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Local Guides
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TOBACCO TROUBADOUR
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by
BRIAN MORTON
April.23-29, 2009 |
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Local music fixture J.P Riemens can be found playing a circuit of bars, coffee houses and concert festival stages any given month of the year. This is hardly news to Hamiltonians; indeed patrons of local establishments like the West Town Tavern on Locke or the Cat and Fiddle on Augusta Street, know precisely who this guy is. Sometimes, they raise their heads from their beer to note that the guy in the corner with the acoustic guitar sure can write a good song. “Play ‘Dover Girl’ again,” they yell, and that, plus the few bucks at the end of the night from the bar’s owner, is likely the most praise that a working musician is ever likely to receive. On a really good night you sell a few CDs; the rest of the time you are just happy if a few dedicated fans have shown up to support you in what is, after all, what you do for a living.
Artword’s Artistic Director Ron Weihs clearly heard more then that while listening to Riemens’ music. What he heard in the songs was a story waiting to be told. The result is Tobacco Troubadour, a clever mix of fact and fiction telling the story of how a young man of Franco–Ontarian descent leaves the family tobacco farm in Langton, Ontario to chase his dreams and the girl who stole his heart.
A slightly smaller version of the regular Artword acting ensemble (Paula Grove, Gordon Odegaard, Tanis MacArthur) are joined in this production by newcomer Ryan Sero, and all of them do excellent work giving balanced and committed performances playing multiple characters. One of the neat things about watching the same cast performing in the three previous Artword shows this season was the opportunity to see the growth of the individual actors involved as they gain confidence and perfect their craft. The high point to me was MacArthur’s excellent performance as Emily, the girl who ran away to find that life was not always greener on the other side of the track. Her performance remained in my memory for a long time after the show.
But what made this particular musical tribute play truly unique and special was the presence of Riemens himself in the play. A bit like the film Being John Malkovich, one wonders who director Weihs could have got to play John Paul Riemens better then the man himself. The answer in this production we discover is Ryan Sero, who plays “Paul”, a 20–year–old version of Riemens and earns well–deserved praise here for his ability to present much of the back–story; basically to explore the heartache and the pain that inspired J.P.’s distinctive songwriting style.
Accompanied here by his usual three–piece band The Barflies, J.P. Riemens’ songs have never sounded so good. And what makes this theatrical rendition of the songs particularly special is the fact that the entire show is played acoustically without any sound amplification. This gives the production a “kitchen table” vibe, which is spot on for the period and the style of the songs.
Sure we have seen many of these troupes before in a hundred other works about the music business, and I spotted subtle allusions to A Hard Day’s Night and Walk The Line, to mention just two. But to this reviewer, Artword Theatre’s new version of the oft–told tale of a life in music is one that is truly authentic, and is chock full of local references that add a hometown resonance to this production.
Tobacco Troubadour gives us both of the things that make a musical play truly great; memorable songs that in this case evoke a specifically Canadian vibe, paired with compelling performances and characters that we care about. The irony of course is that it is left to the small alternative theatre to create this original work within very limited resources, and that makes them vulnerable to the whims of the marketplace. Blink and a show a like this one disappears, which seems a real shame given the sheer work, effort and love that went into creating this little gem of Canadiana. It seems an obvious choice for the Lighthouse Theatre, and they would be crazy not to program this play into some future season, given that almost half of this show takes place within 20 miles of Port Dover, and given their predilection for musical reviews.
While it lasts here in Hamilton, it is a rare opportunity for fans of two different performance genres, in this case acoustic music and alternative theatre, to find common ground and to discover the rich tradition that each art form brings to our community. And if that isn’t reason enough to make the effort to catch this clever little show, then I don’t know what is. V [BRIAN MORTON]
Tobacco Troubadour
to April 26
@ Artword Theatre at the Pearl Company
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