Rock solid tragicomedies with memorable visuals, rich design, and reliable casts, this duo of productions represent what the Shaw Festival does best.
In Sleuth, the excellent directorial debut of fan favourite performer Peter Fernandes, a badger-haired Patrick Galligan brings his veteran gravitas to a role that perfectly capitalizes on the little twinkle he always seems to have in his eye. Paired with relative newcomer Sepehr Reybod (absolutely smashing an incredibly tricky role), there’s a playful child and a sinister villain vying for control beneath the composure of Galligan’s perfected RP and beautifully fitted suit. It’s a delight of a production full of theatrical thrills and bravura performance turns that make the small-cast chamber piece feel like a blockbuster.
The season’s true blockbuster (in vibe; I know nothing about ticket sales) is Amadeus, played on the massive Festival stage with a large cast and stunning production design (Kevin LaMotte’s lighting work alone is worth the price of admission). Though Peter Shaffer’s text drags a bit, director Tim Carroll’s production and casting choices are truly winning.
Ambitious, hurt, and petty is a mode Tom Rooney plays particularly well (his Malvolio is a hall of fame performance for me) so his Salieri is predictably a treat. Similarly, impish and unrestrained Mozart is a perfect role for what Michael Therriault does better than anyone. Anyone who read my Stratford Guys & Dolls review might be waiting for me to gripe about Therriault’s age, and it’s true that there’s an aspect of the character’s infuriating prodigiousness that’s lost with this casting, but the difference is that Therriault is a pretty singular performer in Canadian theatre and, not just his physical skillset, but his particular sparkle is far more crucial to capturing what’s so torturous about this version of Mozart than his age (though I will say that Wind in the Willows did, at least to me, suggest, for the first time in memory, that he may finally have a possible successor). Therriault is paired, as he often is, with Kristi Frank as his wild wife and the pair bring their signature kindred spirit fun to every scene. The very serious Graeme Somerville is great fun as the ridiculous Emperor and Julia Course and Cosette Derome (understudying Sochi Fried) give wonderful tonal context to the court as gossiping narrators-of-sort.
If you’re looking for theatrical splendour from your Shaw picks this year, go big with Amadeus or small with Sleuth and you’re sure to go home happy.