or religious maneuverings behind Joan's back, the work starts to drag. And with a running time of two-and-a-half hours, this Saint Joan would be improved by a stronger take on these scenes. The actors don't quite hold the audience's attention as intently as they should and the production loses some of its steam.

- Barb Stewart

Billy Bishop Goes to War

The Uniter

4/5 Stars

A Haunting and Poignant Portrayal

For another week and a half, local history buffs and avid theatre-goers alike can enjoy the opportunity to see one of Canada's landmark plays performed at Ellice Cafe and Theatre.

Billy Bishop Goes to War tells the World War I flying ace's story as he enlists, goes overseas to fight and eventually returns home.

Likely Canada's greatest hero of the Great War, Billy Bishop was matchless in the skies. He was decorated with medals and served as an inspiration to all on the side of the allies. His journey was one of incredible triumph, of overcoming countless odds and crushing adversity, albeit not without its share of controversy.

His legend continues to live on through the play, and so it is fitting that the show runs through Remembrance Day. Some part satire, some part realism, and completely tragic, the tale of Billy Bishop shouldn't be forgotten anytime soon.

Featuring Brent Hirose as the lead and 17 other characters, Billy Bishop Goes to War is an astounding one-man show sure to have a successful run. Hirose and pianist Patrick Keenan make a remarkable team on stage.

Presented by Theatre by the River, the play's opening performance was an absolute smash. From the soliloquies, to the music and vocals, and even the lighting, everything was brilliantly spot-on.

Hardly a minute into the opening number, I already had goose bumps. Hirose's portrayal of Bishop is haunting and poignant, which is to say nothing of his excellent abilities to master multiple characters. Everything about the play did justice to its weighted history.

Take a classic work of Canadian drama, drawn upon the experiences of one prodigious Canadian war hero, and put it together with the extraordinary talents of Hirose and others, and it all makes for one exceptional theatre-going experience. Billy Bishop Goes to War is undoubtedly a must-see for the Winnipeg theatre community this fall.

- Jennifer Pawluk The Uniter (Nov 6, 2008)

CBC Radio

(Highlights From Joff Schmidt's segment on Information Radio)

"very timely... a canadian theatrical gem... brent hirose does a fine job as billy bishop and all the other parts, here he's accompanied by Patrick Keenan a local musician who is wonderful... a really rare treat... I'd highly recommend it"

The Bush Ladies

Winnipeg Free Press Review

4/5 Stars

When 19th-century authors Susannah Moodie, Catharine Parr Traill, Anne Langton and Anna Jameson made their way into the wilds of Canada, they left behind a wealth of writings documenting their struggles in the untamed country. The Bush Ladies takes these words and turns them into invigorating, and educational, theatre.

This is nothing like a high school history skit. Thanks to top-notch production and an experienced cast and crew, The Bush Ladies expertly connects contemporary Canadians to our pioneering past. The period costumes are magnificent, and the four actors' strong chemistry shines as they handle a complex script. Lisa Nelson is especially confident as Moodie, while gorgeous Megan Herkert brings a fresh spunkiness to Parr Traill.

One small quibble: while the material is well-edited and usually brisk, some of the closing scenes feel parenthetical, and the 90-minute run time might benefit from some judicious trims. But this is a small stumble in a very strong play.

--Melissa Martin

CBC Winnipeg Fringe Review

4/5 Spades

Forget about the History Channel. If you want to see history come alive, make the trek to The Bush-Ladies. Four outstanding performers take you deep into the Canadian backwoods of the 1830s, to experience the heartache and humor of settler life. This is about as much fun as you can have roughing it in the bush.

The full title is The Bush-Ladies In Their Own Words, as playwright Molly Thom has mined the journals, letters and books of four women: Susannah Moodie, her sister Catherine Parr Traill, and their contemporaries Anne Langton and Anna Jameson. All were middle-class Brits who found themselves swept in the tide of immigrants "rich in hope, poor in fortune" seeking a better life in Canada. Of course their expectations ("freedom from taxation!") didn't quite match the bewildering reality ("blackflies and odious Yankee squatters!").

You've got to admire them for sticking it out in the face of domestic disasters from burnt bread to deadly fever. "Matters are never so bad but they may be worse," says steadfast Susannah. The Bush-Ladies have a way of putting our modern inconveniences into perspective. And they're a startling reminder of just how much this country has changed in less than 200 years. This is an entertaining and empathetic history lesson, well worth the $8 admission.

Reviewed by: Iris Yudai, CBC

Uptown Magazine Fringe Review

B+

If any of the real-life women portrayed in The Bush Ladies heard our modern day grumblings about bad cell phone plans, high gas prices and long lines at Tim Hortons, they would have every right to call us crybabies. Playwright Molly Thom uses the journals four English immigrants kept during their years spent in the harsh Ontario wilderness in the 1830s to show us how far our country has progressed. The play may have the content of a Canadian Heritage commercial, but the performances are so good that you won't even realize you're learning. With so much complaining by the women - they endured illness, hard work, and little rest, among other tribulations - the show does drag at times, but it's inspiring to know they helped create the great country we live in today.

