Factory Studio Show Could Use Some Work

By Johnnie Walker

It seems ironic that, given the recent preponderance of plays in this city which employ film and video elements for no particular reason, Directors Cut, the new Crow’s Theatre rental in the Factory Studio, a play entirely about the making a movie, has none. Instead, Directors Cut attempts to convey a filmic feel by enclosing the action on the stage within a big rectangular window. You can see what they were going for, but it doesn’t quite work – which could also be a comment on the play as a whole.
Directors Cut follows Jeff MacBride (played by the always adorable Gord Rand) as he steals the raw footage of the film he was fired from directing and, with the help of his editor pal Chris (played by Derek Krantz), attempts to make a documentary explaining where the process went sour. Through flashbacks, we get to see the making of his film, which is a dish that suffers from too many cooks. MacBride has to compromise with the producer Damien (Ron White, channeling Burt Reynolds in Boogie Nights), Hollywood star Miranda Baker (Amy Rutherford), American comedian Billy McQueen (Ryan McVittie) and the quintessentially Canadian former CBC childstar Sarah Jane Spillman (Michelle Latimer).
There’s some good stuff here. Canadian film industry in-jokes wear a little thin, but there are some very funny moments and all the performances are strong. Amy Rutherford does a great turn as spacey starlet Miranda, but the character is woefully under-developed and a part that could have stolen the show if it were briefer begins to seem very shallow after an hour and a half. Playwright Jim Millan co-directed the play with Jillian Keiley, and this seems to be part of the problem. Not only does the direction come off as somewhat limp and uninspired, but a stronger and less-partial director would have realised that the script needed some work and have gotten Millan to cut it down to a tight 60 minutes instead of a bloated and unfocused 90.