Reverend Jonah

By: Paul Ciufo

Directed By: Marie Beath Badian

Blyth Festival Of Canada(www.blythfestival.ca)

Blyth Theatre

2 1/2 Stars

Reviewed By: Kindah Mardam Bey

Tonight’s preview show of Reverend Jonah at the Blyth Festival Of Canada was virtually a filled- to-capacity event. The play centres on a new Reverend for the United Church entering into the community as a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed newcomer from the ‘big city’ to a ‘small town’ and his first fellowship. Jonah learns quickly that United is not how the Church stands and much of the mundane small town politics are revisited for another viewing of small minded parishioners hell-bent against change. Phyllis and Barbie (yes…Barbie) are a gay couple who have been ostracized from the United Church and Reverend Jonah’s gusto and naiveté compels him to make a promise to Phyllis that he will reintegrate her into the Church that once cast her out.

As the audience watched, I watched the audience; the room was filled with good church-going faces. They had come to see a play about a Reverend (did this abscond them of their Sunday duties I wondered?), so the subject matter of a small town refusing progress where most of the audience were probably from small towns, seemed to make the air thick with an uncomfortable tension in the room.

Reverend Jonah had multiple set changes that will allow the cast some hard earned biceps by the end of the run. In fact, too many set changes and shuffling in the dark made the play drag on and feel like musical band sets as opposed to well rounded scenes.

After just seeing most of this cast do a fantastic job in Queen Milli of Galt, even pairing up the same romantic couple for both shows, it appeared as though their hearts were not in Reverend Jonah. Artistic Director, Eric Coates forewarned that this was a preview show and a few technical glitches would take place, however the play seemed simply not rehearsed enough; as if the audience had paid to watch a first run through without scripts instead of a final dress rehearsal. I don’t blame the cast for this, as they proved they have phenomenal talent in Queen Milli Of Galt, but this lack of cohesion and unfocused cast really comes from a director without focus. Perhaps under the watchful eye of artistic director Eric Coates, such as Queen Milli of Galt, this would have been a stronger performed play. For the many, many preview shows I’ve seen, this was the least organized. It was a shame to see such great talent like Darren Keay, Michelle Fisk, Ingrid Haas and Rebecca Auerbach reigned in.

However, if you put the ‘ironing out the wrinkles’ aside, Reverend Jonah was still a light, tinny, localized and unprogressive storyline courtesy of Paul Ciufo. Had he seen the phenomenal and controversial film Priest done in 1994 and banned in many countries for its content; he would have seen that the subject matter of the Church and gay issues had already been done years earlier and with more impact.

Perhaps the greatest oddity about Reverend Jonah was that this years Blyth play theme is ‘Four Women, Four Plays,’ and I couldn’t see where the predominant female storyline took place. Had the new Reverend been a woman and her love interest been one of her male parishioners; that would have been more unusual and fitting of this years’ theme. Sadly, Reverend Jonah didn’t seem unique enough or dynamic enough to be captivating for the audience.