LETTER ONE

On Stage: Two Letters: Letter Two
March 7, 2007
Paul Isaacs
Eye Weekly

“Boredom in theatre is not strictly a Canadian concern. We’re just better at it than most.” Tony Nardi’s two-part lecture series, Two Letters, is a must-see for anyone in Toronto concerned with the future of theatre in the city — and if you’re reading this review, that surely means you. If you thought the broadsheet critics could be scalding about what we produce, wait till you hear what Nardi has to say.

An actor best-recognized for his work with Soulpepper, Nardi wrote the second letter in this series — the first is more concerned with television than theatre — after reading two particularly negative reviews in the Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail of a Carlo Goldoni play, The Amorous Servant. Critics aren’t the only ones to suffer Nardi’s scorn, however (although I believe he calls us “viruses”). Lazy actors, producers and directors — especially directors — all come in for an equally well-earned drubbing.

As a performance in itself, irrespective of content, Two Letters is one of the most electric and focused I’ve seen in Toronto (especially impressive, considering that when I caught the show, on a frozen Sunday afternoon, there were only eight people in the audience). Nardi’s closing set piece — a mock trial, in which a commedia dell’arte director is brought in front of a judge to repent for his theatrical sins — is simply astounding in its virtuosity and compact comic timing. I would’ve been glad for the odd edit (both lectures come to nearly five hours), but hey — if something needs saying (and it does), why not say it long?