The Threepenny Opera

DepartmentVOICE of English - Acadia University Vol. 13.1 - Fall 2005 4 Acadia Theatre Company’s Fall Performance: MAGGIE RODGER The Threepenny Opera Review by: Tessa Sheppard VOICE4 Acadia Theatre Company’s Fall Performance: VOICE4 The Threepenny Opera into the lives of the underbelly of THEATRE By Tessa Sheppard society. The Threepenny Opera Central to the play is Mac Leanna Brodie On the evening of November 9th, a the Slash, played by Garrow Hill crowded Lower Denton Theatre was Stosky, a criminal who marries Polly AUTHORS AT ACADIA transformed into the stage for the Peachum, played by Mary Fay Coady, Steven Bruhm opening night of the Acadia Thea- who is the daughter of an affluent Matt Robinson tre Company’s exciting adaptation yet corrupt businessman. Adding Greg Cook of Bertolt Brecht’s The Threepenny to the plot are bands of “thieves, Alberto Manguel Opera. Directed by Michael Devine, whores, and beggars” who are all Susan McMaster the performance was both humor- in some way connected to Mac the ous and disturbing, challenging the Slash and the Peachums. After a LUNCH AND LETTERS audience to question human nature series of plot complications, in- Ralph Stewart and morality by offering a glimpse cluding the appearance of Mac the Meghan Johnston Richard Hennigar and David Mangle Camille Slights EVENTS Don Quijote Symposium Annual Department Barbeque Jon Saklofske Installed Words on Tap Axe Lounge Speaker’s Series STAff Ryan Dodington Beth Lyons Matthew J. MacDonald Kaitlyn MacPhee MAGGIE RODGER Zachary May Erin Mullen Maggie Rodger Tessa Sheppard Jaclyn Stanfield Ralph Stewart Julie Veinot If you would like to help out with interviewing, writing articles, and editing for Voice4, contact Dr. Lance LaRocque [email protected] Phone: 585-1146 MAGGIE RODGER PAGE - FALL 005 VOICE4 Slash’s other wife, Lucy Brown, and the intervention of Tiger Brown, a “copper” who is a friend of Mac’s, AUTHORS AT ACADIA the play ends on a happy note, with Mac the Slash being pardoned for his crimes and excused from execu- Byronic Bitchery tion. Although The Threepenny “Byron and the Opera had an unusual set design, it was quite functional in allowing the Choreography of Queer movement of the various actors Desire” throughout their parts and musical performances, and also allowed By Beth Lyons for the audience to engage in the play in a unique way. Adding to this December 1st, Steven Bruhm, uniqueness was the projector that Professor of English at Mount St. hung from a ceiling beam to create Vincent, entertained an audience of a type of scoreboard for the char- 20 with his lively lecture “Byron and acters, which also flashed various the Choreography of Queer Desire.” satirical messages to the audience For an hour and a half Bruhm spoke throughout the play. on the complexities of Byron’s Don The Acadia Theatre Compa- Juan, largely from the perspective of ny actors did a commendable job at queer theory and dance. depicting the rawness of the charac- Bruhm was introduced by ters and plot while injecting humor Acadia English Department pro- MSVU.CA and satire into their performances. fessor, Dr. Stephen Ahern, who All of the actors involved played thanked Bruhm for coming and the overall homosocial bonding and their parts with the gritty spirit true highlighted some of Bruhm’s many “discursively bitchy queerness” tak- to Brecht’s musical play, and deserve academic achievements, which ing place in the text. credit for taking a risk with a play include the publication of numer- The dynamic lecture often that, as Michael Devine noted, in- ous articles, books, editorships, and moved beyond the bounds of liter- cludes colourful language, violence, his recent appointment as incoming ary discussion, as Bruhm engaged and sexuality. Looking around the president of Association of Cana- in explaining the cultural shifts that theatre, it was apparent that Devine’s dian College and University Teach- have occurred in dance, rendering intent to not offend anyone was ers for English. Once introduced, it a particularly female-focused art. achieved. Bruhm launched into an engaging As well, humor abounded during Most pleasing about Aca- lecture accompanied by an informa- the presentation as Bruhm included dia’s The Threepenny Opera was the tive and entertaining PowerPoint pictures of cantankerous muppets teamwork evident in the overall presentation. Waldorf and Statler in his slide show performance. While all of the main The lecture focused on the and frequently offered such quipping characters did outstanding jobs, the dance in Byron’s Don Juan and the remarks as “Juan puts the crotch beggars, thieves, and whores added interaction that occurs between ob- back in crotchet.” After a series of their own excitement and humor to server and dancer. Issues