Unadilla Theatre's 'Parade' exposes the feminine side of war
Toolbox
By Jim Lowe Times Argus Staff - Published: September 7, 2005
EAST CALAIS It's at least tacitly accepted that war has casualties at home as well as at the front, but John Murrell's entertaining drama, "Waiting for the Parade," drives that fact home hard.
Unadilla Theatre has created a community production of this 1977 Canadian play one that ranges from tragic to comic and back that successfully illustrates the difficult if not impossible plight of those the soldiers left at home.
"Waiting for the Parade" is the very human tale of five Canadian women in Alberta who must hold their own during World War II but it could be any war, including the Iraq War.
Janet is an officious do-gooder who leads groups of women volunteers in the war effort. She passionately directs the wrapping of bandages, creation of fruit baskets for the young soldiers heading to Europe, as well as training the women in disaster procedures. Could she be trying to make up for the fact that her husband has used his job as a radio broadcaster to get out of fighting? And is he worth it?
Middle-aged Margaret's only reason for living is her two sons one who is in the army, the other a teen who decides to become a communist against the war. Her religious faith is constantly tried by the danger one faces, the other's going to jail as a "subversive" and the lack of faith of the women in her circle.
The attractive Catherine's passionate husband is fighting in Europe and she misses that passion. Despite her efforts at helping in the war effort by making and selling sandwiches in a factory, she finds that passion elsewhere at least temporarily.
Marta is the daughter of an Austrian immigrant, now interned just in case he might be a spy. Attempting to keep up his tailor shop, she is harassed by the officious Janet, a smoke bomb is let off in her home, and a dead dog is placed on her doorstep, to say nothing of the swastikas drawn on her home. If that weren't enough, her father begins to lose his sanity in the intern camp and begins verbally attacking her as well. If it weren't for her new friends, Catherine and Eve, Marta would go over the edge.
Eve only goes over the edge with her husband. The peace-loving school teacher is married to an older man who is frustrated because he is from a military family and has never been an active soldier. He compensates by owning a lot of guns and expressing a love of war and killing, and degrading his wife for her for her pacifist beliefs but she gets her revenge in a quite humorous way.
In fact, this intriguing little play has a lot of humor as well as human tragedy. Although no masterpiece, "Waiting for the Parade" drives home the difficulties for those at home quite poignantly.
Unadilla Theatre's production, directed by Bill Blachly, is decidedly an amateur affair, yet it successfully tells this compelling story. There is stiff acting all around (people who don't speak naturally with their hands shouldn't try to do it on stage), but there is also sensitive and poignant and humorous acting by all five actors.
Jill Pralle is particularly effective as Catherine whose reluctant answer to the absence of her husband is to find a substitute. Pralle successfully conveys Catherine's unhappiness with her situation as well as with herself, yet makes her attractive and sympathetic.
Mary Wheeler conveys Janet's patriotic bravado while seeping her inner misery. She is also the musical backbone of the show, both as singer and pianist, which involves several popular songs of the era.
Zephyr Teachout is quite convincing as the beleaguered Marta, puncturing her defensive crustiness with real humanity. Christina Ducharme's Eve is suitably naοve and, when called for, quite funny. Olivia Gay reveals a subtle wit as the simple pessimistic Margaret as she mourns the sure-loss of her sons.
"Waiting for the Parade" is a sad but entertaining tale.