Another drama
about another pandemic

Canadian play Unity (1918) deals with the ravages of the Spanish Flu

By Byron Toben

Thanks for the favourable comments on my recent article on Shaw’s 1906 play The Doctor’s Dilemma and its relevance to today’s COVID-19.

In that article, I noted that while there have been several movies about pandemics, there have been few theatre productions highlighting that subject.

However, I was remiss in not mentioning Canadian Kevin Kerr’s 2001 play, Unity (1918). First staged in Vancouver, it arrived in Montreal translated into French in 2003 and finally in English in 2007, presented by Gabrielle Soskin’s Persephone Productions.

The disease, by the way, was called the French Flu by the Spaniards and the German disease by the French while the Germans intimated that its origins may have been in Russia.

That play, set in the small Saskatchewan town of Unity, dealt with the effects of the terrible Spanish Flu, which swept the world in the aftermath of World War I. Estimates of deaths therefrom ranged from 20 to 50 million souls.

The disease, by the way, was called the French Flu by the Spaniards and the German disease by the French while the Germans intimated that its origins may have been in Russia.

In any event, Unity (1918), directed by Ms. Soskin herself, also introduced some young actors who have since achieved local recognition of note, such as Christopher Moore and Kathleen Stavert.

Unity (1918) performed by the Phoenix Theatre in 2014 – Image: David Lowes

Like today’s COVID-19, that pandemic spread widely and rapidly, striking young persons in particular, unlike today’s, which so far seems to hit the elderly more. Populaces were unsure of which preventative measures or cures were available or even worked.

Then, there were rumours that the plague gained its momentum in the muddy trenches of the war.

Now, there are rumours that our plague may be an escapee from biowarfare research. I have no expertise, nor opinion on this, but note that it is well known that most countries have one or more research stations for “defence” studies on this subject.

‘While theatre and films have closed their doors, there is a slow growth of talented performers, mostly solos, putting You Tube to use.’

On the literary side, popular sci-fi novelist Dean Koonst, in the 1991 edition of his The Eyes of Darkness, wrote “in around 2020, a severe pneumonia-like illness would spread throughout the globe, attacking the lungs and resisting all known treatments… They call this stuff Wuhan-400 because it was developed at their RDNA labs outside the city of Wuhan and it was the 400th visible strain of man-made microorganisms created at that research centre. Wuhan-400 is a perfect weapon.”

Wow! Talk about precise dates in predictions!

Soviet dissident Andrei Amalrik, in his 1970 essay Will the Soviet Union Survive Until 1984? was criticized years later because the actual collapse, for reasons put forth in that book, did not take place until 1989… off by only 4 years!

I fear COVID-19 will dominate reportage for many months to come. While theatre and films have closed their doors, there is a slow growth of talented performers, mostly solos, putting You Tube to use.

Feature image: Otis Historical Archives, National Museum of Health and Medicine / Public domain

Read more articles from Byron Toben

Byron Toben, a past president of The Montreal Press Club, has been WestmountMag.ca’s theatre reviewer since July 2015. Previously, he wrote for since terminated web sites Rover Arts and Charlebois Post, print weekly The Downtowner and print monthly The Senior Times. He also is an expert consultant on U.S. work permits for Canadians.