New play is the squawk of the town
Shove over, Christopher Plummer: Zorro has arrived.
This new lad on the theatre scene has a carrying voice, a mind of his own and a fondness for people’s admiring glances. Once based in the United States, Zorro now resides in Ottawa and is making his debut in Sabrina Fair, Samuel A. Taylor’s 1953 romantic comedy which has just opened at Ottawa Little Theatre.
Zorro also happens to be a cockatoo. With his peachy-white feathers, magnificent salmon-coloured crest and outsized personality, he is a notable cockatoo.
One of a rotating cast of four real-life birds in the OLT production, Zorro plays Maurice. He’s on stage because Sabrina, an oblivious young lady, has returned to her native Long Island after a stint in Paris where, she believes, she was transformed from her upbringing as a chauffeur’s daughter into a genteel sophisticate. Thinking it would create a favourable impression if she were to bring a gift for the matriarch of the wealthy Long Island family for whom her father works, she hauls along Maurice. Bad move, as you’ll find out if you attend the show.
Jane Chambers, who plays Sabrina, says of Zorro and his stagestruck pals, “I was initially quite terrified. I wasn’t a bird person, but they turned out to be so smart and even cuddly — who knew?”
Having a live bird in a play, even though caged and only on stage for a few minutes in Sabrina Fair, ratchets up the energy, says Chambers.
“The audience is just waiting to see if the bird does something insane or if we break character. It creates an almost improvisational atmosphere for the actors.”
Director Venetia Lawless has no doubt she made the right choice in going with live birds instead of the fake variety. “W.C. Fields said to never work with children or animals. He was a big chicken! These are fascinating, stunningly beautiful creatures. The owners brought their birds to the rehearsals to see what was expected, and some wonderful friendships were made.
“When OLT did Sabrina Fair back in the 1950s they had a live bird. If they could do it then, we can do it now.”
Lawless also notes that the Feb. 28 performance, which would normally be followed by a talk back with human actors, will this time be a Squawk Back. Audiences will get a chance to interact with members of the Ottawa Parrot Club (cockatoos, who talk, are a kind of parrot) and with their spectacular birds.
While some birds are shy, being in the spotlight is right up Zorro’s alley according to his owner and club president Cassandra Keuhl.
“He’s a big clown and a show-off. And he’s a big flirt with the ladies. I’ve brought him to work, and he loves it.”
He also has a voice that can carry up to five kilometres — a good thing when you’re calling your mate deep in an Indonesian jungle but potentially problematic inside a theatre. When Zorro played Maurice on opening night, however, he was a hit with the audience, a raucous one but a hit nonetheless.
With parrots living upwards of a century, the big-voiced Zorro at 16 is also just a kid. Which is pretty much how Keuhl describes him: “If he thinks he’s being ignored, he says, ‘Come here!’ and then he’ll be obnoxious until you pay attention to him. He’s like a three-year-old with a can opener attached to his face.”
Sabrina Fair continues until March 7. Tickets: 613-233-8948, ottawalittletheatre.com