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April 18, 2003
Arts Club Shoes shines
Strong cast, good story make production enjoyable.
CYNTHIA RAMSAY SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
Written by Jewish playwright Adam Pettle, Zadie's Shoes
has received good reviews from across North America since it first
opened in Toronto three years ago. The Vancouver production is no
exception.
Pettle's play is about a gambler named Benjamin. He bets on almost
any sport and never on the favored competitor. After losing all
of the money that he has saved for a trip to Mexico with his girlfriend,
Ruth – who is going there for cancer treatment – Benjamin
must get the cash back. Desperate, he wanders into a synagogue,
where he hasn't been since his bar mitzvah. It is in shul that Ben
meets Eli, an older Jewish man who is full of prophetic wisdom,
as well as a few tips on which horse to bet at the track. Eli tries
to help Ben re-examine his life and his choices, with moderate success.
But the ultimate savior of Ben must be Ben himself.
The Arts Club Theatre production stars Jewish community members
Camyar Chai as Ben and Richard Newman as Eli and Ben's father, Jacob.
They are supported by a strong cast that includes Esther Purves-Smith
as the sickly Ruth who tries to have faith in Ben, despite his gambling
problem; Pippa Platt as Ruth's younger, more flamboyant sister Lily;
and Johanna Wright as Ruth's more conservative and competitive sister,
Beth. On the male side, there is actor Bob Frazer, who plays with
comedic skill Ben's gambling-, drug- and alcohol-addicted buddy
who Ben sets up with Lily; and Tracey Olson as Sean, Beth's sombre
boyfriend.
Pettle himself has survived a battle with cancer. This personal
experience comes through in his writing not only of Beth's emotions
as she fights for her life, but the struggle of those close to her
to cope with her possible death.
"The play is also about faith, about redemption," said
Newman in an interview with the Bulletin. "And I suppose
Adam [Pettle] used his own Jewish roots because he needed some sort
of a connection to the spiritual, the thing that's greater than
us. In order for me [figuratively speaking] to give up [an] addiction,
I have to trade it for something else because that hole has to be
filled."
While Zadie's Shoes is about serious issues, there are many
humorous moments. Adding to the enjoyment of the play is the wonderfully
simple yet effective set. The bleachers of the horse track dominate
the stage, reinforcing the gambling theme. On one side of the stage
are two pews, over which hangs an encircled abstract tree, representing
the synagogue and the play's theme of the need for faith in oneself.
In the middle of the bleachers is a panel that changes for each
location – bearing a window with shutters for Ben's and Ruth's
place and a trophy case for Beth's, for example – in front
of which are placed various pieces of furniture and other props.
The design team is Ted Roberts, Marsha Sibthorpe, Rebekka Sorensen
and John McCulloch, and the stage managers are Caryn Fehr and Pamela
Jakobs. John Cooper is the director.
Zadie's Shoes runs to May 3 at the Arts Club Theatre Granville
Island Stage. For more information, call 604-687-1644 or visit www.artsclub.com.
Ticket prices range from $17.50 to $38. To order, call 604-280-3311
or 604-687-1644, or visit www.artsclub.com.
Students may be able to get discounted tickets through the day-of-show
ticket program at wwwstudentrush.com.
Theatre-goers should be forewarned that Zadie's Shoes contains
a lot of swearing and deals with mature subject matter.
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