The lines: “Blow, blow, thou winter wind! Thou art not so unkind as man’s ingratitude…” quoted from Shakespeare’s As You Like It by Ed Kuhn in his play Tamarack, which opened Friday at Asparagus Community Theatre, aptly summed up Kuhn’s plot.
If the leading character, Henry Weiss (George Young), had given up his dream of becoming a recognized poet living in seclusion in a Canadian backwater, and had instead acknowledged his wife’s pleas to leave the dangerous, draughty log house that he built there, all would have ended well. But that is not the case. And therein lies the conflict, comedy and pathos in Tamarack.
Audience members are greeted by falling “snow” as they enter. It settles on the forestage. Behind it, the innovative set smells of the logs that went to build it. However, there is one synthetic beam that spans the entire stage area. It is as intrinsic to the plot as is the wind and snow.
The huge piece of plastic piping at its core, has been covered, painted and finished to look exactly like a Tamarack tree trunk by Molly March, of Caravan Farm Theatre fame. March says she used everything, from rags to pipe lagging, to create the log texture. And the result is totally convincing.
Its presence, along with the sound of its creaking, accompanied by that of the howling wind which is augmented each time the front door opens, and stops with the same well-timed accuracy, whenever the door shuts, creates a poignant backdrop to the action.
And, as mentioned, the action revolves around one man’s ingratitude … and his stubbornness, to the extent that he prefers to shiver in sub-zero temperatures rather than pay to replace the electricity pole that has succumbed to the force of the wind.
The 50-year relationship between Henry and his wife, Annie, is written and directed with glimpses of Harold Pinter’s insight.
Annie Weiss is played with laid-back ease by Beverley Peacock who, according to the program note, has also worked with Caravan Farm Theatre, playing third witch in the unmentionable play. Her acting claim to fame with Asparagus is as the camel with wrinkled knees in Raggedy Anne and Andy.
Although this is her first major role with the company, she holds her own with a perky intelligence and grand sense of comic timing.
Speaking of timing, Paul Kirkwood-Hackett, as the couple’s opportunistic but kind-hearted neighbour, plays deliciously with Young in the second act when the two men banter over what’s to be done when Annie leaves for more comfortable quarters.
It is easy to imagine how the pace will pick up as the actors ingest their lines. There are so many. Yet there never seem to be too many, despite the fact that the entire action takes place in the cabin and most of it is swamped in dialogue.
With a little more tweaking by director Bea Kirkwood-Hackett who also designed the set, with well chosen music to accompany scene changes, the play is assured of success when it opens the Okanagan Zone Drama Festival on Saturday. Meanwhile, cast, crew, and production team are all to be congratulated on an entirely enjoyable evening.
Tamarack runs until Friday at Armstrong’s Centennial Hall. Call 250-546-0950 for tickets.
–– Christine Pilgrim is a freelance writer and actress living in Vernon, B.C. who is a regular contributor to The Morning Star.
