Review: QUARTET at Kanata Theatre

Last night's performance of Quartet saw the return of the of Kanata Theatre's opening night pre-show celebration, where a glass of sparkling wine (or sparkling water) is offered to all guests on arrival. Quartet was initially scheduled to be performed in 2020, but the pandemic shut down production a week before opening. It was a welcome change to see patrons mingling and chatting while sipping their drinks in a return to pre-pandemic traditions.

Quartet, based on a play by Ronald Harwood and directed here by Barbara Kobolak, tells the story of Reginald (Ian Stauffer), Cissy (Jennifer Haynes), Wilfred (Michael Kennedy), and Jean (Janet Rice), a former quartet who now live in a retirement home for musicians. Jean is the newest arrival and causes a whirlwind of emotions to be unleashed. Not only is she a total diva, but Jean is also Reggie's ex-wife and Reggie never healed emotionally from their split. Cissy is becoming increasingly forgetful and disoriented; Wilfred fears that she will be "sent away", the term they use to describe when residents are moved into assisted living because they can no longer function independently. Wilfred, meanwhile, still grieves the loss of his wife, but masks it with a seemingly endless libido.

The story takes a while to gain traction, with what feels like different versions of the same joke being repeated over and over, giving the impression that it could be significantly pared down and not miss a beat. That said, there are a few good one-liners that had the audience laughing out loud. The show premiered in the West End in 1999 and some of the plot, especially relating to Wilfred, seems dated to a modern audience who recognizes that his behaviour is unacceptable and that laughing him off as a dirty old man doesn't excuse it.

Perhaps the cast would have benefited from a little more rehearsal time. On opening night, the actors struggled with their lines. The most consistently convincing, Rice had snooty prima donna mannerisms perfected, as Jean seems to look down on the others until her own insecurities are later revealed. The most captivating part of the story was Cissy's increasing dementia, convincingly portrayed by Haynes but, unfortunately, this was never satisfactorily flushed out.

Scene changes felt a little lengthy and it may have been better for the larger set changes to occur behind the curtain instead being visible to the audience. This would have provided a prime opportunity to play music from Verdi's Rigoletto in the interim, as that opera figures heavily in the show.

Speaking of which, the best part came in the final scene, when a portion of Verdi's Rigoletto is performed by four trained singers (Reba Lalonde, Matthew Michael Lorz, Paul Melsness, and Melanie Vermeersch). They were all wonderful to watch, but Lalonde was absolutely outstanding.

With themes of growing old, friendship, forgiveness, acceptance, and finding inner peace, Quartet will have something that everyone can relate to, no matter how young or old they are. Quartet is in performances at the Ron Maslin Theatre in Kanata through May 20th. Click here for more information or to buy tickets.

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