Review: HALFWAY THERE at Ottawa Little Theatre

Every year, Ottawa Little Theatre presents a play by Norm Foster, Canada's most produced playwright. This year's selected play is Halfway There, first performed in Saint Catherines, Ontario, in 2016. Halfway There is a delightful story about finding love and friendship in the small town of Stewiacke, Nova Scotia, whose claim to fame is that it's the halfway mark between the equator and the North Pole.

Janine Babineau (Chelsey Prince) is a waitress at the local diner and every afternoon after work, her three friends, Rita (Venetia Lawless), Mary Ellen (Linda Webster) and Vi (Teal Cochrane) join her for a cup of coffee and a gabfest. They share the news of the day and the town gossip, and the foursome seem to be more like family than friends. One afternoon, the routine is shaken up by the arrival of Sean (Kurt Shantz), a doctor who has come to stand-in temporarily for the local physician. Despite Sean's almost fatal flaw of hailing from Toronto ("We don't like people from Toronto", the ladies unanimously agree), Janine and Co. find themselves smitten with him. Sean is on the rebound from a serious relationship, but feels an instant spark with Janine. From the moment we see them together, we all know how it will end. But, strangely, with Halfway There, it is not the culmination of the story that is the most satisfying but, rather, the cozy, meandering path it takes in arriving at the inevitable conclusion.

Two essential things are needed to make this type of play work. The first is to have excellent dialogue and the second is good chemistry among the actors. It's not that Halfway There doesn't have good dialogue. In fact, it is well written and quite witty (I particularly enjoyed the ongoing bit about Mary Ellen's kleptomaniac niece) and the audience laughed continuously throughout the show. However, I couldn't help but feel that the play was longer than it needed to be. It could have easily been slimmed down to one hour and forty-five-minutes with no intermission and it wouldn't have lost any of its charm, but it would have been tighter and less repetitive. In terms of chemistry, all five of the main actors had it in droves. The back-and-forth banter and lighthearted jabs between the characters was endearing and, despite its obviousness, the blossoming relationship between Janine and Sean is a lot of fun to watch. If you told me that all the actors are friends who hang out together every Friday night in real-life, I would totally believe you.

All the events in Halfway There occur entirely within the café, which allowed the set designer (David Magladry) to create a sumptuous, realistic looking set. The lighting (Rob Puchyr) was used effectively, especially when showing a change in time. Admittedly this is a small gripe, but the only thing I would change would be Janine's costume. Great care was given to show each time a new day began, from the aforementioned lighting to the sped-up comings and goings in the café (with some brilliant direction by Greg Hancock). But for some reason, Janine was the only one that didn't change her outfit daily. Her shirt did change between the first and second acts, but it would have been so easy to have her do a quick change of shirt every "day", especially since we are told that she studied fashion in Europe.

The show also has some short-lived sombre moments, with each individual revealing something deeply personal about themselves and this helps to flush out their characters. Because all the characters are relatable in one way or another, you can't help but become invested in their respective outcomes.

The ingredients in Halfway There make for a play that is the theatre equivalent of comfort food. This show is equally recommended for a girls' night out or a date night. Before the show, be sure to check out the photos on display in the gallery space, taken by Lawless. Halfway There is in performances at Ottawa Little Theatre now through April 22nd. Click here for more information or to purchase tickets.

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