THEATRE REVIEW: SERIOUS MONEY
17 Aug'10

JOHN COULBOURN - QMI Agency
Rating: 5 out of 5

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE -- Regardless of what Shaw Festival patrons may think of Caryl Churchill's SERIOUS MONEY -- and smart money suggests opinions are going to be all over the chart -- one thing is certain: Everyone is going to agree that it is an impressive vehicle to demonstrate the fest's blue-chip acting ensemble.

A number of patrons used a well-placed interval as an excuse to flee Churchill's profanity-laced, left-wing screed against Thatcherism and greed at Saturday night's opening performance in the intimate Studio Theatre. Most of those who stayed left the theatre impressed, even amazed, at the the breadth and depth of the ensemble so carefully assembled here over the years, first by erstwhile artistic director Christopher Newton, and more recently by his successor Jackie Maxwell, whose contract as artistic director has recently been renewed.

For those who like a bit of spice with their theatre, this can be considered an endorsement, of sorts, of Maxwell's courage and vision in programming works such as Churchill's delightfully vicious dissection of the immoral world of international finance -- despite all it has done for us lately. Written in 1987, this is the work's Canadian professional première. And for all that SERIOUS MONEY was written and is firmly rooted in another era, its portrayal of the chicanery and immorality at the heart of international money is going to ring terribly and truly contemporary to anyone who has watched helplessly over the past year as the world economy teeters on the edge of a terrifying abyss.

Director Eda Holmes is in charge here. She wastes little time in proving it, claiming the playing-court setting created by Peter Hartwell (who designed both MONEY's London premiere and the subsequent New York production) with assurance, launching into Churchill's often incomprehensible, usually profane and always compelling tale of murder and mayhem, told primarily in rhyming couplets. As we are launched into the world she has created by our narrator, Zackerman, a young market hotshot beautifully played by Ali Momen, a bit of order begins to emerge. What started out as a who-dunnit slowly morphs into a why-dunnit as Scilla Todd (Marla McLean) the sister of a murdered deal maker (Ken James Stewart) tries to track down who killed her brother and, more importantly in this world of greed, what happened to the money he had amassed.

Before it all ends, with the audience still not terribly clear, one suspects, about who is responsible for the young man's death, what happened to his money and why he died, Holmes -- in full collaboration with the playwright -- has rubbed our noses in the fascinating world of high finance. It is a world of greed where run-of-the-mill, dog-eat-dog survival seems not only awfully civilized but even terribly naive.

And along the way we've seen Shaw Festival veterans such as David Schurmann, Anthony Bekenn and Lorne Kennedy not just rub shoulders with rising stars like Graeme Somerville, Helen Taylor and Steven Sutcliff and emerging talents like Momen, Stewart and McLean but fuse with them in an impressive ensemble. They're all capable of the challenges these roles demand. And best of all, with artists such as Nicola Correia-Damude, Kyle Blair, Ijeoma Emesowum and a bevy of others showing so much promise, the future at Shaw seems secure, particularly with Maxwell at the helm.

As for the play itself, SERIOUS MONEY seems to be a work for serious theatre lovers looking for a dish that is simultaneously raw and well done. If you go to the theatre to escape, give it a pass (or at least, consider yourself warned), but if you're addicted to theatre that brings you to life, SERIOUS MONEY is worth your serious attention.