The "Blood Relations" Review

Bronwyn Steinberg is an emerging director on the Ottawa theatre scene. In fact, her 2009 Ottawa Fringe Festival show was recently nominated for a Rideau Award for best adaptation. I have had several conversations with this young director following opening nights at the National Arts Center, where she interns. Steinberg is a friendly, intelligent and vibrant woman who is an absolute joy to talk to about theatre. It was for these reasons that I eagerly set off to see Bronwyn and Unicorn Theatre's latest project: Sharon Pollock's Blood Relations at the University of Ottawa.

Pollock's Blood Relations is a re-imagining of events surrounding a notorious murder where Lizzy Borden was accused of murdering her parents with an axe. Pollock's script is less concerned with whether or not Lizzy actually committed these crimes (noting that she was acquitted). Instead, she is interested in the question of whether other women in Lizzy's place would be capable of such a crime. According to Pollock, in a society where women are denied power and choices, is it unreasonable for someone like Lizzy to take such drastic action? Pollock sets this question up by having Lizzy (Michelle Leblanc) propose to an actress (Katelin Richards) that they act out Lizzy's story with the actress playing Lizzy while Lizzy plays her maid.

Bronwyn has a done a marvellous job of using the depth of Academic Hall's stage to her advantage, which results in a visually engaging performance. This is complemented by Ivo Valentik's impressive two-level set with a large dramatic staircase.

The costume design seemed odd for the play. The actors are wearing period costumes but the top and bottom halves have been painted over. Perhaps this was done to suggest an ethereal quality to the characters (who are being imagined by Lizzy and the actress). For those of us near the front, though, it looked as if the cast had stumbled into wet paint before hitting the stage.

On opening night, many of the performances were uneven, but there were also several strong performances. Kelly Rigole does a marvellous job as Abigail Borden, Lizzy's stern step-mother; she is a lot of fun to watch. Gavin Smith is equally adept with his portrayal of the flirtatious Irishman, Dr. Patrick. While on opening night Michelle Leblanc's Irish accent wavered slightly during her portrayal of Lizzy's maid, overall her performance was very strong.

Unicorn Theatre's Blood Relations is an interesting take on Sharon Pollock's well known play, and Bronwyn is clearly an emerging director on the local scene. Go check Blood Relations out for yourself.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Write comment

Email Name		Title Comment smaller | bigger
		I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage. Write the displayed characters Add Comment