Sunday, October 4, I had the opportunity to watch a staged reading of Kat Sandler’s Mustard at Peterborough’s Market Hall, produced by the city’s New Stages theatre company.
Known for casting well-known theatre artists in staged readings, New Stages continues to present solid, engrossing one-night productions of shows audiences may not have had the chance to see in longer runs outside Peterborough. Some titles include: Clyde’s, A Public Display of Affection and 12 Dinners.
Normally, a ‘staged reading’ at Market Hall involves chairs for the actors, with music stands in front where scripts would be placed. The actor(s) would stand when the time came, perform the scene, and then sit down so attention wouldn’t be pulled away when the focus wasn’t on them. A narrator (usually Wallace) would provide necessary stage directions.
Rehearsal time for a regular staged reading at Market Hall might involve a day and a half before the audience attends.
Artistic Director Mark Wallace invited me to see Sandler’s play, which I had never seen before. Granted, there was a production of Mustard in my hometown; I couldn’t make it work to get to it.
I didn’t want to miss it again, and the reason why is Dahlia Katz.
A sought-after photographer who takes terrific-looking stills of professional productions in Toronto and beyond, Dahlia is also an accomplished stage director.
I certainly want to see more of her stage directorial work in the future.
Personable, hospitable, and appreciative of the opportunity to direct Mustard, Katz also shared with me after the performance how she likes to work with actors: strip away extraneous details, get out of the way, and let them do what they have been trained to do.
Her sharp intuition in incorporating fascinating, intriguing movement in Mustard made me forget the actors were reading from a script. Every move felt purposeful and well-reasoned. Physical contact, tenderness and violence were all part of the staging; she advocated for an extra day of rehearsal because Sandler’s script is complex. What’s also noteworthy in Katz’s staging is how central violence was. M. John Kennedy choreographed the fights.
The actors went along with Katz’s choice and trusted the process…
And it worked…nicely.
Described as a twisted fairy tale about friendship, love, growing up, moving on, and finding magic when you least expect it, the play follows troubled teenager Thai (Jayda Freeman) and her imaginary friend and ‘Person’, Mustard (M. John Kennedy), who has never left her side. No one in Thai’s life has ever seen this Mustard, who thinks he’s special. Technically, Mustard shouldn’t still be here. Imaginary friends normally don’t stay with their Person (meaning Thai), but Mustard still is.
Suddenly, Mustard becomes visible to Thai’s mother, Sadie (Aurora Browne), and they go on a date. How is this possible, since Mustard is a figment of Thai’s imagination? Or is this a Person? To top it all off, Mustard believes he is starting to fall in love with Sadie. He’s also in deep trouble with two unsavoury characters: Bug (Kris Siddiqi) and Leslie (Jason Gray). Additionally, Thai’s older boyfriend, Jay (Matt Schermann), adds further complications.
A precocious, impish M. John Kennedy anchored the production as the central character. While Kris Siddiqi and Jason Gray’s unsavoury Bug and Leslie were no comic relief, they were darkly comic and a real danger. Aurora Browne’s portrayal of Sadie’s personal demons showed the audience that no parental figure is ever perfect. Thai’s older boyfriend, Jay, played by Matt Schermann, creates a sometimes problematic situation every parent might face at some point. Jayda Freeman becomes a genuine sixteen-year-old, plagued by her own personal issues.
The next staged reading is Nick Green’s Casey and Diana on Sunday, November 15 at 7 pm. Directed by Andrew Kushnir, the cast includes Sean Arbuckle, Laura Condlln, Linda Kash, Davinder Malhi, Ordena Stephens-Thompson and Chloë Peterson.
Kushnir directed the world premiere at Stratford, with the production later staged at Toronto’s Soulpepper, and Linda Kash appeared in both runs. Engaging, moving and uplifting. Casey and Diana is one I’d urge you to book quickly, as it will become a performance you will never forget.
Visit newstages.ca to learn more about New Stages season. To book tickets for Casey and Diana and other shows, visit: https://markethall.org/new-stages or call (705) 775-1503.
