Toronto, Mississippi: how real theatre can be
First performed in 1987, Joan McLeod’s *Toronto, Mississippi* is as fresh and poignant in 2009 as ever. The production at the "Vancouver Playhouse":http://www.vancouverplayhouse.com/is strong, playful, and captures the heart of this wonderful play.
Jhana (Meg Roe), a mentally challenged teenager with mild autism, lives with her mother Maddie (Colleen Wheeler), and her mother’s best friend Bill (Alessandro Juliani), their boarder and an academic/poet. Jhana is obsessed with Elvis Presley, because her absent father, King (William MacDonald), is an Elvis impersonator. She listens to Elvis when she can, and she has memorized much of his life story.
Jhana is lively and loveable as she makes her way through life; she has a job in a program for teens with challenges, she knows what bus to take on her own, and she knows how to make simple dishes in the kitchen given explicit instructions. But Jhana is a teen and wants to be loved not loveable, she wants to date and she wants a piece of that big world that she’s part of but not. The Toronto skyline towers over Jhana’s home; taunting her with possibilities, and frightening her mother with them.
When Bill “babysits” Jhana he play acts with her; either scenes from Jhana’s construction of Elvis’ life “You be Priscilla, Bill, it’s funny”, or trying to find out what happened to Jhana on the bus by assuming the role of the other passenger. Some of these reenactments are done when Maddie is present, but some are done when the two of them are on their own, so Jhana can share with Bill, for example, her crush on someone in the program at work. “You be Andrew”, suggest Jhana, thus allowing Bill to demonstrate how to date, teaching her to order a soft drink, not alcohol. Bill gently tries to get Maddie to realize that this teenager at the centre of their lives is becoming a woman while remaining a child. Meanwhile, Maddie sorts through her fears of Jhana making her way in the world and King making his way back into theirs.
As Jhana, Meg Roe is pitch perfect. Her performance is filled with warmth, humour, and heartbreaking clarity. She is simply stunning. Colleen Wheeler and Alessandro Juliani capture the realism and humour of their roles very well. For example, when Maddie learns her daughter hasn’t been working hard at her job, Wheeler is the essence of the pure anger and fear of a mother terrified and exhausted by a family can’t go on without her.
William MacDonald has a difficult role in King. A character caught in the unreality of being an Elvis impersonator, but still aware of the reality that he may have missed out on a grounded life by taking off on the road. His ability to get his family to forget he’s usually gone and his charm are slipping out from under him, and he may just stay this time. MacDonald has his struggles, particularly with the Elvis performance/monologues, but he has strong moments too, like when he basks in the glow of Jhana’s adoration.
*Toronto, Mississippi* is a brilliant, funny play, and this production captures its strengths with light touches and deeply felt moments. The morning after seeing the production, I described the play to someone, and when I remembered Jhana’s monologue, I got teary, and had to stop for a minute. That’s how real it is, and how real theatre can be.
_Toronto, Mississippi by Joan MacLeod; Directed by Dean Paul Gibson; Featuring Meg Roe; Colleen Wheeler; Alessandro Juliani; William MacDonald; Set and Costume Design: Cameron Porteous; Lighting Design: Gerald King; Stage Manager: Peter Jotkus; Assistant Stage Manager: Kevin Olson; on at the Vancouver Playhouse until March 21. For more information go_ "here":http://vancouverplayhouse.com/current-season/2008/toronto-mississippi.php