May

20

A Night of Love! Valour! Compassion!

Filed Under Gay Entertainment, Theatre 

Over the weekend, my partner, a couple of friends and I headed out of town and went to see the Vancouver Island Players Society’s production of Terrence McNally’s Love! Valour! Compassion!

Vancouver Island Players Society presents: Love! Valour! Compassion! by Terrence McNally - Directed & Produced by John FoxWe opted for the dinner and show on Saturday night which is playing at Lady Smith’s Little Theatre in Ladysmith until May 24th.

Background / Synopsis:

Love! Valour! Compassion! was written by Terrence McNally and premiered off-Broadway at the Manhattan Theatre Club in 1994, where it ran for 72 performances before moving to the Walter Kerr Theatre where it enjoyed a run of 248 performances. In 1997, a movie based on the play was released under the same name.*

The story is told in three acts and revolves around eight gay friends who spend three holiday weekends, (Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day) together at a house in upstate New York.

The story itself is told by the eight men and bit by bit we see these friends renew old friendships, make new acquaintances and loves, plot, love, have sex, affairs and cry on one another’s shoulders.

The cast of characters who come together in this story include: Gregory (Earle Gibson) a choreographer struggling with his aging body; Bobby (Scott Mercer) Gregory’s blind lover. Arthur (Vincent Wells) and Perry (Stewart Seaward) are an accountant and lawyer who have been a couple for over a decade. John (Bruce Mason) is an angry, bitter, British music composer, who no one really likes. James (also played by Bruce Mason) a costume designer, is John’s identical twin brother whom everyone takes to and has AIDS. Ramon (David Jowsey) is a hot, young Latino dancer who’s nothing but trouble. Buzz (Rick Myers) lives for musicals, show biz trivia and very campy. He is also living with AIDS.

With men like these holed up together in a country estate there’s bound to be a bit of drama and intrigue, and so there is.

My thoughts about the play:

I’ve seen Love! Valour! Compassion! once before performed by another local theatre group and I’ve also seen the movie. However, I haven’t seen in it in quite awhile and so I was excited to see The Vancouver Island Players Society version of it. The show was directed and produced by John Fox.

I was also interested to see, if the play still held up and was still relevant. In answer to that question, I personally feel that it is indeed still relevant and that the play has held up well. Some of the people that are referenced are people that are from the early 90’s, although in a few instances the lines were slightly modified to bring them more up to date. (Hillary Clinton for instance is mentioned as a strong contender in one of the lines.) Also, I felt that the AIDS storylines were still very relevant given how many people are still suffering from this horrific disease and given some of the present day feelings and attitudes towards it and people living with it.

Personally, I immersed myself in the whole experience of the evening. From the whole aspect of getting out of town, going to a small theatre, having a nice buffet dinner in a cabaret setting of sorts, and enjoying a play with a story that is moving.

There were a few awkward moments and a couple of beats missed and the casting of some of the parts seemed a little off age wise but overall, I really enjoyed myself and the production.

In spite of those things, I barely noticed them and just enjoyed the drama and story being told. And indeed there were some really good moments. Moments when everything just came together perfectly and one felt empathy with John or laughed with delight at Buzz’s antics or shocked at Perry’s outburst. Or, wanted to get a better look at Arthur, Buzz, Gregory and Ramon’s ‘finer assets’… OK, so I would have wanted to see those parts regardless… My point is; I enjoyed watching this play.

Anyway, if you’re a Vancouver Islander, I highly recommend that you see this production of Love! Valour! Compassion! before it closes. And I also recommend that should another theatre company put this play on in your local area, that you jump at the chance to go and see it.

Love! Valour! Compassion!
Now playing at Lady Smith’s Little Theatre until May 24th.
4985 Christie Road, Ladysmith, BC
Tickets and Info:
250-618-5543
www.ladysmithslittletheatre.com

* Reference Note: Wikipedia: Love! Valour! Compassion!

AddThis Social Bookmark Button