If I've heard it once, I've heard it a thousand times: Canadian political history is boring.
Never bought that. Not in high school, and not now.
One of the theatre companies that does so much to keep our history alive is VideoCabaret, which operates out of the tiny Cameron House on Queen Street, just west of Spadina Avenue in downtown Toronto.
A few years ago, I saw VideoCabaret's production of Laurier, and enjoyed learning so much about the man who was Liberal Party leader for three decades, and prime minister from 1896-1911.
This past weekend, the company followed up with The Life and Times of Mackenzie King, a delightful production chronicling the remarkable life of Canada's longest-serving prime minister.
These productions move at lightning speed with dozens of scenes, often no more than 20 seconds in length, propelling the story line along.
In the course of things, almost by accident, one learns about some of the most colorful characters in Canadian political history, and Mackenzie King was surely one of them (lifelong bachelor, attended seances to speak to his deceased mother, two dogs both named Pat, one of just four prime ministers who represented three different provinces in the house of commons, one of just three prime ministers who won an election after losing one).
If I had a quibble about this production, it's the singularly awful way conservatives are always portrayed. R.B. Bennett was known as "Iron Heel," for his nasty temper and the way he ran his government almost by himself (he was his own minister of finance and foreign affairs). But Bennett was also extremely generous to complete strangers and would send them money if they wrote him crying poor. The play offers one scene where Bennett reads just such a letter, and his reaction is cold and callous, That caricature of Bennett simply isn't fair or accurate, as John Boyko's book on Bennett makes plain.
In addition, Arthur Meighen, whom historians regard as one of the great gentlemen of Canadian politics, is similarly portrayed as a fat cat baron, caring nothing for people and only for the pursuit of power.
I guess this comes with the territory when dealing with a downtown Toronto theatre group, but it doesn't add to the company's credibility to portray conservatives only in such a negative and inaccurate light.
Having said that, at least these folks are trying to keep Canadian history alive, and they get it right more often than not. So keep going VideoCabaret.
William Lyon Mackenzie King (bottom right), flanked by his fortune teller, who performed seances so the PM could speak to his deceased mother.
Other Canadian political figures in the back row: R.B. Bennett, Arthur Meighen, Governor-General Byng, and Robert Borden. (Photo by Michael Cooper)
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