A Delicate Balance

By: Edward Albee

Director: Diana LeBlanc

Stratford Festival Of Canada

www.stratfordfestival.ca

Runs: July 29^th to September 23^rd 2007

Tom Patterson Theatre

3 ½ Stars

Reviewed By: Kindah Mardam Bey

Edward Albee wrote A Delicate Balance in 1966 about a high society family on the brink of inexplicable fear. Apparently over forty years later and that inexplicable fear is still relevant enough to talk about. This year’s production of the deconstruction of wealth and finery of A Delicate Balance is filled to the brim with heavyweight Canadian talent. A Delicate Balance is a character development (or perhaps merely an observation and exploration of character) driven production, so a piece of this intensity requires a strong and cohesive cast.

Before the cast comes the setting though, and the Tom Patterson Theatre is a runway thrust theatre, but oddly fitted for A Delicate Balance as a good use of the stage was managed. All the elegant trappings of ‘old’ money decorated the room, with the obligatory chaise, standing bar, and crystal ashtrays. The stage was set for performance, just as a stage about blue blood logic should be afforded.

In brevity, Albee’s play is about retired man Tobias who country clubs and golfs and spends much of his days useless; a shadow of the businessman he once was. Tobias is married to Agnes, a philosophizing idle wife of a wealthy businessman who seeks to enable her family’s vices and belittle them for those very vices at the same time. Agnes has a pithy and biting relationship with her permanent resident alcoholic sister Claire. As Agnes and Tobias’ daughter Julia returns for yet another time after a failed marriage, an abrupt and semi-permanent visit by their best friends Harry and Edna comes at an untimely moment, but the sake of friendship cannot be left abandoned on the doorstep. Harry and Edna rushed over to their best friends in the world after being alone at home and feeling consumed with fear. If A Delicate Balance sounds dull, don’t believe it to be so, as the dialogue is rich and coagulates in your thoughts for weeks afterwards, enjoy the heavy connotations and acknowledge what the inexplicable fear means.

The role of Tobias was originally intended for one of the Stratford Festivals greatest actors William Hutt, until his declining health and eventual passing recently. David Fox, most notably known as Mr. Clive Pettibone in the TV series Road To Avonlea took up the torch after Hutt and put in a well-paced and stoic performance. Tobias is meant to be useless and almost motherly, as Agnes wears the pants in the family; Fox reveals how frail and easily swayed Tobias can be. As it was mentioned to me, most of the costumes Fox wore were too large for his frame, making Tobias seem smaller and inconsequential. Michelle Giroux put in a substantial performance as the adult-child Julia, and James Blendick as Harry and Patricia Collins as Edna were clear and articulate performances. Possibly the greatest performance was brought to the table by Fiona Reid, an actress with film and TV credits as long as her arm, was incalculable as Claire. Reid seemed to strike the right note as acidic, humourus, self-depricating, goading sister with sound logic at times and chaotic self-destruction for the most part.

The only performance in this small cast that seemed misplaced and without conviction to the words was from Martha Henry as Agnes. It is Agnes’ introductory speech that sets the tone of how A Delicate Balance will unfold, and Martha Henry seemed to limp through the initial speech. Although this is Martha Henry’s 33^rd season at Stratford, she didn’t seem to have the bite to her sentences or the self-indulgent whimsy required for Agnes. Considering the rest of the cast were strong portrayals, Henry’s shortcomings seem like a small price to pay.

The Stratford Festival, and Richard Monette as Artistic Director chose A Delicate Balance wisely as it adds another dimension to the festival of quality plays by other great writers. Overall, A Delicate Balance showcased a family of all too wells, not doing too well; just as Albee had envisioned.