Maev Beaty Leads the Canadian Premiere of I AM LUCY BARTON

This fall, Canadian Stage kicks off the Bluma Appel season with the Canadian Premiere of the stage adaptation of Elizabeth Strout's New York Times best-selling novel MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON.  

A tour-de-force one-person show which first premiered at London's Bridge Theatre in 2018, moving to Broadway in 2020 with Laura Linney in the title role. In Toronto, the virtuosic Canadian actor Maev Beaty steps into the lead under the direction of former Shaw Festival Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell – a creative pairing that promises to deliver an unforgettable night at the theatre.

In this riveting drama, the titular character wakes after an operation to discover – much to her surprise – her mother at the foot of her bed. They haven't seen each other in years. During their days-long visit, Lucy contemplates her desperate rural childhood, her adult life in New York, and the state of her relationships as both a daughter and a mother. Strikingly moving, MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON rings breathlessly true, mining themes that recur throughout Strout's bibliography: the difficulties of making sense of the past and finding your place in the world; the unbearably close and complex relationships between mothers and daughters; how the tragedies of one generation are visited on the next.

“Like the novel, there is a purity in this play that I absolutely love,” says Canadian Stage Artistic Director Brendan Healy. “A woman on stage trying to carve out the truth from the myriad perspectives and hazy memories that make up her life is something that we all do.  It is a powerful enactment of the universal need to tell our stories and find meaning in our lives.”

MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON was first published in 2016 and was shortlisted for both the Man Booker Prize and the International Dublin Literary Award.  The subsequent stage adaptation was written by acclaimed Scottish playwright and screenwriter Rona Munroe who is known for her collaboration with filmmaker Ken Loach and for penning the internationally acclaimed James Plays cycle.

Healy adds, “I can't think of a more thrilling artistic pairing to bring this show to life than Maev Beaty and Jackie Maxwell.  Maev is truly one of the most compelling stage actresses in this country; she possesses the unique gift of being able to take an audience through difficult feelings and ideas with real compassion.  And Jackie is of course one of the most accomplished and commanding stage directors we have.  This is the definition of a powerhouse duo.”

A critically acclaimed and multi-award-winning stage and screen actor, Maev Beaty may be most recognized for her leading roles at the Stratford Festival including playing Beatrice in the festival's 2023 hit production of Much Ado About Nothing.  She has originated roles in over 20 Canadian premieres including Hannah Moscovitch's Bunny and Kate Hennig's The Last Wife.  Beaty is a three-time Dora Award winner and ten-time nominee in both performing and writing. In addition to her stage work, she has appeared in acclaimed independent films including the 2019 TIFF Special Presentation MOUTHPIECE and in Ari Aster's 2023 film Beau Is Afraid.

Director Jackie Maxwell's stage career in Canada spans four decades and includes helming the Factory Theatre from 1987 to 1995 as well as acting as Artistic Director of one of Canada's leading arts institutions – the Shaw Festival – from 2002 to 2016.  She has directed for most major stages in the country; she last directed for Canadian Stage in 2018 when she led the company's acclaimed production of The Humans; Maxwell as helmed the 2014 hit production of LONDON ROAD for the company.

Maxwell collaborates with a creative team comprised of Set and Costume Designer Michael Gianfranco, Lighting Designer Bonnie Beecher, Sound Designer Jacob Lin, and Projection Designer Amelia Scott.

MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON runs October 18th through November 3rd at the Bluma Appel Theatre (27 Front St. E.).  Performances take place Tuesday through Saturday at 8:00pm with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00pm.  Tickets are available beginning at $48 at canadianstage.com.

To post a comment, you must register and login.