A song and dance about difficult love and new horizons
Old Stock is a 90 minute musical produced by 2B Theatre, Canada, written by playwright Hannah Moscovitch based on the story of her Romanian Jewish grandparents who arrived in 1908 to Halifax as refugees. The story begins at Canadian immigration where one the two meet- one suspected to have tuberculosis, the other typhus. Chaya is 24 and accompanied by a large extended family (but without her husband and child who died on the way) and Chaya is 19 and alone but full of hope albeit shaken from the persecution of his family back home. They marry and despite their grievances finally build a new life.
The set is simple but brilliant- the characters pop out of a shipping container that swings open at the beginning of the story revealing old suitcases- and and a four piece band!
The emcee, Canadian folk musician Ben Caplan, tells the story through words and song. He bounds around the stage and pulls the audience into the tale. Chaya (Mary Fay Coady) and Chaim (Dani Oore) are both adorable and the comic timing in their dialogue is perfected. Direction by Chris Barry is simple but effective creating a rawness and immediacy with a Brechtian quality effected with the band and Caplan’s character. Coady and Oore, like Caplan, also form part of the band as singers and musicians and watching (and listening to) this ensemble work is wonderful.
The script however could have done with a 15-20 minute trim of perhaps one or two songs and some monologue. The blue jokes, that don’t really add anything to the show, could have been cut.
Nonetheless this story of new love in difficult circumstances is relevant to the contemporary day refugee crisis and the performers and musicians do the story justice. It would be great to see them working together again in another production.
Old Stock plays at Belvoir Street Theatre until January 20.
