1979 was an important year for many reasons. Margaret Thatcher was elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, commencing the Soviet-Afghan War. Sony released the first Walkman.
And, of course, Joe Clark was elected Prime Minister of Canada.
As Canada’s youngest Prime Minister, Clark had some big shoes to fill. Pierre-Elliot Trudeau had been in power for the past 11 years, and Canadians across the country were looking for a change and a new direction for the country.
The Phoenix Players’ production of 1979 paints Joe Clark in a slightly different light. The show takes place on the infamous (failed) budget vote—ostensibly the most critical day of Clark’s political career. Members of his party, plus members of the opposition and others who happen to be around, visit Joe Clark’s office, offering him recommendations, advice, warnings, and opinions, in light of the upcoming vote. This vote, as Canadians know, fell on a non-confidence motion, and Trudeau’s Liberals were re-elected not long after.
Poster for 1979. Photo courtesy of Instagram.
As someone not around in 1979, I appreciated the information projected on the back of the stage. At the beginning of each scene, the characters involved are introduced, and relevant historical information is provided. These projections are informative and humorous, providing the audience with the necessary information and a few good laughs.
Maxim Ferron stole the show with his larger-than-life depiction of Pierre-Elliot Trudeau. Buzzed from the Liberal party’s party, and wielding a chainsaw, Ferron perfectly embodied the role of Trudeau, and perfectly expressed why Trudeaumania was so prevalent.
Taking on the difficult role of Joe Clark himself, Logan Indeway commands the stage and becomes the centre of everything. He is something akin to the sun, with everyone else feeding off of him and orbiting around him. Heather Evans stuns as the formidable Flora MacDonald. As Canada’s first woman foreign minister, MacDonald is a powerful woman, and Evans portrays her splendidly.
Cast of 1979. Photo provided from Instagram.
The costumes, a collaborative effort by the crew of 1979, were authentic, consistent, and reliably good. Each of the members of parliament wore a sharp, well-fitted suit. However, they were not all the same—each character’s clothes subtly express their age, status, and confidence in themselves.
The set, designed by John Marcoux, was remarkably ordinary—exactly how one would imagine the inside of a Prime Minister’s office to look, particularly a prime minister who only occupied the office for ten months. The set is simple, but the attention to detail is apparent. From a portrait of her majesty Queen Elizabeth, to a crystal ashtray, to the high-back red leather chairs, it is clear that the items that comprise the set were meticulously chosen and displayed.
The only thing that stood out amongst the ordinary set is Joe Clark’s speaker system, which he uses to play his music at various times throughout the show. When Clark loses the election to Trudeau, this speaker is removed in a long and silent scene, symbolic of Clark’s removal from office.
Overall, the Phoenix Players’ production of 1979 was a rousing success, bringing an important day in Canada’s history to life and doing so exceptionally well.
1979 was performed at the Gladstone Theatre from April 25 to May 3.
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