REVIEW: The Waltz at Factory Theatre
He was a boy. She was a girl. Can I make it any more obvious?
Far from the fabled sk8er boi of Avril Lavigne’s early discography, this young gentleman is named Romeo, a freelance cotillion dance instructor and student on his way to UBC. Anthony Perpuse plays Romeo’s dorky earnestness with grace and wit, and before long, we’re firmly on his side.
And the girl, Bea, maybe isn’t so far off from Avril, a loner with a penchant for crossbow and illicit beers. In edgy Doc Martens, a band tee and haphazardly tied flannel, Bea exudes “cool” — one look and you know her music taste is better than yours. Ericka Leobrera is a natural in the role, sly and self-conscious, with a masterful sense of Bea’s insecurities.
Romeo and Bea, the not-couple situated at the apex of Marie Beath Badian’s sweet-as-can-be, Factory/Blyth Festival world premiere of The Waltz, have a few crucial things in common — a complicated relationship with their respective families, for one. A muddled sense of what it means to be a young Filipino person in Canada, for another. Plus, the two share a sublime teenage awkwardness, manifested in amusing grooming habits and blurted-out thoughts.
Set under the vast prairie skies of Saskatchewan, Badian’s rom-com oozes nostalgia and charm, a ‘90s tale of boy-meets-girl with substance and bite. The play is a sequel to Badian’s Prairie Nurse, which ran at Factory Theatre in 2018 — I lament not having seen it — but it succeeds as a stand-alone play, with lines and context sprinkled in to appeal to audience members who have seen both. Badian knows her way around a flirtationship, and her development of Romeo and Bea, both as a coupled unit and as individuals, is smart and subtle, blossoming into its fullest potential by the second half.
Nina Lee Aquino’s heartfelt direction amplifies Badian’s allusions to Filipino culture, joyfully illustrating customs like the “debut” for young women through the eyes of Romeo and Bea. For the most part, Aquino leaves the play to speak for itself, but some nuances brought to life in collaboration with set and costume designer Jackie Chau make The Waltz shimmer. Small jars surround the central playing space — a porch complete with swing — and create a mosaic of Canadian-Filipino hybridity. In the jars are small tokens of both cultures — flags, small toys, food — and while they’re never directly referenced in Aquino’s staging, they’re a constant reminder of the Filipino and Canadian traditions and experiences which collided to result in Romeo and Bea’s respective births.
Lights by Michelle Ramsay and sound by Lyon Smith further fleshes out Romeo and Bea’s chance meeting; Smith’s navigation of music in particular suggests a lovely reverence for the ‘90s soundscape Romeo and Bea both love. Andrea Mapili’s choreography — crucial in the play’s second half — feels natural in the bodies of Leobrera and Perpuse, and it’s just unsteady enough to feel authentic.
The Waltz is a sweet and simple story unbothered by anything more than its immediate circumstances. Here in the prairies, all that matters is these two Filipino-Canadian youngsters and a secret shared dance. Does Romeo have a long-distance girlfriend? Maybe. Will Romeo and Bea embark on a longer relationship? Who cares? Here, Badian and Aquino have endeavoured to create a single, perfect moment — and they have.
The Waltz runs at Factory Theatre through November 13. Tickets are available here.
Aisling Murphy
Aisling is Intermission's former senior editor and the theatre reporter for the Globe and Mail. She likes British playwright Sarah Kane, most songs by Taylor Swift, and her cats, Fig and June. She was a 2024 fellow at the National Critics Institute in Waterford, CT.
LEARN MORE
iPhoto caption: Photo by Marie-Andrée Lemire.
REVIEW: Cirque du Soleil’s family-friendly OVO spreads springtime glee like pollen on the breeze
OVO might not linger in the heart for long, but it’s a hell of a romp for the eyes.
iPhoto caption: Photo by Jeremy Mimnagh.
REVIEW: In Shedding a Skin at Buddies, a mistreated office worker screams back
Vanessa Sears’ remarkable performance guides the audience through the emotional journeys of two Black British women from different generations.
iPhoto caption: Photo by Michael Cooper.
REVIEW: William Kentridge’s visually extreme Wozzeck disorients at the COC
Instead of merely charting its title character’s fall, this Wozzeck aims to leave its audience in a similarly troubled state.
iPhoto caption: Photo by Elana Emer.
REVIEW: Coal Mine Theatre’s Job is terrifyingly evocative and layered with suspense
Playwright Max Wolf Friedlich unpacks tensions around age, gender, politics, race, and class, painting a truthful yet unflattering portrait of the world we live in today.
iPhoto caption: The cast of Flex. Photo by Elana Emer.
REVIEW: Flex delivers a stirring portrait of ambition, girlhood, and loyalty
The train is only as strong as its weakest link — and in Flex, every player on and offstage pulls with heart, grit, wit, and charm.
iPhoto caption: Pictured (L to R): Jake Epstein as Frank, Isabella Esler as Alice. Photo by Michael Cooper.
REVIEW: Britta Johnson’s Life After shimmers in large-scale Mirvish transfer
The show’s tender excavation of grief’s ambiguities hasn’t lost any power in its journey to a bigger house; in fact, it’s clearer than ever.
iPhoto caption: Photo by Aisling Murphy.
In the darkest months of Yukon winter, it’s all about the Sun Room
I’m here for a week in January as a guest of Nakai Theatre, a hub for theatrical experimentation and outside-the-box programming in Canada’s westernmost territory.
Armchairs, tattoos, and an online theatre magazine
When I started at Intermission, my world was limited to the confines of an armchair. Arts journalism was a high it felt dangerously fruitless to chase. The life stretched ahead of me was amorphous and frightening, a chasm filled with hand sanitizer and immigration concerns. It was worth crying over a spilled kombucha and scrubbing at the stain.
iPhoto caption: Liz Appel headshot courtesy of Liz Appel.
Five questions with Wights playwright Liz Appel
Intermission spoke with Appel over email for a brief Q&A about Wights, now playing at Crow’s Theatre until February 9.
Call for applications: Publishing and editorial assistant
Intermission Magazine is seeking a dynamic and collaborative individual to join our team.
iPhoto caption: What Writing Can Do: The 2025 Musical Theatre Critics Lab
Announcing What Writing Can Do: The 2025 Musical Theatre Critics Lab
What Writing Can Do is timed to coincide with the Grand and Theatre Aquarius’ co-production of Waitress, which will serve as a jumping-off point for discussions throughout the Lab.
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.
Comments