BWW REVIEWS: STUFF HAPPENS at the Royal Alexandra Theatre

David Hare's play Stuff Happens was a critical success in 2008 as part of Studio 180's series, lauded by The Toronto Star as "the best show to play Toronto in 2008." Mirvish Productions has picked up the show and is running a limited engagement at Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre, from November 14th through until December 23rd.

The play, directed by Joel Greenberg (The Arab-Israeli Cookbook, The Laramie Project 03/04), features an ensemble of some of the finest actors Canada has to offer, and focuses on the Bush and Blair administrations and the events that surrounded 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq.

The tagline for the play is "Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell, Rice, Blair", certainly not what a lot of people expect when they think of a night out at the theatre. And with the unpleasant events that are often associated with many of those names, some people may even be put off by the subject matter. However, the material is handled in a funny and engaging way, and it is a creative look behind closed doors that may surprise many a cynic.

The title is derived from Donald Rumsfeld's comment on the destruction that came after the conquest of Baghdad, when he infamously stated "Stuff happens," (as if he were discussing an undercooked Thanksgiving turkey), "and it's untidy and freedom's untidy and free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things." It is this very attitude that makes the play work so well, the audience gets to see and hear things that are being discussed before the full ramifications of The Players actions are revealed. Hindsight is 20/20, and it is very interesting to watch the events unfold knowing what a devastating outcome the war on terror will end up having.

The staging is well done, with office chairs constantly moving about to create changes in venue and tone. The audience is taken to many different locations, including The White House, Camp David, UN meetings and even the UK for a quick look inside Tony Blair's cabinet as things start to fall apart for the UK Prime Minister. But amidst all of the action, the most powerful moments seem to come during monologues from journalists commenting on the state of the situation.

There is a powerful introductory speech from an American journalist (played by Paul Essiembre) who talks about the removal of a dictator and what that means for the country in which the event occurred. It sets the stage for many of the events that are about to unfold and gives the audience a different vantage point from which to observe the political drama they are about to watch. That is what makes Stuff Happens work so well, the little interludes by journalists from various parts of the world. It allows the audience to experience the play from a journalistic perspective, as opposed to having to experience it as a specific group. You are not watching this play as a Canadian, as an American, as a woman, or as a man, but rather as a citizen of the world, and the various voices and opinions from journalists and laypersons around the globe help to ground you and make you remember that the American (or British) viewpoint is not the only one on this controversial issue.

Perhaps the most powerful moment in the play is actually delivered by one of such people as opposed to one of the major players, when an Iraqi exile played by Sam Kalileh takes to the stage and gives a monologue on what it is like to live in a country being punished by both its own people and the outside world. Kalileh delivers his speech with heartfelt emotion and turns the play on its head, really making you think about the various consequences war and sanctions have on those in less fortunate countries than our own.

Stuff Happens is about more than just the war in Iraq, it is a carefully constructed look inside the state of the world as a whole during the time that the attacks on 9/11 occurred. It is about humanity and the way we deal with tragedy, violence and civil unrest. And Stuff Happens shows us the need for diplomacy, as well as the importance of fully examining actions before they are taken. It is a political drama for certain, but as time goes on, it could very well be looked at as a solid piece of historical theatre.

When and Where?

STUFF HAPPENS
November 14 - December 23
Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King Street West

Tickets: $25-$85

Performance Schedule: Tuesday - Saturday 8PM, Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday 2PM

Tickets can be purchased at the box office, by phone at 416.872.1212 or online at www.mirvish.com

For more information please visit: http://www.mirvish.com/stuffhappens/

To post a comment, you must register and login.