Last night GC and I went to the opening night performance of They All Do It, a play produced by Odyssey Theatre.
I’m not someone who has their ear to the ground when it comes to theatre, so I’d never even heard of Odyssey until they emailed me an invitation a couple of weeks ago. (This is one of the perks of being a blogger – every now and then, somebody gives you something. Just for being a blogger. So far I’ve gotten free books, tickets to plays and movies, and a coupon for free kitty litter.)
So. Odyssey Theatre is in its 24th season and its Theatre Under the Stars stage is in Strathcona Park. It’s a lovely, comfy, informal setting. The weather last night was ideal for sitting outside and watching a play. (GC and I, incidentally, went to a free concert of the National Arts Centre orchestra at Lebreton Park last Sunday, and we’ve decided we love doing these kinds of things outside in the fresh air instead of indoors. It’s a whole different feel, and it’s better.)
They All Do It was written by Janet Irwin, an Ottawa playwright, as part of Odyssey’s New Play Creation Program. It was two hours long, with a 20-minute intermission, and I never looked at my watch once. It kept me fully engaged. It was about youth, love, desire, idealism and cynicism. The audience laughed often and heartily (fortunately it was a comedy), and the acting was excellent. I particularly enjoyed the performances of the actress who played Lark (Emma Hunter), and the actress who played Despina (Kelly Rigole). (Despina was an ‘older woman’ of 30.)
Even though GC and I both enjoyed the play and laughed a lot, we weren’t crazy about the underlying storyline. The story itself just didn’t resonate with us. Surprisingly, that didn’t seem to matter. In fact, I didn’t even notice it until after the fact, when we were discussing the play. The storyline was secondary to the the characters, the acting, the dialogue and the humour, all of which fully entertained and amused us.
If you get a chance, go see it. It really is a lot of fun. It’s playing from now until August 29th. Ticket information is here and there’s a Pay-What-You-Can Sunday matinee each week.
Yay Odyssey! I grew up right along side Odyssey, in fact we’re the same age! The shows of my childhood were pure magic (partly I think also because of the heavy Asian dance/theatre influences of the Artistic Director, that aren’t really there any more)
Still there’s nothing quite like spending an evening getting progressively more eaten, and cold by the river, and not caring one bit.
At least half of my fondest childhood memories of theatre come from Odyssey, the other half from a Company of Fools (in the days where I was frequently one of 3 people in the audience, not the couple hundred per show that they get now!)
Arden, you know why that’s amazing? Because last night we drove out to Almonte to catch Company of Fools performing A Midsummer Night’s Dream, outside at the Herb Garden! Then I got home and read your comment.
LOL! I go in phases of catching lots of live theatre or not at all. Summer is always a better theatre season for me
I loved Odyssey when I was living in Ottawa.
I actually worked for the Fools and then Odyssey when I was in my teens too. Working for Odyssey is what led me to the company I still work for, on and off, and plenty of others too. (We used to have board of directors meetings for the Fools in our living room, so I knew them pretty well, and started volunteering for them at the ripe old age of 13! lol)