Storm Warning by Norm Foster: Sarnia Theatre

by Brian Hay

This review covers the performance that took place on Saturday June 28, 2008.

Closing a season with a play written by Norm Foster is always a pretty safe bet. His work is accessible, witty and (generally) easy to produce on stage. The characters he creates are vulnerable, deeply human and always, always, extremely interesting.

So that's what Sarnia Theatre went and did. "Storm Warning" is compact but complex. On one side there are only two characters and a need for one and a half sets. On the other there are strong messages about the pain of loneliness, the dangers of drug addiction and the horror of war. Through the middle runs the thread of hope through compassion, communication and understanding.

The production put on by Sarnia Theatre wasn't without flaws. The sets were both excellent and effective. The lighting and choices of music infused the piece with plenty of atmosphere. The direction by John L'Heureux was strong as well. He gave an abundance of movement to both characters and the people playing the roles handled it well. Their acting however, fell short a few times.

Both players stumbled over their lines a few times. And occasionally they failed to wait for for the laughter to subside when one of them delivered a "zinger". Deborah McCormick appeared to be the more comfortable of the pair but the character of Emma Currie was one that was loud and brassy to begin with. Playing the part with her voice raised was the natural thing to do and she did just that. Her timing was strong and she captured the vulnerability inherent to her character. And her delivery of her lines, especially the most important ones, was always on the mark. Dan White had more to cope with. The character of Jack Forrester was one that was introverted, quiet and withdrawn. The nature of the role demanded that the man would come across as having little or no personality. In portraying that facet of Jack Forrester, (Dan) White succeeded well. And he brought forth the deepest feelings and greatest sense of pain either of the players projected. What he failed to do at times was to really "send" that personality out to the audience.

But these are minor complaints. The material was excellent and the production was good. It was a great way to spend an evening.

'Storm Warning' ran at The Imperial Theatre in Sarnia, Ontario from June 23, 2008 until June 28, 2008.

Daniel Giverin and Heidi Walter
From the Hudson Village Theatre's Production of Storm Warning
Photo Not Credited

Norm Foster:
Official Site

Imperial Theatre:
Official Site

Hudson Village Theatre:
Official Site