Theatre Aquarius celebrated its fiftieth anniversary as an important theatrical and cultural space in the Hamilton community
On Sept. 27, Theatre Aquarius officially began its fiftieth season, kicking it off with a performance of Norm Foster’s Jonas and Barry in the Home.
Theatre Aquarius was founded in 1973 under the leadership of Peter Mandia, the founding artistic director of the theatre. Until 1991, Theatre Aquarius primarily performed at the Studio Theatre at Hamilton Place, and it did not have a theatre centre of its own. However, in 1991, various donors facilitated the building of the Dofasco Centre for the Arts, Theatre Aquarius’s own theatre centre.
I was lucky enough to catch a performance of Jonas and Barry in the Home during its two-and-a-half week run at Theatre Aquarius, and I could understand why it was chosen to start off such a milestone season for the theatre. A three-actor performance detailing a friendship between two men in a senior’s home, I found Jonas and Barry in the Home to be full of heart, joy and nostalgia.
While Jonas and Barry in the Home is no longer showing at Theatre Aquarius, there will be many more shows to watch throughout the 2023-2024 season. Jake Epstein’s Boy Falls from the Sky is slated to appear next at the theatre, opening on Oct. 25. Detailing Epstein’s journey in theatre, Boy Falls from the Sky is a ninety-minute solo performance by Epstein himself.
“Boy Falls from the Sky is a story for anyone who’s ever tried to go after their dreams,” says the description on Theatre Aquarius' website.
The remainder of Theatre Aquarius’s season will showcase Pollyanna: The Musical, Uncle Vanya, Shirley Valentine and Beautiful Scars.
Along with putting on theatrical productions for the community to enjoy, Theatre Aquarius has made a number of other meaningful artistic contributions over the last fifty years. For example, in 1976, Theatre Aquarius launched their theatre school. Theatre school programs, such as acting classes and musical theatre classes, are still offered by Theatre Aquarius today.
“The program has run continuously, providing thousands of young people throughout the region with a chance to participate in the theatre arts at a high level, launching many to professional careers in the arts and providing many more with new confidence that helped them reach their dreams, and helping to instill a lifelong love of theatre,” reads the Theatre Aquarius website.
Along with longstanding community contributions such as this one, Theatre Aquarius has also made newer contributions to the community, such as their recently launched National Centre for New Musicals. This program is designed to support Canadian writers who are working on new musicals, and it is currently accepting applications until Dec. 15.
When I saw Kim’s Convenience at Theatre Aquarius on Friday evening, I couldn’t help but think about my own family for the full two hours.
I am not Korean, I don’t live in Regent Park, nor does my family own a convenience store. But the whole time I felt that Apa, Janet, Umma and Jung were telling my story – my family’s story. When Apa revealed his disappointment with Janet’s career as a photographer, I remembered my own mother’s confusion four years ago: “Why not just science? Why art and science?” When Umma explained how Apa had sacrificed his whole life, his whole self, for his children, I thought of all the stories my father always shares so longingly about his home country. When Janet twisted her father’s arm to squeeze out of him the words “I love you,” I wanted nothing more than to immediately call my parents to remind them how much I care.
The production is hilarious, moving and honest – often brutally honest. My loud laughter was regularly cut off by a sudden wave of emotion. The story shifts gracefully from humour to heartbreak and thus offers a highly nuanced and realistic image of Canadian immigrant life.
But it doesn’t always paint a pretty picture. Apa might very well embrace a black husband for his daughter, but he will systematically practice racial profiling while running his business. And in the one instance that we see on stage, the audience gasped when Appa catches a Jamaican man stealing from his store. Janet is a kind and caring daughter, but we still see her in moments of extreme selfishness. And the story of Jung, the son with so much potential who ends up in a dead-end job with a baby and a girlfriend he doesn’t love, left me wondering about the futility of it all. Would their life have been different, better, more fulfilling if they had never come to Canada? Was Apa’s life a waste if his children were unhappy and unsuccessful? Could he have done things differently? Does there come a point when parents should not be held responsible for the decisions and failures of their children? When does that day come?
I was the probably the youngest person and I was also very clearly a racial minority. The room was filled with older, white men and women. And the whole time I wondered – what are these people thinking about? How are they relating to this story? Is there empathy? Do they too feel like they are contained within Kim’s Convenience store, that they too can find their own stories somewhere between the aisles and the shelves?
Kim’s Convenience reminded me of the power of theatre - of how a simple, everyday story suddenly becomes startling and special.
Kim’s Convenience is playing at Theatre Aquarius until November 23rd.
Sarah O'Connor
The Silhouette
When I heard in April that Theatre Aquarius was going to be putting on Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, I could hardly hide my excitement. It was murder having to wait six months for the play to be performed. But it was well worth the buildup.
For those unfamiliar with Christie and her works, it should be known that she is considered the best-selling novelist of all time. She also created the memorable detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, who still have their own television shows and movies today. Her most famous play, The Mousetrap, premiered in 1952 and has played in England for 61 years, making it the world's longest running play.
The Mousetrap is a cozy mystery set after World War II in a newly renovated guesthouse, Monkswell Manor. The guesthouse is owned and run by young married couple Giles and Mollie Ralston (Aidan deSalaiz and Trish Lindström). On Monkswell Manor's first night open for the public, the manor is booked out to five guests: Christopher Wren (Alex McCooeye), an eccentric young architect who fancies nursery rhymes, Mrs. Boyle (Jo Skilton), a highly unlikable woman of high class, Major Metcalf (Terry Belleville), a retired army man who we know little about, Miss Casewell (Shannon Currie), an odd woman who came to England to finish certain unnamed business, and Mr. Paravicini (Tony DeSantis), a mysterious guest who ends up at Monkswell Manor after his car is overturned in a snowdrift.
After a sudden call from the police, Detective Sergeant Trotter (Simon Lee Phillips) arrives on the case, telling the already tense guests that they may all be in danger. After a woman, Mrs. Lyons, was murdered on Culver Street the previous day, Trotter believes that the murderer may be headed to Monkswell Manor. As the snow keeps the guests from leaving the manor, Sergeant Trotter tries to find out which of the guests are in danger, and which one is a murderer. Each guest turns upon the others, wondering how much is really known about the other person, who can be trusted. Can anybody?
This colourful cast of characters gives The Mousetrap the perfect balance of humour and suspense. The casting choices were perfect too. Each of the actors really understands whom they are playing, and it was nice to see some new faces at Theatre Aquarius. While I felt Trish Lindström was a bit over-the-top at times, she excelled in shrouding Mollie with kindness and mystery. But it was Alex McCooeye who really stole the show. His portrayal of Christopher Wren was incredible, creating the perfect balance of eccentricity and suspicion, causing the audience to wonder if this lovable goof ball could really be a murderer.
The set was gorgeous and really looked like it was taken straight out of the late 1940s. I especially loved the snow falling from the large windows of the Great Hall, which made Monkswell Manor feel even cozier. But what really makes The Mousetrap a masterpiece is the ending. Once you've seen The Mousetrap, you become part of The Mousetrap club, an old tradition where you must never reveal the ending to anyone who hasn't seen the play.
So who could it be? Could the murderer be our hosts Mr. and Mrs. Ralston, the unlikable Mrs. Boyle, the kind Major Metcalf, the eccentric Christopher Wren, the odd Miss Casewell, or the strange Mr. Paravicini? Sergeant Trotter is on the case. Join him, as well as our suspects, at Theatre Aquarius, and join The Mousetrap club for yourself.
4.5/5
Photo by Daniel Block
