By Paul Love
Stage Centre Productions has decided to forego the usual Christmas season classics — A Christmas Carol, It’s A Wonderful Life, and their ilk — in favour of a lesser-known seasonal offering called ‘A Gift to Remember’, which is a Joseph Robinette adaptation of Debbie Macomber’s 1998 book, ‘Can This Be Christmas?’
(L to R): Gracie Palmieri and Heather Goodall, photo by Fabio Saposnik
The play follows the well-worn trope of a group of strangers finding themselves stuck together in a remote location, forced to interact with one another. Matthew (Will van der Zyl) is an under-appreciated software salesman with a marriage that is on the rocks; Len (Jacob Cartwright) is a young naval officer who is trying to get home to his girlfriend so he can pop the question; Nick (Connor Cooke) and Kelly (Jen Hashimoto) are a young couple with a newborn baby; Elise (Heather Goodall) is a single mom with her young daughter, Kate (Gracie Palmieri); Sam (Peter Bannon) and Louise (Christine Dick) are soon-to-be grandparents; and Cathy (Susan Sanders) is a kind-hearted woman on her way to her daughter’s for Christmas. Helping the unfortunate travellers as best he can is the station master, Clayton (Robert Frances).
Admittedly the script is, at best, by-the-numbers with the way it develops the notion of these travellers all becoming very close and familial in a very short amount of time. At worst, there are moments that are a bit saccharine and others that are downright confusing. To be very clear, though, these issues are about the script, not the performances. It is in the performances (as well as some technical highlights) where the good in this production shines through.
Mr. van der Zyl delivers an enjoyable and nuanced performance, giving us a Matt who is a bit prickly at the beginning but whose cold-ish heart really starts to defrost as the play goes on. Ms. Sanders is a delight to watch and listen to as the warm, compassionate Cathy. Mr. Cartwright brings a focused energy to his performance, which contrasts nicely with the more relaxed, subdued performances from most of the other cast members. Mr. Frances brings a warm, gregarious tone in a lovely performance as the always-helpful station master. Kudos to young Gracie Palmieri who really shines in her entertaining performance as the precocious Kate. The rest of the cast did an admirable job, as well. Wonderful singing by visiting carolers (Olivia Jon, Brenda Totman, and Laura Wilde) gave me my first real sense of the holiday season.
Set Designer Pierre Rajotte has created a warm and inviting train station, which, thanks to the effective lighting design of Marc Siversky, contrasts nicely with the sense of forbidding cold in the world just outside the station doors. The assortment of mismatched and various benches, chairs, and stools gave a real sense of small-town America, and the small touches like an out-of-order phone and weathered posters added much realism. My only minor quibble is the fact that anyone exiting stage left in the outdoors reappears through the unseen wall of the station, which diminishes the contrast of warmth inside the station and cold outside. Gayle Owler’s costumes were simple and appropriate.
Director Lorraine Kimsa ably handled the challenge of a play where several characters are essentially trapped together in one room for the entire show. Character movements around the set always seemed natural and sensible. Having the cast stay on the set during the intermission was a nice touch, further strengthening the sense of stranded, weary travellers.
With A Gift to Remember, you can start the holiday season by essentially watching a Hallmark Christmas movie live on stage. It’s a good opportunity to see some great moments performed by some talented actors. Performances are at the Fairview Library Theatre, 35 Fairview Mall Drive in Toronto, next to the Fairview Mall. Remaining performances are December 4, 5, and 6 at 8 pm, with an additional matinee performance on December 7 at 2 pm. Tickets are available by visiting the website.