This is a show that does what good theatre should, taking you completely away from yourself and immersing you in someone else’s story, besides providing a friendly mirror on your own experience. Director Sarah Hearn brings the loveable Goodbye Piccadilly, to the Ottawa Little Theatre. With a pitch perfect script written by Ottawa-raised screenwriter and playwright Douglas Bowie this is an adventure about family, in all its forms.
The story begins with Bess and “Brick” Brickley, a couple married 47 years who have always been good at keeping up appearances as inn keepers and community leaders in small town Ontario. To Bess, everything is settled and predictable and she’s sure she knows all there is to know about her beloved husband. So when he’s found dead in Leicester Square instead of Algonquin Park where he’s gone the same time every year, troubling questions emerge. That is just the setup though and it’s all I can tell you because anything more would take away from all the surprises.
The background feels very familiar and very Canadian with references to the Order of Canada, Algonquin Park and with some British culture sprinkled in. All this makes the story feel cozy even before we reach the parts about family.
Though the program bills the play as a comedy/drama, the role of songs in this production nearly makes it a musical. Music director Skye MacDiarmid and sound designer Lindsay Wilson have done wonderful work in this production. Whether war songs, show tunes or war-era instrumental jazz, the live and pre-recorded music was exceptional in setting the mood. This was especially true for the music between scenes that held us inside the world of the show. Plus there’s a kind of magic about a theatre full of people singing along which happened often the night I went. Dave Magladry’s lighting design also does a great job of accentuating shifts in emotional tone.
Andi Cooper shines as the ever chipper Cecil McCooey, with a great British accent and spot-on gestures. Arlene Watson (Kitty McCooey) sings beautifully and with a plaintiveness to suit her character whose lot it is to be bright in the face of heavy hardships. Joyce Landry’s Bobbi is a lively, engaging character who wins you over in spite of her flaws while Janet Uren (Bess) brings a great sense of repression in her forceful portrayal of a woman bound by small town conventions. Mike Kennedy fills out the cast with a dynamic take on the ghost of Brick, full of inner conflict and regrets.
The director and the actors expertly navigate some choppy waters in staging this play that features tricky things like multiple flashbacks, a nightmare where things get loopy, and some powerful emotions. The cast pulls off all of it without shaking our involvement in the story. Occasional line fumbles can be forgiven especially since almost all of them occurred in emotionally charged moments where even “real” people might stumble on their words.
My favourite scene is Bess’ nightmare in which three of the main actors have to completely break character to play out Bess’ worst fears about the new people in her life. It’s a interesting device for getting inside a character’s head especially one as tight-lipped as Bess. The pace of the play was just right, neither rushed nor meandering so that it was a surprise when I checked my watch as I headed out and saw how late it had gotten.
With a story full of surprises and lots of humour, great songs, and engaging performances from the entire cast, Goodbye Piccadilly makes for a fun night out, especially with family you haven’t seen in awhile.
Goodbye Piccadilly is on at the Ottawa Little Theatre (400 King Edward Ave) until April 11, 2015. Showtime is 7:30pm. Click here for ticket information
