Kids' play brings serious laughs
Intolerance a theme of sprightly Bluenose

The play Bluenose is a lighthearted romp on the high seas with a powerful undercurrent. It is about intolerance and ignorance and profound moments of epiphany. It is also a play that had an opening-night crowd of 5-to-12 year olds laughing themselves silly. How about that.

The Black Theatre Workshop and Geordie Theatre Productions co-production is at Concordia University's D.B. Clarke Theatre today through next weekend.

The action swirls around a trio of pirates - Knat, Spatt and Ratt - who pass their time sailing the seas in search of new lands to pillage. They love their work, break into occasional and charming song and dance numbers, and adhere mightily to their routine, until, with no warning, a stranger lands in their midst, snared on a fishnet and straining to escape. She looks weird. Her name is Ku and her nose is blue. That will not do. Their noses are red. Different is bad. So they tie her up. When she protests, they announce, "Our wrongs are bigger than your rights." Ouch. They may be dressed in funny clothes and their noses may be painted clown-red, but their words sting. The world of might is right because, well, who dares say otherwise. Sound familiar? Check the history books. Heck, check yesterday's newspaper.

Playwright Emil Sher deftly weaves insolence with insight, coaxing laughs while encouraging thought. And director Robert Astle is masterful at balancing the buffoonery of the pirates with the bleak reality of their message. The cast shines. Lindsay Owen Pierre is kooky and courageous as Knat, a book-loving pirate with hankering to learn about life beyond his sheltered horizons. Omari Newton plays Spatt as a lovable doofus with a befuddled will to embrace challenges beyond the confines of the pirate ship. Julie Tamiko Manning is fearless as Ratt, the ship's captain. She rules her tiny universe with ferocity and is ultimately unwilling to or incapable of change. Glenda Braganza as Ku of blue nose is gracious and wise and the voice of reason until, she too, is confronted with her own bigotry.

Don't be alarmed by the gravity of the message. This is a play for the whole family. There's plenty of broad physical humour and a generous sprinkling of one-liners to enjoy as you ponder the fallout from unchecked bigotry.

Eo Sharp's clever set design combines draped blue fabric - the sea - with a couch-turned-ship's deck. Clever times two because it's uncluttered and portable - a must for a play touring gymnasiums and community centres.

  Kathryn Greenaway, The Gazette (Montreal), February 16, 2003