Farmers’ Revolt is hit and miss history lesson at Shaw
The good intentions are obvious with the Shaw Festival’s production of 1837: The Farmers’ Revolt.
It’s a purely Canadian play offered during the country’s 150th birthday. It’s a show about political upheaval at a time upheaval seems inevitable across the border. And it’s new artistic director Tim Carroll, from Britain, practically thumbing his nose at detractors who thought the company might get too snooty and too English under his watch.
But good intentions don’t guarantee a good play.
1837: The Farmers’ Revolt, writer Rick Salutin’s 1973 collaboration with Theatre Passe Muraille, is about a group of immigrants plotting a rebellion against the Family Compact in Upper Canada. Director Phil Akin (who did last season’s outstanding ‘Master Harold’ … and the
Boys) uses a diverse ensemble of eight, and they all jump in wherever needed. Age, race or gender doesn’t matter with their characters.
Stories flow over top of each other, often interspersed with songs. The cast is energetic and adaptable, utilizing a simple set design by Rachel Forbes and the small Court House Theatre stage. Akin uses them like a well-schooled basketball team, picking and rolling their way to points instead of relying on one superstar.
Still, it feels like a dated history lesson instead of intriguing theatre. Like a political version of Godspell, it can’t shake its early ’70s vibe and hippie origins, at times resembling a high school history project. The effect can be off-putting, especially for audiences who come expecting a straight-forward play about an intriguing chapter in Canadian history. As one lady behind mere marked during Saturday’s opening, she liked the songs but wasn’t getting much out of the story.
I expect that will be the reaction with most crowds this summer. It’s hard to see how this show will appeal to American tourists, and those who come for the Canadiana may be frustrated by the approach.
That isn’t a knock against this strong cast, who all shine individually. Ric Reid, playing rebellion leader William Lyon Mackenzie in some scenes, gives a step-bystep breakdown on how the Family Compact came into power, equating it to a grand illusion. Travis Seetoo, in his fourth Shaw season, has a hilarious and physically impressive sequence where he dons the identity of assorted characters like he’s on a fashion runway. And Shaw newcomer (but stage veteran) Jeremiah Sparks anchors the play’s best moment as a Canadian farmer who visits Detroit and is stunned at how much better and stable things were in the U.S. It takes on a whole new wink-wink aspect in 2017.
Cherissa Richards, Marla McLean, Donna Belleville, Jonah McIntosh and Sherry Flett round out a strong cast of performers, and big props should go to movement designer Esie Mensah — a normally invisible aspect of a show that stands out here.
Strong parts in a mostly unsatisfying show; 1837: The Farmers’ Revolt was scheduled as the odd duck of the season, but it sticks out for the wrong reasons.