Playwright Ken Cameron
Thought Provoking Material
Photo From the Artist's Site
No Credit Available

Ken Cameron:
Official Site

Victoria Playhouse:
Official Site

Harvest: Victoria Playhouse Petrolia

by Brian Hay

The acting was exceptional in this production. Robin Craig handled the role of the tolerant farmer's wife extremely well. She conveys all of subtleties of 'Charlotte's' character with ease. She captures the crustiness born of a lifetime on a farm. She pushes her idiosyncrasies to the surface without making them seem exaggerated. She shows the woman's compassionate side without becoming maudlin. Patric Masurkevitch gave a performance that was more extroverted. He made extensive use of body language and exaggerated facial expressions to convey the nuances of the character, 'Allan'. He captured the essence of how tired the man was of struggling. He pulled his sense of the ironies of life of beautifully. And he handled the physical aspects of the comedy fabulously.

Both performers did well with the transitions from character to character but Masurkevitch really shone. His method of assigning different physical characteristics to the different roles he had to assume was nothing short of phenomenal. The gestures he used could be as simple as a shift in the way he spoke to as complex as assuming posture that was completely different. What's more he could do it in less time than it took to take a breath. And when he did it the transitions were complete. It was a sight to see.

The technical aspects of the production were handled well. Bill Chesney's set made an excellent backdrop for the parts of the play that occurred in the rural setting. The costumes were effective. Alex Amini gave the players a outfits that suited their principle characters as well as the roles they had to slide into. The different lighting schemes used were particularly effective. Karen Bayer used warm colours and deep shadows. Variations in lighting assisted the transitions through scene and character changes nicely. The shadows were particularly effective during the opening scene when they were used to form a backdrop. A major shift in the lighting did an excellent job of intensifying the atmosphere during the climax of the first act. The lighting was particularly effective throughout the entire second act.

Despite all this 'Harvest' doesn't succeed on all levels. Bill Chesney's set design didn't really make allowance for moments that were played out in the city. The transitions that allow the actors to breathe life into the plot took a while to get used to. The lighting, which was a bit static throughout much of the first act, didn't help things. The play itself takes a while to get going. Playwright Ken Cameron used most of the first act as an introduction to the characters and their story, which is fine. Unfortunately, many of the lines that were intended to be funny weren't. That caused things to drag a bit.

'Harvest' is worth seeing though. Ken Cameron's material is a mixture of comedy and thought provoking social commentary. He makes some valid points and much of the dialogue is extremely witty. The first act doesn't succeed completely but the second one is hilarious. Director Robert More keeps the action moving at a brisk pace and changes set up by Stage Manager Myra A. Malley flow smoothly. The scenes themselves serve up a huge challenge for the entire crew and they responded to it brilliantly.

Harvest isn't perfect, but it's still well worth a look. It's moving and thought provoking. And it is very, very funny.

'Harvest' runs at The Victoria Playhouse in Petrolia from July 21 through August 8, 2009. This review pertains to the performance that ran on the evening of Saturday August 1, 2009.