I have a thing for snowy winters — for the idea of them, at least. I think they do wonders for the romance and intrigue of a story. The crunch of boots in snow, the roaring fires, the deliciousness of warmth finally received and all the possibilities of closeness that come with snowstorms, hot cups of cocoa and cabins in Vermont make fertile ground for a cozy little romance.
On the flip side, snowy winter settings also make for chilling murder mysteries: what with the blackouts, the snowed in vehicles, the long quiet nights, those unfamiliar footprints in the snow and let’s not forget that lone, ominous axe that’s sitting in the corner (presumably for woodcutting)… throw in a shady character with a motive and that’s enough to have me nibbling at my fingernails and shivering in my seat.
The Metro Theatre‘s production of Making a Killing by John Nassivera is a pleasant mixture of the above two scenarios. It has the coziness of an isolated wooden cabin in Vermont, but also the chilly bitterness of a murder in the offing.
The characters are the sort that keep you guessing — those surrounding the protagonist are alternately sweet and then seditious — they appear to genuinely care for him, a few lines later are greedy for their cut of his profits. It’s a play where the blurry moral scruples make interesting things happen — like a playwright faking his own death with the help of his friends, only to discover that perhaps his friends aren’t really faking…
Making a Killing has a funny take on the popular maxim that artists are only ever appreciated after they’re dead. Its characters paint entertaining pictures of showbiz stereotypes in the figures of the narcissistic (over)actress (played wonderfully by Kathryn Stewart), the smarmy, opportunistic producer (played by Joseph Balint) and the playwright’s results-driven agent (played by Anita Reimer) who talks-a-mile-a-minute, drives a hard bargain and can’t be fooled. Reimer’s character shows increasing amounts of depth as the play goes on, and her growing connection with the dry, witty, existentially fraught protagonist (Blaine Anderson) becomes the play’s one true thing. All four actors did a great job — I especially enjoyed Anita Reimer’a outrageously entertaining New York accent — and I’m sure their performances have only gotten funnier and more nuanced since opening night last week.
The set, sound, lighting and costume design were phenomenal and deserve a special mention– I really did feel like I was in a lonely, well-furnished cabin in Vermont, and that there really was a snowy driveway offstage. Bravo to Don Briard, Les Erkine & Heather Stewart, Miles Lavkulich and Val Palosaari — and anyone else who helped with the ambience — for pulling this effect off so well.
Congratulations to Alison Schamberger for directing such an enjoyable performance!
You can see John Nassivera’s Making a Killing at the Metro Theatre at 8 p.m. until October 29th, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday Oct 23.
Christopher says
Great review. Makes me want to come back to Vancouver. Incredible town.
Alyzee says
Thanks Christopher! I know what you mean about Vancouver — I am reluctant to leave because it’s like a big city without the ‘big’. More like a big town, as you say 🙂
Jeremy Branham says
Sounds like a funny play! Like the idea of it – a humorous approach to the popularity of artists.
Alyzee says
It is a funny play. The awful part is in the play, faking the playwright’s death worked! His plays became instant hits. Really makes you wonder.
Michael Figueiredo says
Sounds like a great play!
Alyzee says
Thanks Michael. Still time to see it at the Metro if you like. It runs until Oct 29.
Al Zylstra says
It is a great show. I am the Stage Manager for this production and I have been thrilled to work with such a great cast in such an amazing Venue. Tell your friends, tell your families, tell your neighbors. Heck, tell your enemies. Go and check out what a great Community Theatre is all about.
Alex says
So I read the review..But was a bit disappointed that there was no mention of the stage manager that keep the show going after the Producer finishes their thing..and no mention of the set designer Dwayne that worked so hard building the sets .
Alyzee says
Thanks for sharing that Alex. As far as possible, I try and mention the names of everyone involved when giving kudos, and find their names/roles in the play’s programme. Certainly praise for the set/production goes to the whole team. I didn’t intentionally leave anyone out, must have overlooked Dwayne’s name in the programme. Sorry about that Dwayne — that doesn’t mean I overlook your great efforts.
It is impossible to mention the individual names of the whole team in a review (it would make for very clumsy reading), so I hope the crew knows that even though it isn’t always listed in full, any and all praise for the play is intended for all members of the crew to share in. Where individual mentions aren’t possible, I hope the kudos can be considered collective praise for a collective endeavour.
Thanks for reading, and congratulations to the cast and crew on being in the final week of Making a Killing!