Proud returns to the Firehall Arts Centre just in time to frack some fun into the lead up to federal election season.
The cheeky political play, back by popular demand, reimagines the result of the 2011 election. In it, the Tories took Quebec, ending up with an overwhelming majority and a cabinet full of rookies. A new, attractive female MP named Jisabella Lyth falls into the machinations of the helmet-haired Prime Minister, but it soon becomes a question of who’s controlling who?
Reprising their roles are the hilarious Emmelia Gordon and the unbelievably apropos Andrew Wheeler.
For Wheeler, it was a role he was born to play. Not only does he bear an uncanny resemblance to our current Prime Minister (who is never named in the play), but it posed an interesting satirical challenge for the liberal-leaning actor.
“I suppose, in the back of my mind, I’m aware that his politics are very different than mine,” says Wheeler, “but whenever you’re playing a character, you’re actually looking for the things that you like about them. So I’m not trying to lampoon Stephen Harper; I’m actually looking for the things that appeal to me about the man.
“And I think it’s almost an empathetic portrayal of the man, which certainly surprised a lot of my friends!” he laughs.
Much was made of the controversial nature of Proud when it first came to Vancouver this time last year. Drafted by Michael Healey in 2012 when he was the playwright-in-residence at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre, his board initially rejected the work (reportedly out of fear of libel and possible retaliatory funding cuts from the federal government) and Healey resigned his 11-year post in protest.
He completed the play, and it has been performed across Canada a number of times since. And while it doesn’t live up to the libelous hype, it certainly lives up to the comedy.
“I’m always surprised when you end up doing a first preview or public performance and people are laughing,” says Wheeler, “because I’m not necessarily looking for raucous rollicking comedy. I’m trying to find the man who’s obsessed with power for this part, who’s obsessed with control, and the humor of it actually comes from encountering a woman who, in his world, is out of control.”
In fact, more so than politics, this is a play about power in general. And people on both sides of the spectrum, even those who don’t dip their feet in the political pool at all, can enjoy it.
“There’s a certain political awareness that helps when you’re watching this piece, but it’s not mandatory at all,” says Wheeler. “You don’t have to know anything about politics to enjoy the play. It’s a rather humorous take on a whole bunch of other themes that just happen to be set in the political arena.”
• Proud is on now until April 25 at the Firehall Arts Centre. Tickets at FirehallArtsCentre.ca
