Laura and Samara spend their days as non-profit unicorns and fill every spare minute exploring the world of musical theatre as BFFs (that’s Broadway Friends Forever). Follow @bffs613 on X, Instagram and Facebook.
The suspenseful play An Act of Grace is running at the Ottawa Little Theatre —a perfect time for a little intrigue and mystery during these unusually hot June days. When the mysterious and wealthy Grace invites a former golf pro turned financial advisor and a lawyer with sordid secrets to her mansion, her dying wish forces the two men to unexpected extremes.
Written by Ottawa playwright and actor John Muggleton, the show covers a single day that seems to go from bad to worse. With moments of narration by financial advisor Chuck, his character takes us through events, keeping audiences as in the dark as Chuck himself. Currently living a life of deception, we are brought early on into Chuck’s struggles as he argues with his wife over money. It becomes clear very quickly that Chuck has been on a downward spiral and does not know how to pull himself out of it.
The story is mainly set in the lavish home of Grace, whose family money is evident throughout the artwork on the walls, fancy furniture and expensive liquor in the corner. Though relatively unchanging, the set masterfully sets the scene and plays with dimension to bring you directly into the room. However, the transitions to blackout with often minimal set changes seemed unnecessary and mostly interrupted the pacing of the show. The powerful set design stands on its own and has the ability to smoothly transition from scene to scene without the need for full-stage blackouts.
Photo by Maria Vartanova.
Led by a four-person cast, each have a key role to play in where our protagonist Chuck ends up. Heavy with suspense and thrill, each character also brings moments of humour and levity that have the audience laughing even through the grimmest moments. Venetia Lawless (Grace) certainly stood out as she owned the room the moment she walked onstage. The story was certainly not predictable, even when at several moments throughout the show we were sure we knew where it was going – which was very refreshing.
The show is only about 80 minutes long, and unusually had a shorter first half than the second, but there might have been an issue with the intermission the evening we attended as it was nearly 30 minutes long, despite being listed as 20. The break in the show feels unnatural and with such a concise run-time and strong pacing of dialogue and scene movement, it didn’t feel like it was something the show needed. We easily felt we could have sat straight through to discover the ending, which felt like the perfect wrap-up to a roller coaster of a show.
A tale full of twists and turns, the audience questions what it means to be a good person, how to make the right choices, what redemption really looks like, and if, in fact, the house always wins. Things are not as they seem and a surprise lurks around every corner of this show. A mystery for the ages, it’s worth catching this one before its time in Ottawa runs out!
Rating (out of 5): ★★★★
An Act of Grace runs until June 29. Shows are Wednesdays to Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinees at 2:30 pm. The show runs 1 hour and 30 minutes, including a 20-minute intermission. There will be talkbacks with playwright John Muggleton following the performances on Friday, June 21, and Saturday, June 22. Audience members are invited to remain in the auditorium for a discussion and Q & A. Tickets are $30, $26 for seniors aged 60+, or $14 for students. This production includes mature themes and strong language.
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