- Amanda Stefaniuk

Oedipus Rex

Uptown Magazine (October 18, 2007)

'Wait... he marries his mom?'

Theatre by the River takes on an ambitious classic - and gives it a modern twist

By Barb Stewart

B+

Theatre by the River's current version of Sophocles' classic work about all things ick-inducing (murdering the father, marrying the mother, blinding oneself as a result) finds the audience, as the citizens of Thebes, gathered to plea for relief from the plague destroying the city.

Housed in the Augustine United Church, this version of the play finds Oedipus as a white-suited, charismatic Christian sort of fellow, blithe and quick to condemn, fleeing the prophecies which foretell his disturbing downfall.

In this updated Oedipus Rex, the traditional Greek chorus is transformed into a choir. The choirmaster leads the group in hymns reflecting the emotional tone and plot of the play, instead of the customary lines spoken by a chorus. This feature works, especially since the choir features a fine assortment of gifted singers. Although some of the hymns seem more appropriate to the tone than others, they do offer a fitting end to the play, with the chorus offering comfort to Antigone and Ismene, Oedipus' daughters, as they file off the "stage" in sorrow.

The updated setting - to a church, in what is ostensibly our day and age - is a matter which, according to director Matthew TenBruggencate's program note, nods to the saint/sinner dichotomy of Evangelical religion and the politics that spring from it.

The effect of this is uneven as the story itself is so entrenched in its own time, attempts to modernize it are difficult, but the effort is admirable. At times it seems odd to see people in modern dress speaking Sophocles' words but, for the most part, the cast is able to transcend this schism and make it work.

The performances by all involved are solid, with Derek Leenhouts giving a strong turn as Oedipus, Lisa Nelson a lively presentation of his wife, Jocasta, and James Firby admirably keeping pace with multiple roles. The chorus members offer their own emotional quality to the play - instead of staying distant from the proceedings, the rippling effect of the tragedy actually shows on their faces.

The plight of Oedipus and his inability to break the chains of his foretold future is not as easily believable today as it would have been in times when prophecies reigned supreme. But Theatre by the River's valiant attempt to fuse the age-old with the modern with respect to today's fundamentalism - both religious and political - is an important artistic statement. Sophocles Update Makes Play's Scandal Relatable Winnipeg Free Press, October 9, 2007 By Kevin Prokosh WHILE reading the 2,400-year-old Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex, Matthew TenBruggencate was struck by how the king's downfall paralleled the spectacular public humiliations of televangelists like Jimmy Swaggart in the late '80s.

"Oedipus is a man who doesn't know himself and projects an image of being angelic and infallible," says TenBruggencate, who is directing the Theatre by the River production opening tonight at Augustine United Church on River Avenue.

"It made me think of religious leaders like Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker and Ted Haggard, who denied they were capable of making mistakes. Then it's revealed they do have a dark side. It's tragic because there is good in them, as well as horrible hypocrisy and corruption."

The names of fallen television preachers are always marketing godsends, so TenBruggencate reset the Sophocles classic circa 1988 as a more welcoming entry point to his 90-minute version of Oedipus Rex.

"It will be easier for an audience to grasp the moral of the play given its more familiar context," says Theatre by the River's 24-year-old co-artistic director. "People are more familiar with the image of the religious leader and his sins than a despot political ruler."

Modernizing the context also makes Oedipus Rex easier to market to those who are phobic of Greek theatre. TenBruggencate started with a updated translation from the 1956 Stratford Festival production and then cut all the names of the confusing mythological characters.

"I've certainly encountered the fear of the language and the mythological references," he says.

Around 420 BC, Sophocles introduced Oedipus Rex, a play about a king of Thebes. The Greek town was beset by a plague and Oedipus was urged to find out why. He found out the gods were angry over the unsolved death of the previous king. Oedipus, who will be played by local actor Derek Leenhouts, ultimately discovers he murdered his father and married his mother.

TenBruggencate was raised in a deeply evangelical Protestant home and remembers watching Swaggart's sobbing confession speech in front of a congregation of 7,000. He had been one of the most righteous and successful televangelists before he was discovered consorting with a prostitute.

"There are parts in the play where Oedipus goes through the same exposure and self-discovery," says the University of Winnipeg graduate. "So I thought most strongly of Swaggart."

It appears modern society is just as interested in the downfall of its icons as in their creation, TenBruggencate says. A whole scandal industry has sprung up around troubled pop-culture figures such as Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan.

