Tuesdays & Sundays

SANWAL CBC

Tuesdays & Sundays A one-act drama by Daniel Arnold and Medina Hahn. Long ago, two innocents fell in love. Now in limbo, they awake to reveal what really happened – what lasts an evening, a few months, what dies, what remains forever. One of the more elegant and original entries in the Fringe this year was this two-hander, set on Prince Edward Island in 1887, about a tragic young Canadian couple. First produced in the Edinburgh Fringe, and "narrated from the grave," the play is a mostly unsurprising 45 minutes about a young couple who fall deeply in love despite parental disapproval and then meet a horrible end. That's right, it's "Romeo and Juliet," rural Canadian style, set very long ago. There are some structural flaws here as well—the couple appears to be so deeply in love at first that it is difficult to believe the inevitable plot entanglements. Nevertheless, the piece enchants on a number of levels. The writers, Daniel Arnold and Medina Hahn, who also performed, are somehow able to convince us that these characters are brought back from 125 years ago. The writers have done their research on this period, and they have also done magnificently well with the argot used here, a satisfyingly poetic blend of the contemporary and the archaic, with a good deal of imagery tossed in. But what makes the piece especially interesting is the means by which the story is told. The actors jump from narration to character seamlessly, sometimes finishing each other's words to delightful effect. And the self-directed acting, under the direction of dramaturge Wojtek Kozlinski, was superb and extremely polished. As Mary, Hahn was the essence of blushing innocence and hopeful yearning. As William, Arnold was likewise especially earnest and sweet. The simple set, as designed by Catherine Mudryk, was also worth noting. The series of tiny hanging lanterns, dropping down sporadically and creating a haunting yellow light, somehow proved a perfect metaphor for the delicate nature of young love. [backstage.com] Sunday Showcase - 03-05-25  Vancouver  origination

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.