LEAGUE OF NATHANS-Winnipeg

[Richard Hurst]

        Braved the minus 40C temperatures last night and ventured to Prairie
Theatre Exchange to see Jason Sherman's THE LEAGUE OF NATHANS. I had read
the play about a year ago (about the time I was doing a workshop of a new
play by Jason called NONE IS TOO MANY) and came to the conclusion that it
probably played better than it read. Indeed it did!
        After a major amount of re-writing (especially in the second Act)
LEAGUE OF NATHANS emerged as one of the best evenings I've spent in the
theatre in a long while. The production, directed masterfully and seamlessly
by Richard Greenblatt, is swift, compelling and completely satisfying. Not
being Jewish, I thought perhaps I might be slightly at sea when it came to
delving into what it is to be a Jewish male and the struggle to how best
maintain and exemplify that identity. But the engaging characters and their
journey gripped me (and the sold-out audience) last night right to the
beautifully cathartic conclusion. I rarely find myself crying in the theatre
(an unfortunate state of affairs) but Sherman reaches a base of humanity in
the relationships between the three "Nathans" that goes beyond being Jewish
and touches the core of what it is to love something and someone.
        Michael Healey (Abramowitz), Ari Cohen (Issacs) and Jordan Pettle
(Glass) are superb as the boys-now-men who are united in Toledo, Spain, to
deal with an incident from their idealized past that has kept them apart
from one of the "League" (a club the boys had created in their youth) for 13
years.  Reality has placed them all at different stages of identity and the
till-now-unspoken conflict between them stems not so much from who they were
as from what they have become. Ari Cohen, as the fast-action business man
with a family, is engaging and suckers us into thinking that everything in
his life is fine. Jason Pettle, the Nathan from whom the other two have been
separated, has found a life in Israel, and Pettle's edge gives the
character's seeming in-control life a fine distinction. It took me a while
to warm up to Michael Healey's "Charlie Brown"-like Abramowitz, but by the
middle of the second Act, I had bought into his quandry and rejoiced at his
subtle but deep triumph at the play's conclusion.
        I like taking sides in a play. But with Sherman's presentation of
the three points of view, I found myself switching "allegiance" from scene
to scene, finally understanding it was a great piece of writing that would
force me to realize that a combination of character elements was the
to-be-wished-for being we would all like to be.
        I understand that this is only the second time the play has been
presented (its preme was at the Tarragon in TO) and thats too bad. It
deserves to be seen!
        Jason is working on a commission for the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre of
NONE IS TOO MANY, originally a non-fiction book about the Canadian
Government's refusal to allow Jews into the country following the WWII. We
are doing a workshop of the second act in May in prep for a production in
the WJT '96-'97 season. A public presentation of the draft first act was
presented last year following the workshop. The Company expected maybe 40 or
50 people from the community to show up. FOUR HUNDRED people ultimately
jammed the gymnasium of a North End synagogue. Jason's work is profound,
funny and always touching. I look forward to the experience.
 
        On another note, as soon as anyone sees INQUEST at Theatre Lab in TO
(Michael Springate) could you post something to the list. I was in the
original production in Winnipeg (played the Lieutenant) and have a place in
my heart for the role. Thanks
Richard