>>PREVIEW
THE RETREAT FROM MOSCOW
Runs until February 11
Theatre Calgary
Max Bell Theatre (Epcor Centre)
When a marriage has lasted over three decades, one might consider it a success. Perhaps a relationship of convenience. Worse, something that stays together out of a matter of habit. Enter William Nicholson’s The Retreat from Moscow, a play about the dynamics within a particular family relationship. Theatre Calgary rings in the new year with Nicholson’s work directed by Diana Leblanc, starring Martha Henry, David Schurmann and Duncan Ollerenshaw.
"It’s really a play about the breakup of a 33-year-old marriage. It’s an intimate play about the fallout from that kind of a life-changing experience," Ollerenshaw says.
"I play the son Jaime, the go-between forced to cope with the very real changes that his parents are going through."
While the story is about a marriage that has fallen apart, Ollerenshaw concedes it is filled with moments of humour and hope.
"It’s such a beautifully written play – any great writer when examining the human condition has to present the truth and humour as well as the pathos at the same time to effectively represent what life is like. There’s always light moments even in dark times.
"Nicholson’s very careful not to create the sense of somebody being in the wrong," he adds. "I think if you really step outside most breakups, it’s obvious to put blame on one or the other partner. But usually relationships are much more deeply knit than that. He’s very careful not to judge any of his characters too harshly. And, absolutely, I think an audience will follow one argument or another argument more than a different one, in relation to their own personal life – but again, that’s the great thing about great writing – it can speak to us all differently."
Stacie Harrison, a young Calgary director and theatre artist, had the opportunity to assist Diana Leblanc with the direction of the project.
"I’ve learned a lot from Diana, she’s a fantastic director and somebody that I really aspire to be like," she says of working with Leblanc. "I think the process in itself has been a wonderful experience for me just because I get to see so many fantastic, creative minds at work, and I’m working with legends."
Harrison’s process included a great deal of research and observation to help bring The Retreat from Moscow to life.
"I’ve done a lot of research that was required for Retreat about Catholicism, because the mother in the piece is Catholic," she says. "Bits of research that needed to be done along the way. I’ve had a hand in all of that. The learning process for me has been about how Diana deals with each individual actor differently. How does one work with Martha Henry, for example, who’s a legend in the country – the top leading lady in the country. So that’s been very good for me to witness that and see how she puts that into action." |
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