an old Canadian play: Marsh Hay

[Richard Plant]

Hello Candrama subscribers:

I'll use Glen Nichols informative commentary on "werewolves" as a
launch for a brief note of my own.

I've just returned from seeing a preview of Merrill Denison's 1923 play
"Marsh Hay" at the Shaw Festival. Some of you will know that in 1974 I
directed its first production, which no doubt makes my commentary a
biased one. But, for what it's worth:

If you have any possible chance of getting to the Shaw, go to see Marsh
Hay. Neil Munro and the cast and crew have mounted an astoundingly
powerful production. Its intensity is rivetting; the performances, even
in a relatively early preview and despite illness in the company which
changed the cast during its formative stages, are marked by commitment,
energy, intelligence and raw emotion. Neil has mixed realism with an
almost expressionist tone which drives a very difficult play
relentlessly. A man at the seminars I attended stood up and stated
in an impassioned manner that it was the most powerful play he had ever
seen. Another simply pointed out that she could not have stayed in the
theatre with "those people" -- the brutal characters of the play -- one
moment longer.

My bias? What a treat to have confirmed that an "old Canadian play" can
hold the 1996 professional stage with such potency. I agree with those
who will undoubtedly point out that it is not everyone's cup of tea. But drinking different kinds of tea is surely a
good idea.

rp