Geraldine Anthony
The Neptune Story is just that - a story - rather than a heavily serious, scholarly history of a theatre. Related in an engagingly frank and delightfully chatty style, it immediately engrosses the reader in the life of a leading Canadian theatre during its first twenty-five years of growth, from the moment in 1962 when the old 1915 Garrick Theatre was chosen to be renovated as the new Neptune Theatre, until its Twenty-Fifth Anniversary in 1988. Written with a sensitive, diplomatic approach, lest he embarrass any of the dedicated artistic directors who carried the burden of the Neptune's growth through those long years, Richard Perkyns has, nevertheless, succeeded in producing an honest picture of that growth.
To those of us who lived through the life of the Neptune from 1963 to the present, this is a fascinating story. Seasoned Neptune patrons will read between the lines and discover the answers to many of the questions that perplexed them over the years. What they knew or surmised becomes clear and definitive in this book. That Leon Major, the founder of Neptune and its first artistic director, gave superb artistic guidance but was philosophically opposed to taking any financial responsibility; that Heinar Piller and his successor, Robert Sherrin, successfully assumed responsibility for both, making the Neptune financially stable; that John Wood's self-indulgence in extravagant but brilliant sets and costumes left the Neptune dark and in deep debt; that David Renton's one year acting-directorship began the salvaging of Neptune; that John Neville put it back on its feet financially and artistically in a five-year period of euphoria for Haligonian theatre lovers; that Tom Kerr continued the same excellent Neville tradition; that Richard Ouzounian's dedication to Canadian drama and local talent lost the subscribers, the regular patrons - all this we thought we knew but The Neptune Story confirms it.
But far more than that, it gives us the richly human background surrounding these directors in the turmoil of daily confrontations and surprising accidents accompanying its growth. Some wonderful anecdotes enrich the story as it expands over the years, obviously gleaned from letters and interviews of directors, actors, set designers, and managers who lived through Neptune's history - about oil spills, fires, nearby fish plant odours, hazardous trap-doors, City Hall marriages of cast members between performances or on the rocks at Duncan's Cove where they had a house. The author claims, '. . . this is above all an optimistic story, more about triumphs than disasters' (Introduction, p 7).
Over one hundred photographs of Neptune performances and the complete cast list of every production are included. One is tempted simply to examine these excellent pictures rather than to read the story. Indeed only about 70 of the 207 pages cover that story, the remaining pages being devoted to visual images of productions and some costume designs. The cast lists occupy one third of each page but unfortunately no dates are given nor are they included in the Index. Neither are dates given with the photographs, although all the performers are scrupulously identified. However one can guess approximate years, as both the excellent photographs and the cast lists are contained within the individual chapter of a director's tenure. The Table of Contents is divided by chapters on each director, preceded by a chapter on 'The Origins of Neptune Theatre,' and concluding with one on 'The Future of Neptune Theatre.'
The author notes how astonishing it is to find such a large number of famous actors playing roles at Neptune, such as Tony Randall, Roger Rees, Michael Gough, Odetta, John Neville; and others who later became famous, such as Florence Paterson, Denise Ferguson, Douglas Chamberlain, Joan Orenstein, Eric House and Denise Pelletier. It was Leon Major's dream to establish a permanent company but although this has not become a reality, some actors did stay for an extended time. Major's other dreams did materialize in the form of playwrights-in-residence, writing plays with regional themes on fishermen, miners, and other maritime subjects; an established Neptune Theatre School; a yearly touring production; a second stage for experimental work with its own company.
The Neptune Story also reveals how very many Canadian plays were performed either at Neptune or at Second Stage, plays by such noted Canadian playwrights as: James Reaney, Michel Tremblay, Sharon Pollock, Rick Salutin, Margaret Hollingsworth, David French, James Nichol, Michael Cook, John Gray, Tom Gallant, Ken Mitchell, George Walker and others. Second Stage was opened during Robert Sherrin's tenure and it proved to be one of the most stimulating ventures of Neptune. 'Over three seasons Second Stage mounted an impressive array of chamber or experimental works, many by Canadian authors,' writes Richard Perkyns. Yet he fails to tell us what actually happened to Second Stage, other than the fact that L.I.P. grants were withdrawn. Halifax readers of The Neptune Story will be disappointed in the sparsity of information on Second Stage, not even the date when it closed is provided. It seems to have been during John Wood's tenure. Did he close it and why? What were some of the highlights of Second Stage, the most successful productions, the directors and actors who contributed most to this highly successful venture?
Other directors contributed to similar projects: Heinar Piller's Studio Theatre in Kings College basement; Tom Kerr's Neptune North on Cunard Street, later moved by Richard Ouzounian to Dalhousie University's Dunne Theatre space, but presently back (since this book was printed) to its own Cunard Street location. Halifax needs such an experimental theatre to try out new Canadian plays. The Neptune Theatre, the only professional theatre in Halifax, cannot specialize in Canadiana, since its patrons expect to see classical plays performed there, as well as outstanding musicals and modern drama. This fact was only too evident during Ouzounian's two-year tenure.
The Neptune Story mentions the unbroken tradition of touring companies sent out across the country by directors of Neptune. Although the Index does not include the word, there are many references to the touring groups, one of the first being a quotation of Leon Major's comment regarding Heinar Piller: 'He put out more roots in the community than I ever did.' (p 50) Perkyns says 'one of the primary ways he did this was to take over responsibility for all the tours, including the national one for Expo.' (p 50) In 1979 John Neville started a school touring company called The Young Neptune Company, and Tom Kerr revitalized it in 1986, bringing the original director, Irene Watts, back for a touring repertoire. Perkyns's book is full of references to projects begun by the Neptune directors such as Kerr's Apprentice-Director's Program with on-the-job experience for potential directors, Neville's Lunchtime Theatre, his corporate sponsorship idea for productions, his failure to get his dream of a badly needed new Waterfront Theatre for Halifax, and a host of other exciting details of a thriving Halifax theatre.
In the final chapter, Perkyns makes the statement, 'the company has maintained on the whole a standard of excellence which is second to none for a regional theatre of its size.' (p 179) And Richard Perkyns, ably assisted by editorial and research associates Dorothy Perkyns and Basil Deakin, editorial consultant David Renton, and cover and interior designer Joan Sinclair, has admirably celebrated its Anniversary in The Neptune Story.