Death
      by
      Three
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Theatre
      Society
      dies
      on
      stage...well
     
    
   
   
    
     
      uthanasia,
      the
      angel
      of
      death
      and
      fatal
     
    

    
     
      E
      domestic
      violence...doesn’t
      exactly
     
     
      sound
      like
      a
      recipe
      for
      a
      fun
      evening,
     
     
      does
      it?
      Still,
      the
      UPEI
      Theatre
      Society
      man-
     
     
      aged
      to
      take
      these
      ingredients
      and
      whip
      up
      a
     
     
      tasty
      theatrical
      dish
      with
      their
      ‘‘Death
      by
      Three’’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      energy
      as
      the
      irascible
      Mr.
      Way,
      a
      terminally
     
     
      ill,
      elderly
      man
      who
      clings
      stubbornly
      to
      life-
     
     
      his
      performance
      is
      sometimes
      one-noted,
      but
     
     
      has
      an
      energy
      that
      gives
      Malone
      some
      of
      the
     
     
      better
      (and
      more
      amusing)
      moments
      of
      the
      play.
     
     
      Other
      memorable
      moments
      come
      from
      Jerome
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Der
      Heyden),
      whose
      over-acting
      hinders
      the
     
     
      subtlety
      of
      the
      play’s
      absurdity.
      This
      one
      false
     
     
      note
      strains
      the
      viewer’s
      suspension
      of
      disbe-
     
     
      lief,
      which
      is
      so
      essential
      to
      the
      play.
      Still,
      Van
     
     
      Der
      Heyden
      does
      a
      creditable
      job,
      and
      in
      her
     
     
      defense
      the
      overacting
      was
      purportedly
      under
     
     
      instructions
      from
      the
      director.
      At
      any
      rate,
      it
      is
     
     
      a
      very
      minor
      weakness
      in
      such
      a
      solid
      cast:
     
     
      Jennifer
      Godfrey
      is
      superb
      as
      Grandma,
      bring-
     
     
      ing
      a
      great
      deal
      of
      humour
      and
      humanity
      to
      her
     
     
      role,
      and
      Sean
      McIntyre
      usually
      manages
      to
     
     
      produce
      the
      right
      mixture
      of
      deadpan
      and
      goofy
     
     
      amiability
      in
      his
      role
      as
      the
      Young
      Man.
      Phillip
     
     
      MacEachern
      rounds
      out
      the
      cast
      capably
      as
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      production,
      a
      presentation
      of
      three
     
     
      one-act
      plays:
      ‘“‘The
      Waiting
     
     
      Room’’,
      Edward
      Albee’s
      ‘‘The
     
     
      Sandbox’’,
      and
      A.R.
      Gurney’s
     
     
      ‘*The
      Golden
      Fleece’’.
     
    

    
     
      First
      on
      the
      agenda
      was
      ‘‘The
     
     
      Waiting
      Room’’,
      written
      by
      Sharon
     
     
      Leighton,
      who
      also
      directed
      the
     
     
      play
      for
      this
      production.
      Leighton’s
     
     
      play,
      which
      won
      the
      P.E.I.
      New
     
     
      Voices
      playwrights’
      competition,
     
     
      deals
      with
      the
      controversial
      sub-
     
     
      ject
      of
      euthanasia.
      The
      setting
      is
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "Blair,
      a
      veteran
      of
      the
      Theatre
     
     
      Society
      productions,
      seems
      to
     
     
      improve
      with
      each
      subsequent
     
    
   
   
    
     
      outing.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ineffectual,
      vapid
      Daddy.
     
