Playhouse presents a great thread of Canadian culture

By Alan Charlton

Many, many years ago, shortly after emigrating from Great Britain, I saw my first truly Canadian theatre production, MY FUR LADY.

In it there was a skit in which the English ambassador was discussing Canada with his American counterpart. When asked what a Canadian was, the Englishman replied that the problem with Canadians was that they spend half their time explaining to Americans that they aren’t English, and the other half explaining to the English that they aren’t American, with the result that they have no time left to be themselves.

While the line may have been intended for comic effect, it certainly did highlight the difficulty of knowing precisely what is means to be Canadian.

In a very real sense, the current production at the Playhouse of David S. Young’s NO GREAT MISCHIEF, based on the novel by Alistair MacLeod, does, however, indicate one way by which people become aware of their particular identity.

By the telling of stories of their history, by the handing down of those stories so that they take on a kind of mythological import, units of people build a sense of commonality. Whether the stories be tragic or comic, they become the group’s tradition and a way for the group to identify itself.

In this case, a Cape Breton family, the Ruadhs, finds itself bound together by its past glory as its members recall the family history. Their grandfather made the heroic journey to Cape Breton against all odds (accompanied by a faithful dog). There are tragedies, including the deaths of parents of the present Calum boys, and moments of comedy, including the removal of a man’s tooth at sea.

As the play progresses and the brothers Calum and Alexander struggle with the vicissitudes of their own private lives (including Calum’s struggle with alcohol) and the dangers of life at sea and in the mines, one sees how the stories are going to be added to for future generations, making still clearer the family identity. Giving all this even grater resonance is the family’s culture of music and dancing, which expresses for the family its own experience.

All of this is presented in a compelling fashion on a bare stage with minimal props. True, the play is perhaps weakened by its structure, with the first act essentially devoted to the past, and the second to the present, when it would, in the light of the theme of the significance of storytelling, be more logical to see them as an ever-present unity.

However, as an evocation of people in a particular place establishing their particular identity, NO GREAT MISCHIEF will not only appeal to people from or familiar with Cape Breton, but to anyone attempting to understand what it means to be Canadian.

Canada, this grand, sprawling country, is not so much an identity but a tapestry made up of several identities, which has been woven in a cultural, geographic, and historical setting. One of the great threads of that culture is arrestingly presented in this play at the Playhouse.

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Another of the great threads in that tapestry which is Canada is the story of the French Canadians, and anyone interested in seeing how that played at a particular time in a particular place would do well to see the film THE ROCKET.

Everyone recognizes the importance of hockey and the role it plays in determining the Canadian identity. What perhaps is less well known is the significant contribution to furthering that identity made by “Rocket” Richard, a superb player for the Montreal Canadians in the 1940s and 1950s.

Richard, a poor factory worker, found himself in a position of economic subjugation; as he strove to lift himself out of this by playing hockey, he proved himself to be one of the greatest hockey players of all time, but also the subject of a great deal of racism by an Anglophone establishment which resented his success.

Though by nature withdrawn and liable to be seen as stupid because of his inarticulateness, in the end Richard, a fighter and a man of enormous self-respect, decided that he could not continue to withdraw into his world of no comment. In the end, he spoke loudly, intelligently and tellingly of the racism to which he and others of his team mates were subjected.

By so doing, he made a large contribution to the development of the Quebec identity, even prompting a riot in Montreal when he was suspended as a result of a fight on the ice. Unlike in more recent incidents, there is no doubt at all that Richard was truly a victim.

This, and much more, is beautifully revealed in this gripping film biography of Richard. There are times when the film falters. For example the account of his strained relationship with his wife’s family is given much prominence but little satisfactory explanation, so that his attitude towards his brother-in-law, which borders on the callous and cruelly cold, seems to be at odds with the man of principle which the film attempts to depict.

However, in its presentation of an era when hockey players were far from being millionaires, wore suits and ties when travelling, and actually shaved before appearing in public, the film shows much of interest, including the transition from radio to television sports broadcasting.

This film is not simply about hockey and to be enjoyed only by fans of hockey, however. It beautifully captures an era as well as the excitement and dangers of hockey when players did not wear helmets. It helps us to understand in part why hockey has assumed such enormous importance in our national identity.

More important, however, this excellent film, with a truly solid cast and a stellar performance by Roy Dupuis in the title role, makes us aware of one of Canada’s great legendary figures and how he related to the culture of his time and contributed to the culture which developed.

The B.C. rating is PG. Warning: violence, coarse language.

It is significant that plays like NO GREAT MISCHIEF and films like THE ROCKET are being presented to Canadian audiences, for such presentations too form part of that great story tradition which helps to establish national identity.

Stories are important for building a sense of who a family or community or nation is. Such stories as these, in whatever genre they are told, help Canadians to see who they are.

Because Canada is such an immense land with so much diversity, it has an enormous range of such stories to tell. It is essential, therefore, that we support the arts, as they continue to make us aware of our collective history and contribute to a greater understanding, for ourselves and others, of just what it means to be a Canadian.