Soulpepper’s production of The Secret Chord: A Leonard Cohen Experience, now presented by Mirvish at Toronto’s CAA Theatre, approaches Leonard Cohen’s music as a body of work to be encountered first and foremost. The result is a polished, atmospheric performance that combines concert staging, theatrical narration and carefully shaped musical arrangements.
Created by Frank Cox-O’Connell, Marni Jackson and Mike Ross, the production uses Cohen’s songs and personal writings to trace the many contradictions of the Montreal-born poet, novelist and songwriter. The show builds its portrait of Cohen through mood, language and music, allowing his longing, faith, despair, desire and spiritual searching to emerge gradually.
Frank Cox-O’Connell directs with a steady hand, placing trust in the performers and musicians to carry the material without excessive explanation. The choice not to provide the song list until after the performance is effective. It encourages the audience to listen closely to the lyrics and to experience the evening as a continuous meditation rather than as a catalogue of familiar titles.
Mike Ross’s musical arrangements are central to the production’s impact. They honour the recognizability of Cohen’s songs while giving the ensemble room to interpret them with freshness and theatrical immediacy. Except for Ben Caplan, who mysteriously at times sounds like Cohen, the other performers do not attempt to imitate his famously low, weathered delivery. Instead, they open the songs outward, emphasizing their emotional range and communal possibilities.
The staging makes strong use of the CAA Theatre. The musicians are positioned upstage, while the performers are seated downstage in a space that suggests a refined Montreal drawing room or parlour. The performers also move in a way that feels reassuringly intimate without becoming static. The set design supports what Mirvish bills the show as: it’s part concert and part theatre experience, allowing the Montrealer to communicate with the audience.
The ensemble brings commitment and vocal distinction to the material. Divine Brown, Ben Caplan, Hailey Gillis, Travis Knights and Andrew Penner serve as featured performers, supported by a band whose presence is integral. Jacob Gorzhaltsan, Joel Joseph, Tom Moffett, Lowell Whitty, Roger Williams and Kevin Wong give the evening much of its momentum.
The production is most defining when it lets Cohen’s words speak plainly. A note from Cox-O’Connell explains that the show largely allows Cohen “to do the talking,” and that guiding principle is evident throughout, trusting the audience to recognize the wit, darkness and spiritual restlessness embedded in the songs.
At times, the reverence surrounding Cohen risks softening the sharper edges of the man and the work. The production is clearly an homage. Even so, the best moments complicate that admiration by acknowledging the unease, melancholy and searching ambiguity that made Cohen such a distinctive figure.
The Secret Chord is a carefully crafted and musically accomplished tribute. It does not so much explain Leonard Cohen as create the conditions for hearing him anew. Which is exactly what I plan to do.
Running time: approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.
The production runs to August 16 at the CAA Theatre, 651 Yonge Street, Toronto. For tickets: www.mirvish.com or call 1-800-461-3333.
MIRVISH presents the Soulpepper Production
THE SECRET CHORD: A Leonard Cohen Experience
Created by Frank Cox-O’Connell, Marni Jackson and Mike Ross
Directed by Frank Cox-O’Connell
Music Arrangements by Mike Ross
Lighting Designer: Simon Rossiter
Projection Designer: Frank Donato
Sound Designer: Andres Castillo-Smith
Stage Manager: Sam Hale
Performers: Divine Brown, Ben Caplan, Hailey Gillis, Travis Knights, Andrew Penner, Jacob Gorzhaltsan, Joel Joseph, Tom Moffatt, Lowell Whitty, Roger Williams, Emily Schultz, Kevin Wong
