Review: People, Places & Things (NYC)
iPhoto caption: People, Places & Things. Photo by Teddy Wolff
People, Places & Things
The National Theatre/Headlong Production
Written by Duncan MacMillan. Directed by Jeremy Herrin. At St. Ann’s Warehouse (NYC). Runs until December 3.
When Emma has a major crisis while onstage playing Nina in The Seagull—missing lines, unsteady on her feet, and uncertain where she is—it’s time for her to check herself into rehab. She snorts one last line of coke off the desk in the reception, thinking that all she needs to do is detox and then she can leave. The medical staff and people in her support group have other plans. She has to face her demons, be honest with herself, and understand why she turned to drugs and alcohol.
Playwright Duncan MacMillan has such a gift for storytelling. (His terrific play Lungs was at Tarragon a few years ago.) In People, Places & Things, he meticulously shows us the slow rise and the complete crash of a drug addict and alcoholic. It’s a careful examination of the culture of addiction and how addicts turn to the same tricks and lies to fool people who love and support them. MacMillan does not give us a neat, satisfying ending. Rather, it’s one that is true and believable.
Jeremy Herrin directs this with swift efficiency. The pace never lets up. The star, of course, is Denise Gough as Emma, who won an Olivier Award for this performance when it played the National Theatre in London. She is mesmerizing. From the hollow, ragged face and the glassy-eyed stare, to the constant unsteadiness on her feet and the fluctuation between regret, sadness, confessional sorrow, and lying, you are taken on a rollercoaster ride of gut-wrenching emotion. And it’s thrilling.
For tickets or more information, click here.
Lynn Slotkin
Lynn is the former theatre critic for Intermission, and currently writes reviews on her blog The Slotkin Letter. She also does theatre reviews, interviews, and commentary for CIUT Friday Morning (89.5 FM). She was a theatre reviewer for CBC's Here and Now for ten years. On average, she sees 280 shows a year.
LEARN MORE
iPhoto caption: Photographed productions from L to R, top to bottom, with the photographer in brackets: seven methods of killing kylie jenner (Dahlia Katz), Big Stuff (Dahlia Katz), De Profundis (Dahlia Katz), Goblin:Macbeth (Jae Yang), Salesman in China (David Hou), Dana H. (John Lauener), Earworm (Dahlia Katz), Age Is a Feeling (Dahlia Katz), Honey I’m Home (Eden Graham).
Our favourite theatre productions of 2024, in Toronto and beyond
End-of-year lists are personal. When it comes to theatre, the question isn’t really what shows you liked most, but which ones left the strongest imprint, continuing to pinball around in your mind and heart even after the set is gone and the cast no longer recalls their lines.
iPhoto caption: A Christmas Story production still by Dahlia Katz.
REVIEW: A Christmas Story feels fresh at Theatre Aquarius
If you want to catch A Christmas Story before it closes, good luck — the show is close to sold out, and with the talent on that stage, it’s not hard to see why.
iPhoto caption: Photo by Danelle Jane Tran.
REVIEW: Yes, Holiday! An Improvised Musical really is different every night
Putting aside its opening number and a single proper noun, every word of Bad Dog Theatre’s Dora Award-nominated Holiday! An Improvised Musical has the potential to change from performance to performance.
iPhoto caption: Photo by Dahlia Katz.
REVIEW: Canadian Stage revives the Ross Petty panto with pop songs, puns, and a pinch of Ozdust
Making a case for the panto’s return, The Wizard of Oz is full of local references and charm, and perhaps even some surprise guests to fill audiences with hometown pride.
iPhoto caption: Photo by Marie-Andree Lemire.
REVIEW: Titaníque loves Céline Dion with all its heart
Content quibbles aside, Titaníque’s inarguable accomplishment is musical: What an amazing showcase for a Canadian cast’s vocal chops and capacity to deliver character through song.
iPhoto caption: Photo by Ben Laird.
REVIEW: Twelve Days brings Christmas joy to lunchtime in Calgary
Watching Twelve Days is reminiscent of opening up the door to a chocolate advent calendar: yes, you know what you’re gonna get, but heck if you don’t enjoy every second of it.
iPhoto caption: Marcel Stewart, Dan Mousseau, Christef Desir, Alex Bulmer, Shakura Dickson in The Story. Photo by Neil Silcox
It was frigid the night I saw the production, and when you are freezing and can’t feel your fingers or toes, time-wasting shenanigans wear thin.
iPhoto caption: Lena Maripuu, Graham Conway, and Peter Pan ensemble. Photo by Nicholas Porteous
Joy to the world—the most inventive, lively, whimsical production of Peter Pan has arrived for the holidays!
iPhoto caption: Robyn Stevan in The Mess. Photo by Dahlia Katz
Co-creators Mikaela Davies and Polly Phokeev have devised a short, complex, layered story of how the mess a person creates can affect those around them.
iPhoto caption: Company in the Grand Theatre's production of A Christmas Carol. Photo by Claus Andersen
Reviews: A Christmas Carol (x2)
Reviews of two productions of A Christmas Carol—Ross Petty Productions and the Grand Theatre, in London, Ont.—that couldn’t be more different.
iPhoto caption: David Schurmann and Carly Street in Heisenberg. Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann
Of the three productions I’ve seen of Heisenberg—on Broadway in New York, the West End in London, and here in Toronto—this one is the best.
Comments