Centaur Theatre Company

MATT RADZ The Gazette
Published: Saturday, November 10, 2007
THEATRE REVIEW
THE SYRINGA TREE

While waiting for Surette, 'tour de force solo' fills nicely

Already adept at the artistic equivalent of treading water long before I was assigned to act as this newspaper's theatre watchdog, Centaur has now added "marking time" to its repertoire.

For once, the play, Pamela Gien's American theatre hit The Syringa Tree, which opened to much applause and great admiration Thursday night, is not really the thing.

The play is okay; in fact it comes here packing its own suitcase of glowing reviews. The thing is, every hungry drama queen, thirsty veteran and hopeful tyro in town looking for stage work, not a small number by the way, is now awaiting the moving van from Victoria, B.C. that will signal the official arrival of Centaur's next boss, Roy Surette.

The outgoing executive and artistic director, Gordon McCall, programmed, presciently as it turned out, two ready-made travelling stage hits to smooth, well, the fancy word for it would be the "interregnum."

The Syringa Tree and the next offering (in February), a production of John Mighton's Half Life directed by Daniel Brooks, are fine, even excellent. But they're the kind of sure-bet shows a regional house like Centaur picks when it does not want to overtax its imagination or, as in this case, looks to purchase time. The artistic challenge in choosing such well-done, but worn material is equivalent to programming a jukebox at a suburban singles bar.

Gien's tale of growing up white in South Africa between 1963 and the end of apartheid has received four- and five-star raves ever since this same production, directed by Larry Moss, was created early in 1999 in Seattle and went on to conquer off-Broadway, London, Toronto and Vancouver. Originally performed by its author, The Syringa Tree is also one of those low-overhead deals, where a single actor tackles all the parts.

Caroline Cave, who took over the multi-task, 26-character role about three years ago, received enthusiastic applause from Centaur's first nighters for her non-stop 105 minute-performance so dynamic, in fact frantic, it was exhausting to witness.

Of course, a great package like this makes everyone's job easy; even a watchdog can close his eyes. Instant quotes from big-deal news outfits grow like berries on The Syringa Tree: "The work is a virtuoso piece" (New York Daily News); "Astonishing, affecting with a heartbreaking conclusion" (Associated Press); "A tour de force solo" (New Yorker); "Stuns with the power of a gut punch" (New York Times). You get the trend.

I, too was stunned. And the line that really struck home came early on when Elizabeth, the relentlessly cute little-girl central character/narrator, talks about getting scolded by her mother for being hyperactive after eating too much sugar. I kept thinking of Cave's performance, which kept up its extraordinary velocity for another hour and a half, leaping from one character to another faster than you can bat an eye.

So who needs a local crit, especially when you have that ultimate arbiter of popular American taste, Oprah herself, singing your colonial play's praises - "The Syringa Tree is a revelation! As huge and grand as an opera but as intimate as a ballet."

The Syringa Tree by Pamela Gien, directed by Larry Moss and performed by Carolyn Cave, until Dec. 2 at Centaur Theatre, 453 St. Franois Xavier St., 514-288-3161.
mradz@thegazette.canwest.com