by AMY BARRATT

The second wave of New Classical Theatre Festival shows opened last week at the Théâtre Ste-Catherine. The bird-themed double bill that runs through Saturday consists of A Phoenix Too Frequent by Christopher Fry and The Raven, a stage adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous poem.

The former, directed by Moira Wylie, is a literate yet anything but stuffy interpretation of this modern verse play. Wylie has coached all three actors (Lina Roessler, Helen King and Jesse Todd) to excellent diction while keeping the action moving at a brisk pace. Most importantly, the company has chosen to milk the text for its considerable comic possibilities. This is in spite of the fact that the play is set in a Roman tomb where a young lady and her maidservant are planning to die in order to join the lady’s recently deceased husband in Hades. Todd’s character, a young soldier, stumbles over the pair while standing watch over six dead bodies hanging from trees. With death all around, the play becomes a strong exhortation to enjoy life while you still can.

King, as the lusty maid, Doto, delivers all of her lines with an irresistible twinkle in her eye. Roessler and Todd find the humour in their characters’ very humourlessness. This production is a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend 70 minutes.

The Raven is a bird of a very different feather. That’s not to say it isn’t enjoyable, just totally different. I believe it’s the first show I’ve ever seen that’s created by someone who is primarily a sound designer. He also has the dubious honour of sharing a name with one of the actors from the TV show Emergency!, Kevin Tighe. Although Tighe appears on stage in the role of the narrator, or the “Poe” character, his soundscape is the real star. This show is a study in how to create fear and tension with nothing but music. Lighting effects also contribute to the piece’s genuinely scary moments, but they would be nothing without the sound. As an actor, Tighe sometimes telegraphs rather than plays emotions, but overall this is an exhilarating 30-minute riff on the poem that you have to think Poe himself would have admired.

Up next at the NCTF: I can’t wait to get a look at SaBooge Theatre’s foray into F. Scott Fitzgerald territory with Speak Easy, opening tonight. Described as a “darkly imagined Jazz Age tragedy in all its farcical detail,” it features the international company’s largest cast to date, including regulars like Andrew Shaver and Kayla Fell, alongside local lights such as Trent Pardy and Angela Galuppo (both Gravy Bath alumnae), Darcy Bruce and Alison Darcy.

Visiting Montreal for the first time, Théâtre Déséquilibrium presents The Circus of the Elephants/Le Cirque des Éléphants every night following Speak Easy, in French or English depending on the makeup of the audience.

THE NEW CLASSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL CONTINUES UNTIL SEPT. 10. SEE THEATRE LISTINGS FOR VENUES AND SHOWTIMES, OR CALL 540-0774

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