Bloom a breath of warm spring air at Waterdown Village Theatre

Caroline Way, who directs Bloom by Andrew Morton for Waterdown's Village Theatre, says the play “explores real emotions” and is the kind of story “that lives in small moments with big consequences,” which is to say, its setting is ordinary, but suggests our everyday lives are important and that we can have a significant impact on each others' lives.

The play promises to touch us in ways that are real for us all, and this production doesn’t disappoint.

I felt the story may have been too pat and fall too easily towards its happy ending, but I overheard several audience members say they needed to see a play like that – something warm and touching and close to the heart.

The play was written to take place in Flint, Michigan, a city which has needed to re-invent itself after massive lay-offs and businesses subsequently leaving. Instead, the Village Theatre production is set in Hamilton – coincidentally Flint's sister city. It includes references to Barton Street and Beechwood Avenue; if you’ve been to Barton Street in the last 20 or 30 years, the setting of boarded up buildings amongst barely thriving businesses and homes of proud but poor people seems to work very well indeed.

To add to the flavour, the lead elder character sports a Ticats t-shirt to open the play, and several characters later wear tees which pay tribute to The Hammer.

Ramshackle set paints the scene

Hamilton as setting works, and apparently the playwright gave permission for theatre companies to use their own towns. I’m told that Andrew Morton is coming down from Michigan to see the Friday, May 3 performance and participate in a talk-back with the case and the audience. He is sure to be fond of this rendition of his play.

The set seemed rather ramshackle at first, but given the themes of the play, it works well. For the most part the set is successful, though a quick backdrop brought in to represent a diner is somewhat ineffective. 

For one scene, the stage is transformed neatly into the flat roof of a cheap groceteria. Together with subdued lighting, the realistic roof created a romantic backdrop. Throughout the play, vegetables and flowers show various stages of growth along with the garden’s decorative embellishments, and these come to suggest the
growth of the characters.

Casting and chemistry hit the right notes 

The chief characters include Bobby, a rather crusty old widower, who works on revitalizing properties by planting gardens of flowers and vegetables. He's played with grace and a gravelly voice by veteran actor Bruce Edwards. Bobby's daughter Michelle, a social worker, comes to him one day in spring, asking him to mentor a 15-year-old boy who has been suspended from school.

Sarah Ramage as Michelle successfully portrays a tired and frustrated young woman – exhausted by the number of charges she has and frustrated by her father, who seems to need his own social worker.

Andrew Plasky, a young, relative newcomer to the stage, plays Daniel. “It’s Dan,” he reminds characters, as if to assert his adult independence. At first, I thought his nervousness made him smile when he should have been surly, but soon enough he demonstrates his effectiveness at being the stereotypical rebellious teenager, and the surly attitude surfaces best when he is in a restaurant with his mother Lisa, portrayed by Plasky's real-life mom, Christine Marchetti.

Marchetti’s mother voice is bang-on accurate, particularly when she speaks to her son in the diner scene, where he won’t share his food but won’t eat it either. Some good writing and good casting there.

Finally, Dania Homsi portrays Ashley, a schoolmate of Daniel’s who reaches out to him – well, shows interest in Daniel, much to Daniel’s surprise. Way exercises a delicate hand at directing this relationship. Demonstration of their physical attraction was understated, but it worked to emphasize the quality of one person reaching out to another.

Growth portrayed in silent moments

In one respect, it made me realize that the growth which every character experiences occurs because someone reaches out. Homsi had a comfort in her own skin which lends itself to Ashley’s character.

Way also has the characters use gestures and silent moments, particularly at the start of Act 2, to convey the transformation which several characters have experienced. It's a lovely touch nicely effected by the actors.

The theme of reaching out comes to a lovely climax when mother Lisa has a quiet moment with social worker Michelle to say thank you, but there was a magical moment that spoke to the audience as if to say each of us has the power to transform someone’s life, and we need to be grateful to those who have reached out to us. The chemistry between Marchetti and Ramage was very sweet indeed.

The play has its share of conflict and even danger, and more than one character needs to overcome their grief and feelings of purposelessness, but these moments only emphasize the ultimate messages of the play: sometimes you may find purpose in unexpected places, and always because someone has extended a hand to help you along.

Bloom continues at Village Theatre Waterdown for two more weekends. Tickets are available by phone at 905-681-6000 or online at villagetheatrewaterdown.ca.