The 2024-25 National Arts Centre Theatre season has launched and it is off to a fantastic start with the First Métis Man of Odesa.
This magnificent modern love story follows the true romance of Matthew MacKenzie and Mariya Khomutova. Matthew, an award-winning Métis playwright, was on a theatre research trip in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2018 and met Mariya (Masha), an award-winning Ukrainian actor. Sparks flew.
Theirs is a relationship that developed in spite of major obstacles. First there was geography but in today’s world, with online technology and jumbo jets, the usual flirtations and attractions were able to flourish and the two fell in love. However, things may have moved more quickly than expected with an unplanned pregnancy. COVID caused challenges (to put it mildly) but Matthew jumped through hoops, managed to sneak into Ukraine and the two were married. They moved to Canada just in time for the birth of their son and things at first feel fabulous.
Excited to head back to Ukraine to introduce their son to the family, the unthinkable occurs the Russian invasion and, with it, supreme angst.
As the family deals with the heart-wrenching reality of the conflict, the pain of worrying about family and friends is palpable and Masha’s agony is, naturally, heartbreaking. We feel deeply for her as she tries to navigate a new life in a new culture in a new country while coming to terms with what is happening at home.
Thankfully, the couple is able to bring Masha’s mother to Canada, but that comes with family struggles as well. Life gets real as they try to build a life as a new family and new parents. None of it is easy. There there are the ups and downs of a cranky baby. While every parent feels their pain as they deal with their son’s sleeping habits, there was perhaps a touch of overload on that phase of their life. In fact, at times, the play feels a bit jerky, but then again, that is symbolic of their lives and the twists and turns that have happened, so it works.
The acting is phenomenal. Not only did the couple jointly write the play, but they also star in it. Matthew announces at the beginning he isn’t an actor but he is fabulous on stage. Does he stumble? Maybe a bit, but that just makes him even more endearing. He is lovable and pulls off every scene. No surprise, Mariya, an accomplished actor, is smooth as silk throughout.
What they have produced, in telling their own story, is a moving work that is beautiful in its genuineness, honesty and vulnerability. It is a perfect combination of touching joy and humour mixed with a deep emotional reaction to world events around all of us.
The overriding theme is that love conquers all, and with that comes hope. It all comes together in a fantastic way.
The set is wonderfully simple and yet sophisticated with red draping (a tribute to their theatrical background?) and the lighting complements the action on stage in a magical way.
Not surprising, this play has won three Dora Mavor Moore Awards, including Outstanding Production, Outstanding New Work, and Outstanding Direction.
It will be a winner in your books as well. And who is the First Métis Man of Odesa? Don’t miss the play to find out. It runs until September 28th at the National Arts Centre.
Photo: Dahlia Katz