"It's reassuring for some people to know there are no heroes," says the actor, who is appearing in the upcoming WJT production of Talk. "We need them, but there is a continuous cycle of hope and disillusionment."

Two-year-old Theatre by the River is also baptizing the Osborne Village church by staging Oedipus Rex on the altar space for the first time.

"For the Greeks, of course, plays were part of a religious festival," says TenBruggencate. "There was a strong association between putting on a play and honouring the gods. A church is a perfect place to do this."

Two Gentlemen of Verona

Uptown Magazine (Thursday, August 16, 2007)

All the world's a stage

by Jen Zoratti

Most theatre companies, especially those which finished a successful Fringe show at the end of July, are more than content to take August off.

But Theatre by the River isn't most theatre companies.

Although the local troupe just wrapped its run of History of Theatre at the Fringe Fest less than a month ago, Theatre by the River continues its second season full-tilt with a production of Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona.

Equally ambitious is their choice of play. Since most people are aware of Shakespeare thanks to Hollywood remakes, high school English classes and pop culture references (usually about high school English classes), company founder/artistic director Mel Marginet - who's also playing Julia in this production - says TBTR wanted to tackle a Shakespearean work that would challenge both actor and audience (i.e.: not Romeo & Juliet).

"It's one that's essentially never done," Marginet explains. "It's a problem play in that it ends on an unsettling note. It's not really a comedy or a tragedy. It's not like Romeo & Juliet, which has a very clear tone. I think that's why it's not normally done.

"We were looking for something different to do, too," she continues. "We wanted to try something more challenging. Last year, just doing it was challenging."

The challenges were more logistical than creative when Theatre by the River made its debut on the Winnipeg scene with Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors last year, and there are always struggles that come with being a fledgling troupe. While Marginet, 24, and co-founder/co-artistic director Matthew TenBruggencate are both University of Winnipeg theatre alumni with impressive resumés, they found it a challenge to launch a company and perform in a show at the same time.

"I don't think I ate for a week before we opened last year," she laughs. "Matt and I took on a lot of the burden, which, looking back, we shouldn't have. This year we have stage managers for every show and it's just more organized."

One thing that ended up not being an issue for TBTR last year was money. The troupe's shows are 'admission by donation,' which might sound insane to some but which works fairly well.

"That's one of the things that really sets us apart," Marginet says. "Last year we found that we made just as much through donation as we would if we charged admission - about eight dollars per person."

Because of Theatre by the River's walk-up factor, Marginet says that one of the company's main goals can regularly be met. Their aim is to make theatre accessible to everyone - even if they're doing one of the Bard of Avon's more challenging works.

"We're very interested in creating a broader audience for theatre in general," Marginet says. "We'd have two kids stroll up with their ice cream cones and two punk teenagers with red mohawks and seniors, too. This isn't meant to be hoity-toity, tea-party stuff - it's meant to open people up to the experience."

Winnipeg Free Press (Wednesday, August 15, 2007)

Assiniboine Park again set for Shakespeare's 'problem' play

by Morley Walker

THINK of it as the feminist version of The Merchant of Venice.

The early Shakespeare comedy The Two Gentleman of Verona is seldom performed, and many believe the concluding rape scene is the culprit.

"It's one of Shakespeare's problem plays," says actress Mel Marginet, who plays Julia in Theatre by the River's production being staged through Aug. 26 in Assiniboine Park.

"We had to work it out scene by scene to see what Shakespeare was doing."

The company's verdict?

"The title is ironic," says Marginet, 24, a recent University of Winnipeg theatre grad and a founding member of the two-year-old troupe.

"They're not gentleman at all. They're more like boys being boys."

Two Gentleman is being presented outdoors by the cricket pavilion at the park's south end. The production, which was slated to open last night, starts at 7 nightly through Aug. 26. (There is no show Aug. 20).

Admission is by donation. About 50 chairs are being provided, but audience members can bring their own lawn chairs or sit on blankets.

Theatre by the River debuted in Assiniboine Park last summer with Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors, which played to an estimated 1,200 people.

The company also did kids' plays at this year's and last year's fringe festival.

Composed largely of U of W theatre grads in their 20s, the troupe has just scored its first project grant from the Winnipeg Arts Council.

They received $15,000 toward their October production of the Sophocles tragedy Oedipus Rex at the Augustine United Church in Osborne Village.

Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, considered anti-Semitic by many experts, was staged in June in the Assiniboine Park Conservatory by Shakespeare in the Ruins.

Marginet says her company is not trying to invade SIR's territory. Their mandate is broader -- contemporary plays, classics and kids' plays. In fact, SIR lent them their chairs for Two Gentleman.

"They're being very generous," Marginet says. "They remember what it was like to be young and poor."

