While the story for Beyond Eden is fictional, it is based on actual events. In 1957, a group of men sailed to the tip of Haida Gwaii to rescue Totem Poles from a deserted Indian village.
In Beyond Eden, the man in charge of the expedition is Lewis Wilson. After going to great lengths to acquire the permits and permission to remove the Totem Poles, he sets off on his adventure with his wife, Sal, son Jack, and a small crew, including Victor and Joe Duncan, two natives who are familiar with the proper route to the location. After surviving a terrible storm, they arrive at their destination to find the Totem Poles in ruin, but are determined to carry on with their mission. When Lewis is visited by the spirits of the village, he decides against taking them back to Victoria, but members of his crew have other plans.
As mentioned before, this project was the idea of Bruce Ruddell, who has devoted over twenty years of his life to the project in countless workshops and re-writes, which has led him, his co-writer Bill Henderson, The Vancouver Playhouse and Theatre Calgary to undertake the production.
The trouble is - with so many talented people on board, how could a show with so much promise not live up to the hype?
Mr. Ruddell has constructed a musical that doesn't have one memorable tune, and some of the songs come completely out of nowhere. In the musical theatre genre, a song is used to forward the action going on in the scene, and Mr. Ruddell forgets that simple "rule" constantly.
Things aren't helped by the sound design of Chris Jacko, who hasn't balanced the live rock band and the cast effectively enough to make more than half the lyrics understandable.
Dennis Garnhum, the director of Beyond Eden, has done the best he can with what he's been given. His work is aided by the brilliant set and projection design by Bretta Gerecke and Jamie Nesbitt, respectively. Jacque Lemay's choreography is rather repetitive, but considering the fact that the set is rather large and somewhat obstructive, the cast and Lemay manage to maneuver well and there are some visually stunning moments created by them collectively.
The cast is strong, and again, they do what they can with the material they are given. John Mann, Jennifer Lines and Andrew Kushnir are all perfect in their roles as Lewis, Sal and Jack Wilson. Mann is in perfect voice, and while some of his mannerisms may be considered over the top at points, he is perfectly suited for the role. Tom Jackson, who plays The Watchman is underused,and his character is so poorly written that when he appears on stage, you are left to wonder "why".
It's a shame that things have gone so wrong in the writing. The plot holes in the story are countless, and the characters are undeveloped. At a running time of a hair over two hours, it's a shame that some of those holes weren't filled in to help us, the audience feel something - anything.
Is this the first great Canadian dramatic musical? No, not by a long shot. Is it an important story that should be told? Absolutely. Has Mr. Ruddell, The Vancouver Playhouse and Theatre Calgary squandered a chance to bring something truly wonderful to audiences? Sadly, the answer is yes.
Wonderful sets, lovely costumes, a potentially intriguing and moving story and a great cast don't make a great show, and Beyond Eden is anything but. Like the Totem Poles themselves, you have to ask yourself, would this story be better left untouched? Perhaps with a different vision for the work and a new direction, this show could have meant something far greater than the impact it will leave on audiences now. Too bad.
Beyond Eden at the Vancouver Playhouse, now until February 6, 2010. The show opens at Theatre Calgary February 16 until March 7, 2010. For tickets, click here.
** (out of five)
Mike Mackenzie - Mike Mackenzie is an actor, writer, director and theatre producer. Recently, he performed in Man Of La Mancha at the Heritage Theatre in ...
