THEATRE REVIEW: ZADIE'S SHOES
7 MAY/11

JOHN COULBOURN - QMI Agency
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Turns out breaking in isn't something reserved exclusively for new shoes. Case in point: ZADIE'S SHOES, a play by Adam Pettle that, a decade ago thrust the then largely unknown Toronto playwright into the limelight when it premièred on the Factory Theatre mainstage.

Directed by Factory's erstwhile artistic director Jackie Maxwell (now happily ensconced as head of the Shaw Festival) and featuring the playwright's thespian brother Jordan opposite the estimable Kelli Fox in the leading roles, it was so well received that it transferred to the Winter Garden Theatre, where it took a stab at a commercial run. And audiences of all ages seemed to enjoy walking in the shoes of a young man who inherited a gambling addiction from his grandfather — a man who, on the eve of his departure from Poland for Canada, lost his shoes in a game of chance.

Now, a decade on, ZADIE'S SHOES are again pacing the stage of the Factory Theatre, this time under the direction of the playwright and his actor/director brother. And based on the final preview performance (on which this review is based) SHOES still has a lot of traction.

In the pivotal role of Benjamin, a man whose familial problem with gambling is exacerbated by a penchant for losing he also inherited from his grandfather, Joe Cobden may lack the easy loopy grace that marked Jordan Pettle's performance, but he brings an off-centre sort of commitment to the role that seems to work almost as well. Cobden is particularly strong in the scenes he shares with Patricia Fagan, cool and elegant in the role of Benjamin's sweetheart Ruth, an ailing woman frustrated over her boyfriend's love of gambling even while she's preparing to to take a major gamble of her own.

Based on minimal local references, the work is set in Toronto in the present day, which proves to be more than enough to make us terribly grateful that designer Jackie Chau didn't choose urban design as her career. A whole city as awkward and uninhabitable as this set would be all but unliveable.

Still, both William MacDonald (as an edgy refugee from the societal underbelly named Bear) and Harry Nelken (as a sometimes profitable prophet named Eli) manage to make it their home, sharing it comfortably with Cobden and Fagan as the story demands. Ultimately, however, the problems with this production are perhaps best defined by the roles of Ruth's sisters, Lily (Shannon Perreault) and Beth (Lisa Ryder), the former gambling on the hereafter and the latter on the here and now.

In both previous productions, these characters, as well as that of Beth's husband, played by Geoffrey Pounsett, seemed two-dimensional, awakened from his imagination only to showcase the playwright's gift for witty repartee. In this production, they seem to fit much better, but that does not mean their characters have acquired depth under the stewardship of the brothers Pettle.

Rather, it underscores the fact that the whole production seems to exist on a much more shallow plane — one created to showcase the writing, rather than the humanity of the story it tells. This time out, ZADIE'S SHOES might be comfortable for walking, but running? Not so much. Perhaps some resouling is in order.