that were questions from the audience, the the play, and were not easily forgot- addressed were the complex gender lecture ended with Bruhm heading ten. Congratulations are extended performance required of the dancer to the local pub with a number of to everyone who contributed to The (at which point Bruhm likened Juan audience members. Threepenny Opera. to a “Mick Jagger, Bette Midler”- esque drag queen), the “bitchy” nature of the observer comment- ing on the dance taking place, and FALL 005 - PAGE VOICE4 Hockey Night in B.A.C. Matt Robinson’s Hockey Poetry By Julie Veinot No need for academics and athletics to be opposing teammates. Matt Robinson’s new collection of hockey poems, published by ECW Press, combines his love of MATTHEW CARSWELL sport with his love of syntax: no cage contains a stare that well. The title re- Though his poetry does not Robinson is speaking about life or fers to the stare from a net minder’s depict his own life, his speakers face hockey or both. mask, perhaps a stare Robinson has things he himself has encountered. In keeping with his own perfected himself during his time While one would expect a collection experiences, Robinson speaks several between the posts. of hockey poetry to be upbeat, his times of the goaltender, hidden Robinson does not mention poems reflect a dark view of hockey. behind his mask. his affinity for poetry in the locker It is evident from the dark cover, The last poem he read to room. Rather, teammates “usu- which actually features Robinson the audience featured an old goalie ally find out of their own volition” playing in goal. finishing his last game; it is a wist- about his writing, he says. From childhood, he recalls ful poem, heartbreaking because the To a group of thirteen waiting impatiently for the Zam- final horn is about to blow. It dif- gathered in Acadia’s Beveridge Arts boni driver to finish the ice. When fers from a previous poem he read Centre, Robinson read his award- writing, he asked himself how it – “Shutout” which details an ode to winning poetry. A Halifax native, he must feel to be that man. “Every- the “pinnacle of achievement” for received an MA in Creative Writing one’s waiting for you to leave,” he any goalie. The words hearken to at the University of New Brunswick, says. One of the first lines of the more than just hockey, for a shut- where he now works in Residential poem called the “Zamboni Driver’s out is “everything and nothing all at Life, sometimes flooding outdoor Lament” depicts that feeling all too once,” he reads. hockey rinks for the students. well: “I know hate.” While his material hinted at His hockey experiences have His poems talk of equip- the bleak, Robinson was anything sharpened his work, though as any ment problems, minor in com- but. A devout UNB Varsity Reds student of English poetry knows, it parison with other events. Another fan, he quipped he was disappointed is important to separate author from poem recalls a childhood incident in UNB lost to Acadia in a shutout the speaker. One of his poems, dealing which a fellow player had a hockey previous weekend and expected they with father and son tensions, was blade speared through his cheek. would win the next night in Fred- mentioned in the National Post, and Then there is the urban legend of ericton (and they did). people began calling Robinson’s fa- a coach losing his fingertips to an When asked if there is any ther to hear about the rift described errant skate. The recent paralysis relationship between this book and in the poem. Even his father was of Moncton varsity player Sebastien being hit with too many pucks, Rob- surprised to hear it and Robinson Savage attests to the bleaker side of inson jokes and says he had been had to explain the poem was just sport. This side is captured in these hit “fairly substantially” during the that: a poem. poems. Often, one cannot tell if research of his poetry. PAGE 4 - FALL 005 VOICE4 as one of the Top Ten Toronto carcinoma, where Cook met with Toronto-Based Theatre Artists in 2001, Brodie has him on a number of occasions; and Playwright moved into the Canadian limelight, another accounting the humorous and seems to continue to climb meeting of Nowlan with Johnny Leanna Brodie the ladder of success. The artist is Cash and Prince Charles in 1975. Visits Acadia headed for great things with her next Cook also gave the audience insight project already underway, and Acadia into Nowlan’s humble beginnings in By Maggie Rodger was lucky to be a part of the action. rural Nova Scotia. In addition to the Nowlan Members of the Wolfville communi- biography, Cook has published a ty as well as several Acadia students number of works of poetry, his lat- turned out to see Canadian author Greg Cook est being 2004’s Songs of the Wounded.

Load more