King Leary, by Paul Quarrington

As I currently make my way through the last of this year’s Canada Reads nominees, with the encouragement of the last KIRBC meeting, I thought I’d take a gander at last year’s surprise winner King Leary. Of course from a publishing point of view, it was an interesting story that demonstrates the power of Canada Reads; when King Leary was selected it was out of print, but the CBC nomination and win rocketed it into bestseller status.

Interestingly, what happens within the novel itself is pretty much the opposite, for King Leary is the story of the titular former hockey star’s descent into madness and infirmity (just like King Leary’s Shakesperian namesake). A winner of the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for humour, most of the novel’s humour stems from the curmudegeonly remarks of the narrator (for example: “The director has apparently been taking Hitler lessons. He is screaming at everybody and has created an atmosphere of intense hatred and mistrust. Apparently this is crucial to the making of television adverts.”) He is self-centered, caught trapped in the past, and unabashedly vociferous with his opinions. Quarrington is bang on in Quarrelsome old man mode, and this voice is what distinguishes the book and gives it authenticity.

Oscillating between present and past, Leary recounts the rise and fall of his career, along with the stories of two of his lifelong companions – Clay Clinton and Manny Oz. We know that Manny met a tragic end, and that Leary is somehow responsible.  He also goes on about his disappointments in his two sons, the gormless Clifford, and Clarence – whom he holds responsible for the end of his hockey career, when he tripped on Clarence’s truck and smashed his kneecap. Of course, any familiarity with Shakespeare’s Lear will likely encourage you to question the assignment of blame.

When Leary repeatedly speculates whether it’s possible to die of a broken heart – and though in the beginning he says it is not, as he learns more about his own life and those of his friends, he realizes that in may indeed be possible. When she recommended this book, Sarah said it had a “slam bang ending” and that’s true in fact, the ending is perfect, bringing back some of my favourite characters in the novel.

And while I did enjoy the book, I don’t think I would be its KIRBC advocate (or its Canada Reads one). But I think this may be mainly because it seemed like a watered down Barney’s Version to me (which DID, for the record, come 10 years after King Leary, and was a Canada Reads selection in 2004, but did not win). Same sort of protagonist, same questionable faculties, same cantankerous voice (though I think no one does cantankerous like Richler), same attempt to understand terrible actions in the past. Of course these two books weren’t up against one another last year, though I am sad to see it beat out Findley’s Not Wanted on the Voyage (a can-lit gem and favourite of mine). Just goes to show anything can happen. This year’s Canada Reads begins on March 2nd.

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To be or not to be at Stratford? To Be!

I was recently at the Stratfod Shakespeare Festival and saw their wonderful production of Hamlet that runs until October 26^th. What I enjoyed most was how the play just lived: There was nothing gimmicky, and you never felt like one particular perspective was being pushed down your throat. I think sometimes with Shakespeare, there is the inclination that we have to add something to make it more current. But the reason we still put on Shakespeare is because the topics are indeed still relevant. The play is the thing, as they sometimes say! This production just let you soak it all in, moment to moment. I generally associate the word “accessible” with something that has been perhaps over-simplified, but in this case, there was such a clear and thorough understanding and interpretation of the text, that it just popped out and fully resonated with its audience. There were two teenagers sitting in front of me who had come to see the show for the third time because they loved it so much. You certainly don’t see that everyday (sadly)! I admit I didn’t reread Hamlet before going to see it, so perhaps it was just foggy in my brain, but there was such humour in this production that I don’t recall having noticed or seen before. The cleverness in the way a line would be interpreted brought a breath of fresh air into the dialogue.

I really enjoyed the costume designs as well. They chose to set the play in 1910 during the Edwardian era; the designs were very simple yet elegant and classic. What I liked best was that the clothing captured the setting, but never distracted from the setting. It allowed us to focus on the text, the story and the emotions. One costume design that I found incredibly touching was for the character of Ophelia. Before going mad, we see her in black tights and a high collar dress. Very clean, neat and well put together. Not particularly noteworthy. However, after the death of her father Polonius, she goes mad and reenters wearing her father’s old clothes: Her legs are dirty and bare, she wears his big shirt, jacket, large shoes. As she cries, and sings, she grabs at herself, hugs herself and the ability to see her grief being so tactile just breaks your heart. You can not only feel her loss, but you can see it too. Interestingly, the family scenes between Polonius, Ophelia and Laertes are filled with a lot of physical closeness and affection. I actually found there was too much of this at first, but then understood why they made that choice once I saw Ophelia’s isolation and desperate need to have something to cling to when Polonius is dead.

The lighting was also spectacular in its subtlety and thoughtfulness. It added to the Nordic chilly feeling in the play, and allowed for effective minimalist setting. The use of icy shadows contrasted with a warm festive glow drew you right in and never let you go.

In terms of acting, Ben Carlson as Hamlet was just brilliant. Moment to moment, committed to the world of the show, you never knew what he was going to do next. He was so layered with choices and thus remained a few steps ahead of you the entire time, which is always thrilling. Geraint Wyn Davies (who starred as the delightfully pretentious Macbeth in Season Two of Slings and Arrows) was ever so clever and fun as he played with the text of Polonius.

If you are or are not a fan of Shakespeare, I highly recommend making the trip to see this production at Stratford. You never know, you just might become a fan…

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Great Literary TV

I recently had the good fortune to be introduced to the short-lived Canadian series, Slings and Arrows. As theatre is supposed to bring plays to life, Slings and Arrows brings the theatre to life. It satirizes the thinly disguised Stratford Festival and the corporate controlled state of modern theatre with a dash of British humour and a healthy dollop of Canadian content.

Not being a tv critic, or even a big tv watcher, there’s not much I can say, except this is the smartest television I can seen in a long time. As Slings and Arrows bemoans the inauthenticity that plagues the theatre, the actors deliver performances that bring the characters and the plays all the wit, charm, reverence and irreverence they deserve. The characters are all wonderful – from Geoffrey (my future husband and Stratford alumnus, Paul Gross), the new artistic director, notorious for his breakdown on-stage while playing Hamlet; to Kate (Rachel McAdams), the eager young bit player; to Holly, the corporate rep who is every bit Lady MacBeth, but without the conscience; to the two old codgers who sing a delightful ditty at the beginning and end of ever show. There’s love, sex, hate, betrayal, drunken dueling and smart-ass directors returned from the dead. Methinks the bard would be pleased.

Watch the theme song for season 1 for a brilliant example of the show’s cleverness:

The first two seasons are on youtube and in dvd sets. If you’re a lover of Shakespeare, the theatre or just plain smart television, for the love of god, watch it, watch it, watch it.

And for more comprehensive (and perhaps more comprehensible) information than I can provide: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387779/

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