Play combines clever text
with fine acting
A review of Hudson Village Theatre’s Beyond the Sea
By Byron Toben
August 21, 2023
First off, this excellent romantic drama does not include the French song La Mer, an ode to the ocean, popularized in English by Bobby Darin as a love song with the same title as this play.
Rather, playwright Kristen da Silva selects a touristy lakeside pier where Gwen (Julie Tamiko Manning) hosts a ghost tour replicating the “lady in white” who had committed suicide by drowning in that lake years before the result of a broken love affair.
Mr. Armorer and Ms. Manning played opposite each other in the Hudson Village Theatre 2021 production of Strawberries in January, so there was a good rapport enhanced by the sensitive direction of Dean Patrick Fleming.
Along comes Theo (Quincy Armorer), who has a ticket but is awaiting arrival later by his lady friend (who never shows up) on a ferry from the mainland.
The two strike up a conversation about love, loss, and the importance of looking forward. Was this chance encounter meant to be?
Mr. Armorer and Ms. Manning played opposite each other in the Hudson Village Theatre 2021 production of Strawberries in January, so there was a good rapport enhanced by the sensitive direction of Dean Patrick Fleming.
I have often seen Ms. Manning in more serious roles, such as in Butcher at the Centaur Theatre, but here she displays her talent for light comedy.
The Hudson Village Theatre is on a roll with their recent productions of Johnny and June and the memoir of the late Gordon Lightfoot.
Keep your eyes peeled for its next shows. Can’t go wrong with its selections.
Beyond the Sea played at the Hudson Village Theatre from June 7 to July 16.
Images: Michael Green Photography
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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 websites 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.
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