The Glace Bay Miners' Museum

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the opening night of the Neptune play, "The Glace Bay Miners' Museum" (missed my review of "Bingo!"? Check it out here).

I went into this play a tad 'blind' - I knew it was the story of a woman living in Cape Breton who falls in love with a man named Neil Currie. I knew that the story was also covered in the mid-90's movie, Margaret's Museum, but have never actually gotten around to seeing the movie or reading much about it. That is basically ALL I knew when I sat in my theatre seat to enjoy the production. In the end, I was actually glad that I went in with few expectations and no knowledge of what was to come - it certainly made the last part of the 2nd act a shocker for me!

(I don't want to give away too much of the plot, in case there are others out there like (past) me who are not aware of it, but suffice to say there is a dark twist that makes the title of the play all make sense!)

What I do want to impart, however, is how much I enjoyed this production. Although the story of Margaret and her family is rather grim overall, I found myself smiling and laughing a lot throughout. Not to mention the actors were all fabulous in their roles.

Francine Deschepper was a lovely mix of sweet and sassy as Margaret. I found her slight quirkiness, social awkwardness, big heart and sharp tongue to be very endearing. She was an interesting mix of childlike innocence and cynical adult, and she really portrayed the sense that she loved her home but at the same time wanted to break out of it and see and do more.

I could hardly take my eyes off Gil Garratt, who played Neil Currie, throughout the production. There was a ton of chemistry between him and Deschepper and their love story warmed my heart. And how many talents can one person have?! As Neil, he plays bagpipes and violin and sings beautifully (in gaelic, no less). He is somebody who is completely himself and doesn't care what anyone has to say about it. I would challenge anyone to not listen and be inspired by his passion when the fire of injustice ignites within him and he espouses his opinions.

Martha Irving infuses Margaret's mother with a great booming voice and a cantankerousness that belies the hardship she has endured in life. You get the sense that she carries a lot of anger, yes, but a lot of pain and regret behind it. And I think Grandpa made the audience laugh the most out of any character, and he did so without saying any words!

I loved the set - and I mean "set", singular (there is only one). I thought the use of a single set made sure that you focused directly on the characters and their nuances, no distractions. The space was used very creatively as well, with the haphazard wooden steps and platforms serving as the family's home, the wharf, a cliffside field and a diner.

The giant looming house silhouetted against the sky was gorgeous - the light coming through the windows, shining through sparkly fabric, gave the structure a dreamlike and slightly ominous feel at the same time. Considering the titular museum is housed inside this house, it makes sense that the set would impart this mix of feelings!

I am always impressed with Neptune's productions and I always leave with a feeling of warmth and a racing mind and this play was no exception! Visit the Glace Bay Miner's Museum today if you can!

Neptune Scores With "Bingo!"

I don't think I have ever had a bad experience at Neptune Theatre. Seriously. Even so, I don't recall ever laughing quite as much as I did a couple of weeks ago, when I attended a performance of their new play "Bingo!".

I know what you are thinking, and no, this is not a play about a dog with a cool "name-o", nor does it involve anything glow-in-the-dark. It is actually "The Big Chill" transferred to a Cape Breton town - a group of middle-agers gather together to attend their 30-year high school reunion, re-hash old memories, stereotypes and neuroses and discuss new ones. Some of them have stayed put, some have moved on (to Halifax, and Western Canada), both literally and figuratively. All have regrets and "what-if's?" and they have all changed, yet haven't changed a bit at the same time.

First we are introduced to the male's of the group (left-to-right) - Dookie, Nurk and Heifer (in traditional guy fashion, they have given each other silly and slightly derogatory nicknames - silly boys) - in their hometown hotel room, drinking (duh) and talking about their lives. Heifer is a chubby, laid-back jokester; Nurk is a neurotic and slightly uptight engineer; Dookie is an arrogant real estate agent.

Next, we see the girls - Boots and Bitsy - chatting in a local bar about...well, everything (y'all, Bitsy talks A LOT). "Boots" is a tough-talking, leather-jacket-wearing sarcasm machine who clearly covers up her own insecurities with biting comments. "Bitsy" is a slightly ditzy and simultaneously a chatterbox and a shy introvert.

Later, the fivesome comes together and sparks fly, secrets are revealed and new connections are made. (I don't want to reveal too much of the plot because you should go see it for yourself). Leave it to a play set in Cape Breton to be named after a drinking game!

The play has a very simple set-up - there are only two sets, and all scenes consist of the characters basically sitting around and talking. Characters only wear one outfit throughout the entire play, there is no music except during the changes in scene, and few props (except an ever-present bottle of Jagermeister). But the dialogue is rapid-fire and absolutely hilarious. The audience the night I went was practically rolling in the aisles. The cast not only delivered the lines perfectly, but they each had a knack for conveying things through a simple facial expression. I probably enjoyed Heather Rankin's performance the most (she clearly has great comic timing), as I felt she had some of the funniest expressions and body language, plus I felt I could relate the most to her character. However, all the cast were perfect in their roles and pulled me into their individual character, making me laugh at them, feel sorry for them and admire them in sequence.

At the beginning of each scene, one of the main characters would stand at the front of the stage, in a spotlight and deliver a monologue that usually either revealed something about their character or about the next part of the play. They shared an anecdote, a thought or two and sometimes a great piece of advice or a profound insight about life in general. I loved these "intros" -  parts that particularly stuck with me were Boots' comments about happiness and what it means ("How can you know what happiness is, until you know what it isn't?") and Bitsy's story about an old man in her community who is her "hero" and who makes her feel less invisible and insignificant.

So, in a nutshell, the funny dialogue alone is enough reason to go see Bingo! (imho) but in addition you may end up coming away with an insight or two into life in general and your place in it, and isn't that what theatre is all about?