Toronto's Volcano, in association with Munich's BeMe Theatre, proudly presents A Beautiful View by acclaimed playwright Daniel MacIvor. Under Volcano Artistic Director Ross Manson's direction, this modern Canadian classic is radically reimagined and brought forward for a new generation to savour starring Canadian actors Becky Johnson (of improv duos IRON COBRA and The Sufferettes) andAmy Rutherford (Volcano's Goodness, Necessary Angel's Divisadero). A Beautiful View runs today, February 27 - March 9 at Factory Studio Theatre; tickets available by visiting volcano.ca or by calling the Factory Box Office at 416-504-9971.
A Beautiful View is a surprising and engaging piece of Canadian theatre by one of this country's finest theatre makers. Funny, quirky, touching and wonderfully entertaining, the play invites audiences to enter a highly personal performance space to revel in nuance and the charming complexity of human relationships.
A Beautiful View explores friendship. Specifically, a friendship between two young women that spans over a decade of their lives, and that moves through many phases. The play is subversive in its apparent simplicity. In a light, comic tone, two women arrive on a stage, and tell the story of their relationship - a friendship too close to categorize. Gradually, we realize that stories of camping and bands are not entirely what the evening is about. The many epiphanies and puzzles that go along with these intertwined lives are the subject of the play - a dissection of a friendship and by extension, an examination of what is important in our lives, what's missing, and what we lose track of in ourselves through obsession or fear.
While by no means a new play (first produced in 2005), Manson has crafted a new take on MacIvor's celebrated and beautiful script. The production features a new score by Munich-based composer Krister Schuchardt, physical and improvised performance by two fine Canadian actors, and the experimental, internationally-inspired Volcano twist that has captivated Toronto audiences for almost two decades.
This production originally marked the European premiere of A Beautiful View, presented by BeMe Theatre in Munich at the Einstein Kulturzentrumin in November 2012 to mostly sold-out houses. The Süddeutsche Zeitung said of the show:
"succeeds delightfully.. . . The reality of life that A Beautiful View shows us is like the bittersweet ukelele duet of the two main characters: sometimes a fragile interplay, sometimes a rhythmic drift. But under the surface is revealed a search for deep meaning. Playwright
Daniel MacIvor and Director Ross Manson succeed with this in a 75-minute performance. Thanks above all to their wonderful leading actors, they manage something that others need volumes to achieve: an authentic portrait of a generation, its hopes, its fears."
A Beautiful View tours Ontario after its Toronto outing: to Kingston, Milton, Burlington, St. Catharines and North Bay throughout March. In bringing this intellectually rich and exceedingly enjoyable work throughout the province, director Ross Manson notes, "
Daniel MacIvor is a superstar - one of our very best, and A Beautiful View is one of my favourite MacIvors. After knowing Daniel for thirty years (we began our professional lives together at the Stephenville Festival in Newfoundland), I am delighted to finally tackle one of his extraordinary works. Daniel has a rare talent, one that makes him capable of presenting a simple story in such a way that it assumes a much larger meaning. His words resonate, subtly, subversively, always speaking to something deep within our own experience, always addressing the time in which we are alive together. A Beautiful View is exactly that - a beautiful play that gives us a glimpse of ourselves. It speaks to that which is most important in our lives, and which is so easy to overlook - each other."
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