I cannot launch this brief message board without condolences to the families of two cherished actresses whose brilliant lives and careers were cut short too soon: Goldie Semple and Lynn Redgrave. Ms. Semple was a beautiful actress literally and figuratively. Her final season at the Shaw Festival was distinguished by comic performances of rare scintillating wit, and I regret that I never had a chance to interview her during her lifetime. As for Lynn Redgrave, I have not often met an actress of such generosity on stage and off. I was long an admirer of her inspired comic acting on Broadway, television, disc, and in films and of her memorable one-woman show Shakespeare for My Father. On stage, she was as adept at running off with a show from under the noses of Rex Harrison, Claudette Colbert, and George Rose, as she was with bringing tears to your eyes with her dramatic monologues. She was always courteous to fans, often engaging in long chats about theatre, and I recall that whenever I met her, she would always bring in mention of her great sister Vanessa. In comedy, Lynn was, perhaps, even greater than Vanessa, and this is high praise, given the fact that I think Vanessa is the greatest living actress I have ever seen. May their genius long live in the minds and hearts of their admirers.

This is Dora month, so, naturally, it is also a time of the usual controversies over the nominations. I never cease to marvel at the idiocy of the juries, especially in the acting categories. Of course, there is no accounting for taste—especially in Toronto theatre, where taste is often a myth. How, for instance, to account for the nomination of Diego Matamoros in Soulpepper’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, given the appalling absence of a nomination for Nancy Palk’s Martha, one of the best performances this versatile actress has ever given on stage. Matamoros’s performance was arguably the weakest of the quartet in this production, whereas Palk’s was among the best Marthas I have ever experienced, and I have experienced the Marthas of Uta Hagen, Kathleen Turner, Elizabeth Taylor, et cetera. Then there’s the equally egregious omission of the like of Megan Follows, Yanna McIntosh, and Evan Buliung of the Mirvish production of Cloud 9. Is there an anti-Mirvish faction on the Dora jury? Or is simply that the jurors are deaf, dumb, and blind, and wouldn’t know first-rate acting if it goosed them in the theatre? Or is it merely one more instance of reprehensible politics in the arts?

Some suggestions to Soulpepper's Albert Schultz: please do Albee's The Goat with Nancy Palk and Joseph Ziegler and Bennett's Talking Heads to star Nonnie Griffin, Dawn Greenhalgh, Nancy Palk, Megan Follows, and Corrine Koslo.  And once Canadian rights are available, do Yasmina Reza's God of Carnage before some other company beats you to it.

Stageandpage.com is not a listing service, but as a one-time favour to a publicist-friend, I am listing the following:

STAGE Toronto's Duet for One starring Faye Lavin and Christopher Kelk. Directed by Mark Schoenberg, Director

Until June 20, 2010
Tarragon Theatre (Mainspace)
30 Bridgman Avenue
Toronto
Tuesdays to Saturdays – 8:00 pm
Sundays – 2:30 pm
Tarragon Box Office
Tel:  416-531-1827

$30.00 regular prices; $20.00 seniors/students, $10 Sundays

The 44th CHIN Picnic opens at Exhibition Place on July 1 and runs the 3rd and 4th as well. Free admission and there's a heap of attractions, including Maximum Pro Wrestling, Team K-9 dog challenge, Mr. and Miss Chin Bikini contests, Zero Gravity Circus, Bike Races, a Petting Zoo, Jungle Animal Showcase, International Folklore dances, a South Asian Festival, and appearances by David de Melo, Mark Masri, Gallen Lo Ka-leung (Hong Kong), and Nek (Italy). The picnic continues the proud tradition started by Johnny Lombardi, founder and visionary of the CHIN Multicultural Radio and the CHIN International Picnic. Celebrate this Canada Day weekend!

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