The Busy World is Hushed...

On Saturday night, my friend AM and I went to see The Busy World is Hushed at Northern Lights Theatre. Last year I bid on seasons' tickets at Walterdale's Silent Auction and I got them. It is part of my mission to check out different theatre companies in Edmonton since I have been less than thrilled with the quality per dollar value at the Citadel. I figured that if I had season's tickets I would be "forced" to go and that would also get me to the some of the shows I read about in the paper. About the show... I found the script very interesting and really enjoyed the discussions about religion. I was less interested in the relationship between the Minister's son and the young writer but I am not sure if that was a fault of the script or the fact that I thought the actor who played the son was miscast and out of his depth in the role. He was unconvincing and I couldn't see the attraction for him. Trevor Schmidt, who played the writer, did all the emotional work in this show. I liked the general quality of the Minister, Hannah (sorry I have forgotten the other two actor's real names) but she also failed to raise the emotional stakes when it was needed. She was excellent with the religious discussion, but I never believed her as the mother of that son. Part of the problem with the show was acting and part was directing. The use of this sound scape was WRONG WRONG WRONG and served only to slow any momentum done. BAD CHOICE, Mr. Director!

Anyhow, It seems that I have torn the show apart. I didn't mean to do that. Trevor Schmidt was very, very good. He was heart-breakingly emotionally committed to the show and his character. The religious discussions alone are worth seeing this show over. Some of the dialogue is stilted but that's the writing. I enjoyed it and am interested in what will come next.

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