I recently went to see Goodnight Desdemona, (Good Morning Juliet); since I had already interviewed the play’s artistic director Tamara McCarthy for Nexus, I believed I had a pretty good idea of what the play was about. I was wrong. I had no idea what an adventure I was in store for.
Written by award-winning Canadian author Ann-Marie MacDonald, Goodnight Desdemona is known for being a feminist piece, and it is, with an incredibly clever and humorous script. The play’s protagonist, Constance Ledbelly—played by Lucy McNulty—is a frustrated associate professor who’s working hard trying to prove her thesis while stumbling through numerous obstacles. This theme may be familiar to those who have struggled in academia—the pressures of a full mind and eating bad food because of an empty pocketbook will be familiar to many readers.
Ledbelly is also struggling with the dilemma of writing a colleague’s work for him while he receives all the credit and promotions. Ledbelly, almost driven to the edge, winds up being sucked into a vortex of her own making; while trying to prove that Shakespeare’s most tragic works are comedies, she’s given the opportunity to change the endings of both Othello and Romeo and Juliet. The audience gets to see what might have happened if a woman had been able to intervene in both tragic endings.
The play is incredibly well written, with wit and humour that left me stunned at the gutsy storylines and perfectly cast characters. The actors play about five parts each, but none were overwhelmed; they carried off their opening night with complete grace, as if they had been performing the play for years. McNulty and Keara Barnes (who plays, among others, Desdemona) deserve a special nod, they were bursting with such enthusiasm that I couldn’t take my eyes away if I wanted to. The set (designed by Graham McMonagle) is beautiful and ironic as it combines a Shakespearean balcony with a poor writer’s garret. Yi Misty Buxton designed the costumes, and unlike many plays, the costumes are not simple or monotone, they are as intricate and colourful as the production itself.
If you don’t enjoy beauty, laughter, and razor-sharp writing, then Goodnight Desdemona, (Good Morning Juliet) is not for you. However, if you want a play that will delight all your senses, head down to the Blue Bridge Theatre and have an incredible time. Goodnight Desdemona may have made my year.
Goodnight Desdemona, (Good Morning Juliet)
Until Sunday, May 7
Various prices,
Blue Bridge Theatre
bluebridgetheatre.ca