Eric Peterson and his daughter take to the Theatre Aquarius stage together
Pair performs in ‘The Father,’ a look at the way life sometimes throws curves at relationships
a mutual admiration society. Molly Kidder and Eric Peterson are sitting around chatting in Theatre Aquarius’ Founders’ Lounge.
There’s a lot of laughter and a lot of warmth in the room. She’s thrilled to be acting in a play with her famous dad. He’s proud to be onstage with his lovely daughter, Molly.
And they’re both pleased to be in a tough, yet touching play, that looks at the way life sometimes throws curves at relationships.
Peterson, 72, is something of a Canadian entertainment institution. He’s played starring roles on television in “Street Legal,” “This is Wonderland” and “Corner Gas” but truth is, he’s always loved the stage best.
He will, of course, be remembered for cowriting the 1978 Governor General’s Award-winning musical “Billy Bishop Goes to War.” With John Gray, he created a moving, frequently funny account of the First World War that has touched audiences all over the world. The double whammy is that Peterson played Bishop in that tender comedy, winning major public recognition.
Today, Peterson is about to return to the stage, this time with daughter Molly in tow.
“It’s a tremendous thrill,” he grins. “There are facets of Molly I’m discovering that might never have been obvious in an ordinary father-daughter relationship. I watch her struggling to make things work onstage and I am so grateful to have this opportunity to be there with her. There’s something so spontaneous in all this.”
Kidder and Peterson have worked together before in “The Watershed” for Toronto’s Crow’s Theatre.
“It’s different here though,” Kidder says. “My dad had done the role in that play before, so he was mentoring me. Here, we are discovering things about a new play together. It’s all new for both of us and I’m watching him work from the ground up. It’s pretty amazing so far.”
“It’s about having respect for each other,” Kidder says. “I never ever dreamed I’d work with him. I feel I’m having bonus time with my dad.”
“The teenage years were the tough ones,” Peterson says. “We got very distant, but there was time to repair that. Kids need their parents most during that time. I’m now beginning to suspect the geriatric years are the same, but in reverse.”
Peterson and Kidder say today they love to hang out together.
“We like to be on the road together and share our stories,” says Kidder.
Kidder, 32, who plays a caregiver in “The Father” decided she wanted to be an actress when she was 12.
“As a child I had an unsettled mind. It’s hard to grow up as a girl. I went to Young People’s Theatre. It was a place to be loud, to be confident. It just made me feel different. Performing and playing was like being in another world and it was wonderful. For me it was just easy and comfortable. That’s when acting became serious for me.”
Peterson grew up in Saskatchewan, “at a time when theatre just wasn’t on the radar.”
“I just stumbled into it,” he says. “I’m proud of people who do this work. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, to make people laugh, to see things that are beautiful. It’s hard to explain, but it’s about looking at life. As human beings it’s necessary to tell our stories, to say who we are.”
Both Kidder and Peterson admire the play they are doing at Aquarius.
“It deals with shifting realities, memory loss and confusion. It gives you a window into that,” Peterson says.
“I play a man who is suffering from dementia. It’s a wonderfully written play. There’s denial, anger, paranoia and a sort of sad helplessness. There’s comedy, but it’s of a darkish nature. The play is about the nature of reality. What you see and what you think you see can be very different. The playwright has structured the play around experiences of disorientation, but it all becomes very clear at the end. When people watch it they’ll find all sorts of personal connection. In a way, it’s something to put on the list of terrifying things that are lying in wait in front of us.”
Kidder agrees. “It’s everybody’s fear, losing memory, losing control. It reminds us how fragile life is. Everyone has a story of someone they love going through such things.”
For a moment there is silence. Then Peterson turns to the process of theatre rather than the content.
“The writing here is tremendous. Florian Zeller’s French text, translated by Christopher Hampton, is moving. And the stage has so much more to offer than television or movies. The actor is just raw material in those mediums, controlled by technical aspects. I’m proud of the TV I’ve done in Canada, but the stage is all about one person at a time reacting to something live in front of him. And you know, for the actor it’s physically so much harder.”
Both Kidder and Peterson agree they’re OK onstage together.
“I like looking over and seeing my dad is there. I’m not freaked out at all. I’m just comfortable.”