Reviews

Triple threat Nancy Denis has quite a voice. At its highest, her alto can fill every corner of a hall with a timbre as rich as a meaty cab sav. At its lowest, it reverberates through the seats to set up a vibration between your diaphragm and lungs with an effect like a Gregorian chant. The music, written by Denis as well as late violinist Carl St Jacques, spans R&B, pop, soul and hip hop. Denis sings with a huge hearted passion and breathtaking precision and vocal control.

Take a group of over-the-hill actors, snowed in by a raging blizzard. Add all the classic tropes of a comic murder mystery (isolated setting, seething with suspects, red herrings and secrets galore). What results is a lively, funny show, to keep audiences laughing and guessing until the end.

This is the celebration of a true story and showcases the best elements of the human spirit, based on the events in the isolated Newfoundland town of Gander during the week following the September 11 attacks, when 38 planes, carrying approximately 7,000 passengers, were unexpectedly diverted to land at Gander Airport. It features the stories of both the locals and the disparate group of stranded, temporarily homeless passengers, gently bringing both together, with compassion and humour, over this harrowing time.

The Orchard is loosely based on or inspired by Chekhov’s iconic play, The Cherry Orchard by Pony Cam which is an award-winning experimental theatre collective. Subversion, innovation, audience participation and challenging expectations are all characteristic of their work. An adaptation to such a classic text from an experimental theatre perspective sets up an interesting challenge.