The Citizen, 2019-08-15, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2019.
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‘The Team on the Hill’ hits all the high notes
The Blyth Festival’s production of
fan-favourite playwright Dan
Needles’ The Team on the Hill
hits most of the right notes,
especially with a truly powerhouse
performance from Layne Coleman,
whose portrayal of Austin, a man
experiencing early stages of
dementia, brings a significant degree
of gravitas and levity to the play.
The Team on the Hill focuses on
the Ransiers, a farm family on the
cusp of the soybean surge in
southwestern Ontario. Three
generations clash on the farm:
Austin, the patriarch of the family,
his son Ray and wife Marion,
played by Tony Munch and Julie
Tamiko Manning, respectively, who
are running the farm and Marion and
Ray’s son, Larry, played by Kurtis
Leon Baker and his girlfriend
Leanne, played by Lucy Meanwell.
Needles, who may be best known
in Blyth for his Wingfield series,
offers true-to-life writing
surrounding farms and farm families
that shines throughout the play.
Regular Blyth Festival theatregoers
should easily find the play one with
which they can connect, which also
meets the Festival’s mandate of
original Canadian theatre.
At the start of the play, Larry, a
recent graduate, is at a crossroads in
his life when he is given the
opportunity to work for an
agricultural seed company, which
gives him pause because his real
passion is to work on the family
farm and convince his father to start
producing soybeans.
The dynamic between Larry and
Ray is a unique one as Larry wants
to farm like Ray before him and
Austin before Ray, but Ray, for the
time being, just wants some help
running the farm his way. Ray isn’t
interested in the new crop, citing the
fact that you can’t eat soybeans.
Austin is just happy to have Larry
back and excited about farming.
Baker, Munch and Manning also
do a great job with their parts.
On the whole, however, the play is
a great addition to this year’s
performances, and encapsulates a
great deal of relatable family
dynamics and an interesting look at a
family trying to deal with a parent
with dementia.
The first half very much focuses
on the dynamics between Austin and
the other characters, specifically
Meanwell’s Leanne and Munch’s
Ray, as well as the relationship
between Ray and Larry.
Throughout the first act, Austin is
a driving force, with Coleman’s
acting ability perfectly bringing the
important role to life.
The second act, while a bit
predictable for the most part, does
allow Tamiko Manning the chance to
shine a little more, allowing more
character development.
Coleman’s portrayal of Austin is
the highlight of the play, bringing
several story lines together. His
dedication to the character, even
between scenes, is admirable and his
performance is fantastic.
Director Severn Thompson leads
the show, keeping the action on stage
moving forward with a light attitude,
even when dealing with serious
issues. The fact that the darkest bits
of the play feature levity and
brightness are a testament to not
only Needles’ writing, but also
Thompson’s direction.
All the behind-the-scenes work
shines as well, with everything from
set and costume designs, courtesy of
Kelly Wolf, lighting by Noah Fever
and sound by Heidi Chan bringing a
distinct feeling of being on a
decades-old family farm, in the
kitchen, the barn and visiting a few
other sites.
While the play isn’t a Blyth
Festival original, having premiered
at Theatre Orangeville in 2013, the
play fits what makes the Festival
shine: rural theatre with a focus on
relatable character dynamics.
The Team on the Hill opened July
31 and runs until Sept. 5. For tickets,
contact the Blyth Festival box office
at 1-877-862-5984 or visit
blythfestival.com.
84772 McDonald Line • Box 616 • Brussels
devonjhenry@hotmail.com
519-505-2473
Devon Henry
Leadership in energy
and environmental design
Watching the ‘Team’
While Layne Coleman’s Austin often needs what he calls “a sentry” watching over him to make
sure he doesn’t wander off, the character himself keeps a watchful eye on his family farm in
Dan Needles’ The Team on the Hill, which recently opened at the Blyth Festival.(Terry Manzo
photo)
By Denny Scott
The Citizen