Review: The Arsonists

Fiona Reid (photo credit: Bruce Zinger)

Firebugs

by Dave Ross

@dmjross

Plays translated from their original language are always intriguing. Sometimes, the story manages to transcend language barriers, and sometimes things can get lost in the translation—caution must be exercised. Max Frisch’s The Arsonists was translated anew from its original German to English by Alistair Beaton in 2007, and made its Canadian debut last night at Canadian Stage, and to be quite honest, I wasn’t sure what to make of the story.

The program notes state that the play can be read as “a comment on the neutrality of Switzerland during World War II, in particular its 'don’t ask, don’t tell' response to the rise of Nazism.” I can see that interpretation but it was not apparent—I had to search for it. The Arsonists tells the story of Gottlieb Biedermann (Michael Ball) and wife Babette (Fiona Reid), an upper-class couple who find themselves the unwilling hosts to Schmitz (Dan Chameroy) and Eisenring (Shawn Wright), two arsonists who take up residence in the attic, along with their score of detonators and drums of gasoline. A surreal commentary on our ability to ignore acts of evil, the story is rife with opportunity for humour, but it’s also a very simple one. I expect much of the audience could enjoy the play without its intended moral message.

The cast is an experienced who’s-who of Canadian theatre and television.

While the story seems a bit weak in places, the production itself shines. The cast is an experienced who’s-who of Canadian theatre and television. There simply isn’t a weak performance among them. It’s hard to single out any one actor, but I really enjoyed Chameroy as Schmitz. His characterization had nuances to it that seemed so effortless, and made Schmitz completely believable and transparent to the audience, if not to Gottlieb. The addition of a live score, written by Justin Rutledge, served to move the plot forward and provide interludes between scenes rather than a fade to black. Some of the activity during these interludes is confusing, as there are some activities we are clearly meant to be paying attention to, while other times they seem to be simply set dressing, and the music seems to be there to distract us from that. It was a small inconsistency, but there nonetheless. The set design by Ken MacDonald is truly a delight. Resembling a large disassembled dollhouse, it somehow manages to convey a light, wedding-cake-like look that serves in complete contrast to the feeling of the inevitability in the story. 

The Arsonists is a short play. I do wish that the story and its intended commentary were a bit clearer, as at times it seems to be trying too hard. However, this could be a function of the translation. A few things are apparent – whether you get the message or not, this is a rip-roaring hilarious play mounted by an extremely talented cast. The Arsonists is a perfect piece of theatre amuse-bouche, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone as an unparalleled opportunity to see this quantity and quality of talent in one place.

The Arsonists continues to December 9