Ouzounian Apologizes to Lucy Peacock

Wow! After many years of critics slagging Stratford because it is an easy target. We are at the top yet the critics have had an impact on ticket sales, even though the bureaucrats at the Stratford Festival deny this. This year it appears that the players are darlings again in the eyes of the theatre critics and it is even more apparent with The Star's Richard Ouzounian. Well, garsh darn, he has a gushing apology for Lucy Peacock. Welcome back to Stratford Mr Ouzounian.



The Toronto Star

Jun 01, 2007 04:30 AM
Richard Ouzounian
Theatre Critic

The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead
(3.5 Out of 4)

By Robert Hewett. Directed by Geordie Johnson. Until Sept. 2 at the Studio Theatre, Stratford. 1-800-567-1600

Dear Lucy Peacock:

Over the past few seasons at Stratford, I have written some extremely negative reviews of your acting.

But after seeing your performance in The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead, which opened a return engagement at the Studio Theatre yesterday afternoon, I feel I owe you a public apology.

Anyone who can deliver the goods as superbly as you do in this piece, deserves to have as many second chances as she likes.

Who would have thought that playing seven different characters in one short play would have liberated so much wonderful depth and honesty within you?

Usually this kind of exercise encourages an actor to skim along the surface and rely on funny voices or outrageous makeup to do the work for them.

But you'll have none of that. Cut to the chase, cut to the bone; that's your motto here.

Robert Hewett's script is a very clever piece of work and I mean that initially in the positive sense, but ultimately in the negative one. It's fascinating to see you begin as the dowdy spouse, Rhonda (the vengeful redhead) who goes on a rampage after Lynette, her snoopy neighbour (that's the brunette) convinces her that her husband is having an affair with another woman (you guessed it: the blonde).

For about thirty minutes, I felt I was seeing an episode of Desperate Housewives performed by a single actress and although I admired your seamless work, I started to feel like Peggy Lee: is that all there is?

Never fear, you and Hewett soon pulled the rug out from under me and there were plenty of surprises to come, as a story of simple suburban adultery turned into a Rashomon-like exploration of the nature of truth.

I don't think I've ever seen a female portray a male with more skill than you did here, when the philandering hubby finally made his first appearance (using a urinal, of course).

Your body language, voice and – most importantly – your character were all so real and true that I wanted to stop the show with applause then and there.

I also loved your calmly knowing doctor, troubled little kid, feisty old lady and sleazy Russian tart. You nailed them all, thanks to your skill and the simple, but perfect costumes and wigs that Michael Gianfrancesco designed for you.

And you have wonderful collaborators in director Geordie Johnson, who kept it all together, as well as Stephen Woodjetts, whose bittersweet musical score will haunt me nearly as long as your acting will.

Ms. Peacock, you were superb right down the line, but I think the play went a little squishy on you in the final scene and I wanted the writing to leave us with a bit more of a sting, instead of some tidy uplift.

But this is no time to complain. I look forward to many, many more performances of this calibre from you in the future.

As Humphrey Bogart said at the end of Casablanca, "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Sincerely yours,

A grateful critic