Ladysmith Little Theatre’s production of Harvey is a fun show that dives into surrealism to reveal something deeply human and relatable.
Director Alan Holmes has made some bold, stylistic choices to create the world of mild-mannered Elwood P. Dowd and his best friend and drinking buddy, a six-foot-tall invisible rabbit named Harvey.
When his sister Veta tries to have Elwood committed to a psychiatric hospital so he’ll stop wreaking havoc on her social life and marriage opportunities for her daughter, Myrtle Mae, things don’t quite go as planned. Along with the characters, we are plunged into a world that feels a little like a classic 1940s screwball comedy directed by David Lynch.
Holmes has adapted the script in several ways to explore themes around societal expectations, kindness, sanity and perception but retains the play’s timeless emotional core.
Visually, Harvey is a party for the eyes thanks to Holmes’s stylized staging. Lighting cues mark shifts in reality, moving from eerie tones to saturated palettes whenever Elwood P. Dowd appears. Costume designer Frances Raftis just may be a creative genius and her wildly imaginative and remarkably executed costumes set this production apart, even as they sometimes threaten to take it over. The costumes are haute couture meets Burning Man and are especially impressive for community theatre.
In an ironic twist, while the other characters are mostly dressed suitably, the uniforms at Chumley's Rest (the psychiatric facility) are a surreal take on white medical attire. Nurse Kelly’s uniform is part Florence Nightingale, part Blink-182 fever dream, while Wilson, the hospital’s muscle, wears a white, bulbous tunic reminiscent of a padded cell.
The set changes are executed by a band of slightly creepy, slightly sexy nurse-rabbits who pose the actors and create tableaux of their own, heightening the play’s dreamlike, off-kilter energy.
Holmes has modernized the script in places with contemporary references to the internet, email and even some local Ladysmith references. At one point the hospital staff attempt to Google the word “pooka” (a goblin of Celtic folklore) and are assaulted by a rapid-fire, hilarious slideshow of pop culture rabbit references, all set to Bo Burnham’s chaotic circus-influenced song 'Welcome to the Internet'. When a list of bars is offered up, it includes Zack's Lounge, the Crow and Gate and Bayview Brewing.
Kim Watts as the gentle and sensitive Elwood P. Dowd delivers an understated, quietly magnetic performance. Watts’s Elwood is instantly lovable, and by the time he delivers his reflective monologue near the end of the play, we would fight to the death to protect this special man at all costs. His Easter-egg-coloured suits wrap up this charming character perfectly.
Anne Dougherty is a standout pulling double duty as two characters. Her Mrs. Chauvenet is a scream in her strange rabbit stole and blinged-out glasses. She delivers the laugh-out-loud line “Veta Louse Simmons! I thought you were dead.” with great comedic timing. As Betty Chumley, she strikes a grounded note without losing the humour.
Jonny Ludtke is also hilarious as the hospital’s cartoonish orderly and Chumley’s henchman. Despite this only being his third production, Ludtke is establishing himself as an actor with strong comedic instincts and great energy. Vocally, however, starting at a full yell and maintaining that intensity throughout leaves little room for variation. The constant shouting becomes somewhat fatiguing by the second act, for the audience and likely for the actor.
The production is packed with delightful screwball moments, though the comedy works best when the actors pick up their cues and drive the pace forward. While Harvey traditionally runs just over two hours in total, on the night reviewed, the first act approached an hour and 40 minutes. Tightened pacing and crisper cue pick-ups would help sharpen the comedy and heighten the surreal atmosphere that the production so artfully creates.
Holmes's directorial choices are bold and effective. He hasn’t reinvented Harvey so much as revealed its heart, creating a world where the surreal serves a deeper purpose: to ask what if joy, imagination and gentleness aren’t signs of madness, but clarity? Holmes is definitely a creative young director to watch.
Harvey at Ladysmith Little Theatre is an ambitious, funny, and heartfelt production — one that charms with its visual inventiveness and will leave audiences laughing and reflecting on what, and who, we call “crazy.”
Harvey runs until May 11 at Ladysmith Little Theatre, with evening shows at 7:30 p.m. on April 24-26, May 1-3, and May 8-10. Matinees begin at 2 p.m. on April 27, May 4, and May 11. Tickets are $30 for non-members and $25 for members or groups of 10 or more. For more information, visit ladysmiththeatre.com or call 250-924-0658.
