Zadies Shoes races to the tape
Review by Gilda Furgiuele; photo credit Paul Toogood
In Zadie’s Shoes playwright Adam Pettle presents us with the spiritual journey of Benjamin, a compulsive gambler who risks everything to satisfy his addiction. Pettle centers Benjamin’s journey around faith – faith in himself, his loved ones, and his religious tradition. It’s a large theme, and a daunting task for any playwright.
Pettle sets about the job by having his story revolve around a group of Torontonians in their thirties; three sisters and the men in their lives. The protagonist gets into trouble as he gambles away the money for an “alternative” cancer clinic in Mexico that one of the sisters, his girlfriend, had been saving for. With only a few days to get it back and his options dwindling by the hour, Ben – capably played by Aaron Willis – turns to any path that might lead him out of his predicament. Meanwhile, Ben’s girlfriend, Ruth, is facing challenges as she tries to come to grips with her illness and her family’s reaction to it. With something as serious as cancer it is not strange to find that family may not react in the way expected, and Ruth’s sisters express their emotional responses in vastly different ways.
When faced with life’s challenges the characters turn to many different routes to ease their pain; new age religion, substance abuse, or competitive sports. The story risks taking on too much at certain times, but tying everyone’s experience together is the narrative delivered by the “prophet” Eli, an old Jewish man skillfully played by Peter Froelich, who is befriended by chance during one of Ben’s desperate visits to the synagogue ( Froelich does double-duty as the rarely-seen father of Ben as well). Eli does his best to guide Ben on a path towards adulthood and maturity, and scenes where they interact are among the strongest in the play.
The performance itself clips along at a pace that matches the repeated references to the horse track. Every character is in a race for something, whether it is for time, money, life, victory, or happiness. There are gripping scenes at the race track as Ben comes up against his own character flaws; we do feel for him as he is caught between his vice and his love for Ruth. At moments like this the elements of tragedy are plain for all to see, and Pettle’s characters take on an archetypal quality. It’s an admirable attempt to make their plight universal, but in the end the play doesn’t let its characters really take hold of the reins. Like betting on a horse to place instead of to win, Zadie’s Shoes stays with the safer odds.
GCTC’s production of Zadie’s Shoes is playing on in the main stage of the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre until November 9; contact the box office at 613 236 5196 for times and tickets.
