SUMMER ‘STOCK’
Caplan compelling as centrepiece of stage musical
Refugees’ tale told in music, dance
Old Stock, a new play by the acclaimed Ottawa-born playwright Hannah Moscovitch, is inspired by the story of her great-grandparents’ arrival in Canada as Jewish refugees from Romania more than 100 years ago.
She, musician Ben Caplan, director Christian Barry and Halifax’s 2b theatre company have created an extraordinary piece of theatre, telling the often dark tale with an engaging combination of music, dance and a playful sense of humour.
It’s a love story of sorts, between 19-year-old Chaim and the older, prickly Chaya, beginning when the two meet while in line to see a doctor, both just off the boat. It’s also a sumptuous musical that stars Caplan, a bushy-bearded Canadian singersongwriter with a booming voice, as the master of ceremonies, accompanied by an outstanding quartet of musicians on violin, keyboard and accordion, and woodwinds, with one of Ottawa’s slickest stickmen, Jamie Kronick, on the drum kit.
I’m not calling them a backing band because they are an integral part of the show. In fact, two members — violinist Mary Fay Coady and woodwind player Chris Weatherstone — are also the leading actors in the play, and their performances, both musical and theatrical, are part of the reason for the production’s success.
Coady is particularly effective in conveying the jaded Chaya, who lost her husband to typhus while leaving Romania and developed a shell, viewing the young, handsome Chaim with a raised eyebrow and an air of disdain. Chaim is not to be deterred, however, and manages to crack the shell with his persistent, earnest demeanour — and then sit down and rip out a flurry of sextuplets on clarinet. Both Coady and Weatherstone impressed with their dexterity in tackling Moscovitch’s insightful script and far-from-simplistic score.
Of course, when it comes to wearing multiple hats, Caplan is the king of the Old Stock castle — or rather, sea container, which has been transformed into a clever, compact set. The container’s doors open onto the band’s setup while Caplan roams the front of the space or holds court from either side, an omnipotent being in a top hat overseeing his empire.
Caplan’s wonderful performance is the centrepiece of the play. He not only composed most of the music, which is brimming with klezmer traditions, but also sings, dances and plays instruments, acts as narrator, commentator and audience liaison, we’ll call it, and steps into the dramatic action as required. And he does it all with a charismatic joie de vivre that is thoroughly compelling.
This is not the first foray into theatre for the lion-maned troubadour. Caplan, who was born and raised in Hamilton, wanted to be an actor in his younger days, and worked in theatre for years before turning his focus to music. His latest album of apocalyptic folk rock, Birds with Broken Wings, was one of the best of 2015.
In this setting, with humorous songs about sex, including one remarkable creation that simulates the act in a cacophony of the band’s frenzied playing, Caplan imparts a sense of bombastic whimsy to Old Stock, his first theatre project in a decade. But he’s also the guy who checks in with the audience when the going gets difficult, such as when tragic details emerge surrounding each family’s departure from Romania. From love to loss, the story evokes both laughter and tears, incorporating a discussion of God, the Bible and the search for truth along the way.
It’s also a cautionary tale that resonates in today’s unsettled times. It reminds of the plight of refugees and the destructive potential of xenophobia, when a phrase like “old-stock Canadians,” as used by former prime minster Stephen Harper, only divides the population.
In the end, the message, as stated by Caplan using another Harper catchphrase, is about shedding the fear of “barbaric cultural practices” and embracing our shared humanity. lsaxberg@postmedia.com twitter.com/ lynnsaxberg