In A Word...J. Kelly Nestruck, critic at The Globe and Mail

(photo credit: Catherine Farquharson, documentographer.com)

The Man with the Magic Pants

[ED: Today we're  continuing a new weekly feature at The Charlebois Post - Toronto: In a Word... Each week, on Wednesday, you'll be treated to a short-form interview with someone in the Toronto theatre. Some will be talking about their upcoming productions, some about their lives, some just addressing questions about their work or the world around them. Enjoy!]

CHARPO: We tend to see the Toronto theatre community as big and happy - especially with the Doras giving us that impression each year. How do you see it?

NESTRUCK: I agree that it is big. Given the community is currently rent asunder by the Factory Theatre situation, I'm not sure happy is the word I'd use to describe it at this exact moment, however. The reaction to Ken Gass being fired and especially to the subsequent boycott have exposed a lot of fault-lines in the family. 

That said, as a child of divorce, big, happy families make me suspicious. I think it's a sign of health that people are disagreeing and debating openly - it shows a certain maturity in the Toronto theatre scene. There's been a little too much tiresome hurling about of words like "bully" and "traitor" of late, however. LINK


Oh please, comparisons are odorous.

CHARPO: What is the worst reaction - even one anonymous - that you've had to a review?

NESTRUCK: The best worst reaction I had to a review came from Morris Panych. I reviewed his new musical, Wanderlust, at Stratford this summer, and he left a long comment on the Globe and Mail's website that was, in the main, about the shorts that I wore to the opening and how they may or may not have impaired my judgment. It has become known as the "Magic Pants" comment and it's my understanding that people are using it as an audition monologue now. LINK

All I'll say in response is that I'm very comfortable with my fashion choices.

CHARPO: When you travel and see theatre elsewhere, how does it compare to what you have seen in Toronto?

NESTRUCK: Oh please, comparisons are odorous. When I go to New York, I tend to see the three or four shows that I really want to see or that have big buzz. So I get a skewed impression of the theatre ecology there. It's not all Gatz and Philip Seymour Hoffman, I gather. It's always a bad idea to travel and compare. 

You could ask me how Toronto theatre compares to that of other cities I've lived in, like Montreal, London and Winnipeg, but you didn't, so: ha! LINK

CHARPO: Praise the Toronto theatre scene:

NESTRUCK: Is that an order? Well, last season was chock full of great shows - and some of those great shows actually sold out. There seem to be a lot more excellent directors in town now than there were a decade ago when I moved here. Shows that reflect the city's diversity are attracting big audiences. I could go on, but just read this. LINK 

CHARPO: Complain about the Toronto theatre scene:

NESTRUCK: We really need a separated bike lane that goes east-west along Richmond or Adelaide or somewhere downtown. How's a bicycling theatregoer supposed to safely get from a matinée on Queen West to an evening show in the Distillery? I once was sent to the hospital trying to get to Soulpepper on time.

Oh, OK, a real complaint: We live in one of the most multicultural cities of the world and every venued theatre company - every single one - has a white man as artistic director? Yikes!

CHARPO: What's the one thing about you that people may not know?

NESTRUCK: I am a white man, emphasis on the man part. It doesn't matter how many times the paper runs my headshot or a picture of me riding a War Horse, I still get email for Ms. Nestruck. Mostly during Fringe season, of course.