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.
