by Norm Foster
Starring Norm Foster, David Nairn and Erin MacKinnon
 
Directed by Derek Ritschel
 
 

"A sure fire hit." -- Kincardine Record

"The play is certain to become a staple in Canadian theatre." -- The Record.com

"Foster’s dialogue doesn’t just snap, crackle and sparkle. It probes, digs in and sometimes reveals the characters as edgy provocateurs. The exchanges are frank, funny and at times daringly subversive." -- Halifax Chronicle Herald

 
 

"Jonas and Barry in the Home is one of those too few scripts, rare productions that will turn first-timers into theatre fans." -- Orangeville Banner

"It is live theatre of the first order; equal parts hilarity and heartache. Just sit back and enjoy the ride." -- The Wellington Advertiser

 
 
"Nairn is hilarious, and that’s not an overstatement." -- Orangeville Banner
 
"MacKinnon is both nuanced and bold." --Waterloo Record
 
"Jonas’ role as a former actor and flamboyant ladies’ man is inhabited by Foster with rich flourishes." -- Halifax Chronicle Herald
 
"Director Derek Ritschel does a great job milking some of Foster’s more ribald humour by letting some running jokes run on until the humour dangles into the territory of the absurd." -- Halifax Chronicle Herald
 
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REVIEW!!
Dialogue pops in Jonas and Barry
 
RON FOLEY MACDONALD Published January 26, 2018, Halifax, NS.
 
Must-see play on Neptune Theatre’s mainstage until Feb. 11
 
Norm Foster and David Nairn perform a scene from Jonas & Barry. (RYAN TAPLIN)
 

The opportunity to see Canada’s most-produced playwright, Norm Foster, in one of his own plays is must-see theatre by any stretch of the imagination.

At Neptune’s mainstage until Feb. 11, Jonas and Barry In the Home is an appropriately minimalist production that delivers maximum humour with a dash of sentimentality. The result is a fully realized vision of Foster’s extraordinary dramatic finesse. With only three actors in play — and virtually no theatrical flash such as fancy lighting, projection or complex sound design — Foster’s mastery of everyday conflict takes centre stage.

The playwright’s specialty of concentrating on the struggle of the average Joe and Josephine as they wrestle with disappointing lives, broken marriages and deflated dreams is on full display in Jonas and Barry In the Home. While the story deals with diminished lives in an assisted-care facility, the humour and humanity is up front.

Two elderly men — the Barry and Jonas of the title — meet as relatively new arrivals in the home. Barry’s daughter Rosie is the third character, an employee of the facility who organizes recreation activities and acts as a “lifestyle” director. Foster’s dialogue doesn’t just snap, crackle and sparkle. It probes, digs in and sometimes reveals the characters as edgy provocateurs. There’s a great deal of discussion about withered body parts, elderly love and sex, and repeated references to incontinence. The exchanges are frank, funny and at times daringly subversive. And yet the ultimate message of Jonas and Barry In the Home is surprisingly uplifting. Foster uses his characters to face down many of the fears and cliches we hold about aging, urging people to live their lives to the fullest while we can. It’s a remarkable piece of writing, more proof that Norm Foster is easily the Canadian equivalent of America’s Neil Simon or Britain’s Alan Ayckbourn.

There’s a terrific sense of balance in this particular production of Jonas and Barry In the Home, despite the fact that the playwright is in the cast. The three actors square off in the single, unchanging set with spare lighting and only a smattering of ring-a-ding-ding-era songs (Sinatra, Bobby Darin) to cover scene changes.

Director Derek Ritschel does a great job milking some of Foster’s more ribald humour by letting some running jokes run on until the humour dangles into the territory of the absurd. Spiced by a couple of genuinely dramatic scenes, the play comes off as a gentle but moving examination of contemporary life, punctuated by a great deal of laughter.

David Nairn, as Barry, and Erin MacKinnon, as Rosie, get to bookend the play while Foster — as Jonas — provides a more theatrical entry and exit. Jonas’ role as an amiable blowhard, former actor and flamboyant ladies’ man is inhabited by Foster with rich flourishes and a curious, staccato delivery. Nairn’s curmudgeonly and timorous Barry comes to life only once the play has reached its climax. And yet the to-and-fro between Jonas and Barry provides the heart of the drama and its most poetic moments. MacKinnon’s Rosie gives a grounding counterpoint as the younger and more realistic character whose own struggles emerge toward the end of the play. MacKinnon also responds nicely to the excess of male bluster, marking the play with a slightly sharper edge.

Beckie Morris’ monumental set design places the action on the back veranda of a vaguely institutional building that blends several beige colour schemes into one reassuring visuality. Vandy Simpson seems to have the most fun of anyone in the creative team with her lux costume changes, from Barry’s initial dumpy housecoat/trackpant combo to his flashy suit-and-tie transformation to Jonas’ onstage entry as a Noel Coward-style fop complete with a cream-coloured hat and jacket. And while Neptune’s full staging force was toned down for this production, it certainly didn’t make Jonas and Barry In the Home any less enjoyable.

Judging by the laughter generated in the audience on opening night, I’d say that Norm Foster’s reign as Canada’s most popular playwright is likely to keep on running for some time to come.