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| Geometry in Venice
January 31-February 14, 2010 @ Segal Theatre By: Carey |
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| The subtitle of this play could be "Oh, how the mighty have fallen!" From the earliest moments of the play you are aware that things are not going to end well in this one. It is aggravating to watch this on the one hand completely charming family and on the other behave with a total disregard for morality - right vs. wrong. They seem to believe that because they are aristocrats (who are pretty much penniless) they can get away with any form of deplorable behaviour - such as adultery, placing on their young daughter's shoulders the pressure of having to marry rich in order to support them or not paying their boy's tutor. There is a dark cloud hovering over the Moreens from the word go. And you cringe knowing that the lovely Morgan is going to get caught up in their nonsense. It is Venice in the late 1880s and a young Cambridge educated Canadian gentleman named Pemberton (Graham Cuthbertson) probably thinks he has hit the jackpot when he is able to find employment as the tutor for a brilliant 12-year-old boy (Elliott Larson). The charmingly aristocratic Moreens on the surface seem like the perfect employers as they are full of life and always being invited to one society event or another. All this plus the fact that the young Morgan is highly intelligent and entertainingly precocious makes for exciting prospects for Pemberton. Despite his physical infirmity (a hole in his heart), Morgan proves to be a challenging and engaging student for Pemberton. The Moreen family make Pemberton feel a part of them as he watches Moreen's (Aidan Devine) comings and goings, Mrs. Moreen's (Allegra Fulton) forays into working as a translator and daughter Amy's (Susanna Fournier) attempts to be wed to a wealthy man like Henry James (Damien Atkins). What proves to be trying (to say the least) for Pemberton is that the Moreens neglect to pay him. Whenever he brings the topic of his salary up Moreen deftly sidesteps it. Months go by and Pemberton sees nothing in form of monetary compensation besides a measly 10 francs. He is destitute and even though he enjoys working with Morgan as Pemberton himself says, his suit has holes in it and he cannot even afford to get his hair cut. Something has got to give. The strongest part of the play is the character of Morgan and the young man who plays him is a delight. Written by Michael Mackenzie and based on a Henry James novella, "Geometry in Venice" is quite a wordy production, but the young Elliott Larson had no problems with the multitude of many syllabic or Latin words he had to say. He also, as most of the cast, does have a deft touch when it comes to the comedic moments. This is a young actor with a bright future. Though, as you can guess from the title, the play claims to have to do with logic and science it really is about humanity and morality. A connection is made between science and morals. Geometry is brought into the picture because in the sciences an answer is either right or wrong. Right and wrong and knowing or recognizing the difference between the two is not the Moreens strong suit. Morgan, the youngest member of the family, sadly enough seems to be the most on the ball in that regard. While Morgan's flaw is of the physical variety and there is nothing he can do about it, the rest of his family have chosen to walk a path devoid of morality. They all try to do whatever they can to maintain their place amongst the aristocracy. Everything that is except hard work. We are left not knowing what to feel for this mess of a family. The script is excellent with its liberal use of Latin, French and witty wordplay. Intellectual in its essence the play will make you use your brain at the same time it is tugging on your heartstrings. Each word has been painstakingly selected, for sometimes numerous reasons, and comes at you from many angles in its examination of ethics and morality. Additional Information: -Website: www.segalcentre.org -Ticket Purchase: (514) 739-7944 or www.admission.com -Ticket Prices: Tuesday through Thursday Evenings: Adult: $40.00 Student: $36.00 Senior: $22.00 Saturday Evening: Adult: $44.00 Student: $40.00 Senior: $22.00 Sunday and Monday Evenings: Adult: $35.00 Student: $31.00 Senior: $22.00 Sunday and Wednesday Matinee: Adult: $35.00 Student: $31.00 Senior: $22.00 -Show Times: Matinees: 1:00 p.m. or 2:00 p.m. Nights: 7:00 p.m. or 8:00 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. Photos by Randy Cole | ||||||||||||||