    

    
     
      The
      third
      production
      of
      the
     
     
      evening
      was
      ‘‘The
      Golden
     
     
      Fleece’’,
      running
      neck-and-neck
     
     
      with
      ‘‘The
      Sandbox’’
      for
      the
      best
     
     
      show
      of
      the
      evening.
      Craig
      Blair
     
     
      (as
      Bill)
      and
      Janet
      MacDonald
      (as
     
     
      Betty)
      excel
      in
      their
      roles
      as
      the
     
     
      married
      couple
      who
      live
      vicari-
     
     
      ously
      through
      the
      glamorous
      lives
     
     
      of
      their
      friends,
      Jason
      and
      Medea
     
     
      (the
      infamous
      spousal
      duo
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      near-future,
      a
      time
      in
      which
      euthanasia,
      like
     
     
      abortion,
      has
      been
      legalized.
      The
      story
      unfolds
     
     
      in
      the
      ‘‘waiting
      room’’
      of
      a
      euthanasia
      clinic,
     
     
      wherein
      four
      people
      await
      their
      date
      with
      death.
     
     
      As
      they
      wait,
      the
      foursome
      discuss
      what
      rea-
     
     
      sons
      they
      have
      to
      die,
      and,
      after
      some
      soul-
     
     
      searching,
      what
      reasons
      they
      have
      to
      live.
      Their
     
     
      personal
      battles
      combine
      to
      illustrate
      the
      larger
     
     
      moral
      dilemma
      of
      euthanasia.
     
    

    
     
      Leighton’s
      script
      is
      compact
      and
      direct.
      The
     
     
      characters
      and
      issues
      are
      portrayed
      clearly,
      but
     
     
      notsimplistically.
      More
      impressively,
      Leighton
     
     
      confronts
      a
      disturbing
      and
      contentious
      issue
     
     
      with
      frankness
      and
      courage.
      The
      story
      is
      a
     
     
      reaffirmation,
      if
      not
      a
      celebration,
      of
      life-as
     
     
      seen
      by
      people
      on
      the
      threshold
      of
      death.
      Some
     
     
      of
      the
      prospective
      euthanasia
      subjects
      rational-
     
     
      ize
      their
      decision
      to
      die
      on
      the
      grounds
      of
     
     
      economic
      realities,
      practicality,
      fear,
      pain,
      and
     
     
      even
      convenience-
      disturbingly
      common
     
     
      rationales
      for
      suicide.
      Hearing
      these
      ideas
      said
     
     
      with
      such
      directness
      and
      conviction
      brings
      home
     
     
      the
      stark
      reality
      of
      their
      madness,
      as
      apparent
     
     
      and
      repugnant
      as
      blood
      splattered
      on
      glass.
      The
     
     
      arguments
      for
      and
      against
      euthanasia
      herein
      are
     
     
      very
      balanced,
      but
      the
      playwright
      is
      not
      afraid
     
     
      to
      make
      a
      statement.
      Our
      increasingly
      laissez-
     
     
      faire
      society
      seldom
      has
      the
      courage
      to
      speak
      up
     
     
      when
      the
      emperor
      has
      no
      clothes,
      but
      Leighton
     
     
      exposes
      the
      naked
      truth
      of
      the
      voluntary
      eutha-
     
     
      hasia
      depicted
      in
      her
      play-
      weakness,
      selfish-
     
     
      ness,
      cowardice-
      suicide
      by
      any
      other
      name.
     
    

    
     
      The
      performance
      itself
      was
      quite
      good.
      The
     
     
      first
      three
      actors
      on
      stage
      seemed
      to
      have
      trou-
     
     
      ble
      relaxing
      with
      their
      parts
      at
      first,
      and
      the
     
     
      Opening
      seemed
      slow
      and
      tentative;
      however,
     
     
      the
      actors
      all
      opened
      up
      more
      as
      the
      play
      pro-
     
     
      gressed.
      Keir
      Malone
      sparks
      some
      of
      this
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (Craig
      Ramsey),
      a
      morbid
      young
      man
      whose
     
     
      fascination
      with
      death
      has
      (ostensibly)
      led
      him
     
     
      to
      the
      euthanasia
      clinic.
      His
      sardonic,
      morbid
     
     
      wit
      puts
      a
      perverse
      spin
      on
      the
      proceedings
      and
     