Comedy of Errors

Winnipeg Free Press (Thursday, August 17, 2006)

Shakespeare troupe opts for snappy debut

By Kevin Prokosh

The Comedy of Errors is believed to be William Shakespeare's first comedy, a knockabout bit of slapstick from the Bard's apprentice years.

For a young band of twenty-something apprentice actors - all University of Winnipeg recent graduates or current senior students - starting out with one of plays Shakespeare started out with seemed a perfect fit for its inaugural summer. Theatre by the River makes its official debut al fresco at 7 tonight with a performance of Shakespeare's shortest and snappiest play in Assiniboine Park.

"You can definitely see a young writer at work," says director Matthew TenBruggencate who also serves as co-artistic director of the fledgling troupe with partner Mel Marginet. "When he was starting out, the plays were still pretty basic. He was still doing the broad comedy that was bringing the crowds out then."

Like many novice dramatists who find it easier to adapt an established plot line for his farce from the Roman playwright Plautus' (254-184 BC) script Manaechmi. In turn, Stephen Sondheim fashioned A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum from the same material, as did Rodger and Hart with The Boys From Syracuse.

The theatrical fun centres around two sets of twin brothers who are separated at birth and 20 years later end up in the same town where their friends, family and lovers repeatedly mistake one for the other. The classic set-up sets the stage for some vintage comic gags that seem not to have gone out of style through the centuries of sitcoms.

"I watched Road to Morocco, The Bing Crosby - Bob Hope road movie, while I was reading the play and was struck by the similarities of the characters on a journey," says TenBruggencate, who graduated last spring from U of W's honours theatre program. "These two guys show up in this foreign town on the way home and encounter all this trouble.

"So we set it in the 1920's with a vaudeville style. I found out that the Royal Shakespeare Company has also set it in the ?20s. After seeing this idea had establishment approval, I felt more comfortable going ahead."

Amidst the 90 minutes of tomfoolery, Shakespeare attempts to examine the serious idea of two selves made whole. TenBruggencate, 23, says he as created a central image in a scene where all the characters as well as pieces of the set are running in circles, never quite catching each other.

"It's like our lives, running in circles, trying to find ourselves," he says.

With The Comedy of Errors, the 13 cast members are also trying to find themselves as full-time actors in this non-Equity production. They are creating their own work and while they are presenting a free show, they will be passing the hat for donations. Nobody is being paid. All the money will go to a future production, probably to be stage next summer.

Although Theatre by the River bowed with the well-received kid' folk tale The Elfin Knight last month at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, the troupe purposely opted to perform a bawdy Bard laughter outdoors as an introductory presentation.

"We want to create accessible theatre," says Marginet, 23, who plays Dromio, the servant of Antipholus. "Performing in the park allows us to tap into an audience that normally wouldn't go. There's always a crowd when you do Shakespeare. We chose that location so the foot traffic going by will see a play going on and come and sit down."

The Elfin Knight

Winnipeg Free Press

4 stars

By Wendy Burke

Bogles and Sprites and Elves, oh my! When Katherine accidentally stumbles into the realm of Faery, she encounters an Elfin Queen, a Changeling and a handsome Elfin Knight in this fringe festival answer to Lord of the Rings and A Midsummer Night's Dream. With the help of the crush-inspiring Elfin Knight Tamlyn (Iam Mikita), she tries to find her way back home while avoiding the wrath of the gleefully evil Elfin Queen (Laura Lussier).

Jacquie Loewen and Brent Hirose are an especially hilarious pair of incompetent sprites attempting to do the queen's bidding. The entire eight-member Winnipeg cast really shines, but they should all slow their delivery just a tad. Accents are always a fun way to add dimension to a character, but they can be a bit difficult for young ears to follow.

The set made up of trees, flowers and polka-dot mushrooms, and some really lovely costumes add to the magical atmosphere of this 50-minute comedic enchantment for kids. Winnipeg's Theatre by the River has a rosy future as a troupe. ****

CBC On-line (July 23)

4 Stars

By Sara Tate

You just know that a children's play featuring swordplay, smoking mushrooms and a wisecracking 800-year old changeling is gonna rock -- and the fairy tale The Elfin Knight doesn't disappoint.

Our plucky young heroine is Katherine, who lives in a Cape Breton forest full of mischievous elves and sprites (one of them even steals her mother's power of speech). When Katherine gets lost in the Kingdom of Darkness one day, the Elfin Queen forces her to perform "three brave or clever tasks" if she wants to get out -- and Katherine then proceeds to outwit and outplay various creatures of the forest.

This play truly captures the magic of a good fairy tale, from the whimsical set (moss-covered tree stumps and colourful mushrooms), to the Celtic music and dancing, to the impish actions of the giggling, whistling elves. There are some clever staging techniques involving the aforementioned changeling, who everyone thinks is a 6-month-old baby named Alistair until he starts pulling some Exorcist-like moves.

Highly recommended for kids aged 8-13. ****