If ever there was a play that deserved a shelf life it is Casey and Diana.
The world premiere took place at Stratford’s tiny Studio Theatre, and was given a ridiculously short run. Even though the play has closed, it made such an impact on the audience, that it must be singled out for mention.
For his central plot, Canadian playwright Nick Green came up with a clever premise.
On a visit to Toronto in 1991, Diana, Princess of Wales, visited Casey House, a welcoming hospice for AIDS patients. This was at the height of the crisis when HIV/AIDS sufferers were absolute pariahs. Casey House provided palliative care that allowed dying with dignity.
That Princess Diana physically touched these patients was monumental. It was a photograph that flashed across the world, and helped positively impact the prevailing negative attitudes towards HIV/AIDS sufferers.
In Green’s play, the visit of the princess to Casey House has been announced, and Thomas, a patient, (Sean Arbuckle) is hysterical with joy, being, as he is, obsessed with Diana.
The bulk of the play is the imagined conversation between Thomas and the princess (Kristin Pellerin), but Green has also layered in some interesting subplots and characters.
There is nurse Vera (Sophia Walker) who has to manage these sometimes obstreperous patients. Volunteer Marjorie (Linda Kash) has a disturbing agenda of her own. Andre (Davinder Malhi) is Thomas’ troubled new roommate, while Thomas’ sister Pauline (Laura Condlln) has an explosive relationship with her brother.
Through conversations and encounters, both imaginary and real, Green builds a broad picture of the AIDS/HIV world in the 1990s, bringing universal themes into an intimate setting, and yes, there was a flutter of tissues at the end.
Arbuckle and Kash gave performances of a lifetime, but the rest of the cast was also excellent.
As Thomas, Arbuckle had all the great bitchy one-liners, and he made the most out of his delivery. His duo personality of vulnerability and bravado was a joy to behold, and he absolutely captured the hearts of the audience.
For her part, Kash was able to convey Marjorie’s mystery without ever stereotyping her character as a neurotic. Something was wrong – we just never knew what it was until close to the end, when she became obsessed with Andre.
Everything about this play was brilliantly thought-out, including Andrew Kushnir’s meticulous direction which had to maintain two realities. Very effective was his use of exits and entrances.
Designer Joshua Quinlan’s evocative set recreated the Victorian Toronto house through stain glass windows, beautifully lit by Louise Guinand. His quilts for the beds reminded us about the various AIDS quilt projects that happened during the pandemic.
To go back to my opening statement concerning a shelf life, through this play, Green has reminded audiences of the fear that drove those terrible early days of the HIV/AIDS crisis. It is part of a sorry history and should be known.
The play is also important as a reminder that HIV/AIDS is very much still with us, although better controlled through chemical cocktails.
Compassion is the key to palliative care, and so this play is also a celebration of Casey House itself, which opened in 1988 and is still a going concern.
And then there are the characters themselves who are beautifully drawn and infinitely human. Audiences can’t be helped but be moved by Thomas and Andre, and the people who care for them.
Such is the lure of this play on the emotional and intellectual level, that I would happily see it again. Nick Green’s Casey and Diana is an instant Canadian classic.