     
      forces
      the
      other
      characters
      to
      confront
      the
      un-
     
     
      pleasant
      realities
      of
      the
      situation.
      Ramsey
     
     
      delivers
      a
      fine
      performance,
      though
      he
      some-
     
     
      times
      shows
      brief
      flashes
      of
      tentativeness
      (an
     
     
      initial
      preoccupation
      with
      his
      prop
      magazine
     
     
      beyond
      any
      dramatic
      function,
      for
      instance)
      and
     
     
      self-consciousness,
      and
      he
      and
      Malone
      both
     
     
      occasionally
      anticipate
      their
      cues.
      While
     
     
      Ramsey
      and
      Malone
      have
      some
      of
      the
      best
     
     
      moments,
      the
      most
      consistently
      solid
      perform-
     
     
      ance
      herein
      is
      that
      of
      Jennifer
      MacDonald
      as
     
     
      Emily,
      a
      tortured
      young
      woman
      who
      seeks
     
     
      suicide
      when
      her
      husband
      tries
      to
      force
      her
      to
     
     
      have
      an
      abortion;
      MacDonald
      brings
      vitality
     
     
      and
      pathos
      to
      her
      role
      throughout
      the
      proceed-
     
     
      ings.
      Carolyn
      Whelan
      is
      competent
      albeit
      in-
     
     
      consistent
      as
      Mrs.
      Clark,
      while
      Catherine
     
     
      Timmons
      is
      rather
      wooden
      in
      the
      role
      of
      Mr.
     
     
      Way’s
      domineering
      nurse,
      Ms.
      Brunton.
     
    

    
     
      Next
      on
      the
      program
      (and
      perhaps
      the
      best
     
     
      play
      of
      the
      night),
      was
      ‘‘The
      Sandbox”’.
      Direc-
     
     
      tor
      Craig
      Blair
      and
      stage
      manager
      David
      Winter
     
     
      are
      to
      be
      commended
      for
      such
      a
      polished,
     
     
      artistic
      interpretation
      of
      Albee’s
      minor
     
     
      masterwork;
      the
      set
      and
      costuming
      are
      appro-
     
     
      priate
      to
      the
      starkly
      ambiguous
      mood,
      and
      there
     
     
      are
      beautiful
      touches:
      the
      well-timed
      and
      very
     
     
      ominous
      rumbling
      of
      the
      death-angel’s
      wings
     
     
      comes
      to
      mind,
      as
      does
      the
      unobtrusive
      clari-
     
     
      net-player’s
      (Kadre
      Kass’s)
      eclectic
      repertoire
     
     
      of
      background
      music
      (Send
      in
      the
      Clowns,
      As
     
     
      Time
      Goes
      By,
      etc.).
     
    

    
     
      Performances
      are
      excellent
      here,
      with
      the
     
     
      possible
      exception
      of
      Mommy
      (Rebecca
      Van
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      mythological
      fame,
      transplanted
     
     
      toa
      1960’s
      setting).
      Both
      Blair
      and
      MacDonald
     
     
      bring
      elements
      of
      humour,
      the
      disturbing,
      and,
     
     
      most
      importantly,
      believability
      to
      the
      parts
      they
     
     
      play.
      Blair,
      a
      veteran
      of
      the
      Theatre
      Society
     
     
      productions,
      seems
      to
      improve
      with
      each
      subse-
     
     
      quent
      outing.
      The
      Theatre
      Society
      productions
     
     
      as
      a
      whole,
      for
      that
      matter,
      have
      been
      consist-
     
     
      ently
      better
      since
      the
      less
      than
      resoundingly
     
     
      successful
      one-act
      plays
      with
      which
      the
      Society
     
     
      began
      its
      season
      last
      year.
      In
      this
      latest
      series
      of
     
     
      one-act
      plays,
      the
      Society
      has
      succeeded
      admi-
     
     
      rably
      in
      bringing
      an
      evening
      of
      death
      to
      life.
     
     
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      December
      2,
      1993/X-Press/17