I will say it again, the three flights of stairs to the Freestanding Space makes one think: “This had better be worth it.” Hippies and Bolsheviks by Amiel Gladstone so very clearly is.

This simple and sweet story, about a young woman in the late nineteen sixties who brings a draft dodger home and soon has him in bed, was redolent (burning sage and all) of the innocence some of us remember with tremendous nostalgia. The play was homage to a time when a generation in this country believed that they could really be better than they actually were. They say that if you remember the sixties, you weren’t there. Well, I remember them and I was.

Miranda Handford was delightful as Star, the young woman at a crossroads who gave up life with her commune but was determined not to give up on love and having her baby. Thomas Preece is simply delightful as Jeff the goofy draft dodger who falls in love with Star and would even keep the rain from falling in Vancouver if he could. His comic timing was absolutely impeccable and his moments on stage were packed with tremendous energy. Brent Skagford seemed to play Green Tree, the hippie communard, with cool stoned flawless timing; his dorkier Allen was less graceful and a tad slow on the cues. But it was just a preview and one assumes that this would be much faster with some performance practice.

The space is so intimate that your feet practically touch the carpet where the young cast cavorts, which gives the event a bit of a peepshow kinkiness befitting the era being portrayed. The set was exactly as I remembered the transient digs of those days with amateur paintings and Haute Sally Ann design. Holly Simpson created an ambiance which was a perfect objective correlative to the play’s issues, dripping rain and groovy door hangings, and all.

Melissa Trotter provided a soft musical ambiance which gave the piece an emotional and aesthetic coherence. Her position and pin light were a perfect addition to an already terrific set.

Chelsea McIsaac embodies the sheer bravura of a character from the sixties, by putting her career on hold to produce and direct this play. She has created Girl Got Lost Productions, a new theatre company. She did this in Montreal, Quebec, at the height of a recession. And that, folks, is idealism at its best!

Her directing is still a bit shaky. The second act needs an “Italian” (a speedy rehearsal done in triple time). But this is a project worthy of the long climb and the hard chairs. If you are not a Boomer, then this is a great peek into a past well worth remembering; and if you were there, whether you remember it or not, it’s still worth the stairs!

Hippies and Bolsheviks continues at Freestanding Space (4324, boul. St-Laurent) through Dec. 5, with performances Wed. through Sat. Box Office: (514) 279 – 5219. Or email: girlgotlostproductions@gmail.com.

Tagged as: Amiel Gladstone, Anna Fuerstenberg, Bolsheviks, Hippies