Magnus Theatre Review – Salt Baby
Last month, The Argus Student Newspaper had the pleasure of attending the opening night of Magnus Theatre’s production of Salt Baby. This was the first main stage show of 2022, and the second to last show of the 2021-2022 main stage season. The play ran from March 3rd-19th, 2022.
Image sourced from Magnus Theatre on Facebook
Salt Baby is a play written by Falen Johnson, a Mohawk and Tuscarora playwright and broadcaster from Six Nations of the Grand River. The play focuses on the story of a Six Nations woman whose light skin sets her apart both on the ‘rez’ and in the city. Salt Baby, Falen’s first of three plays, is inspired by her experiences living in Six Nations and Brantford, Ontario.
The main character Salt Baby was played by Brianne Tucker, a métis actress from Haldimand County, Ontario. This starring role marks her return to Magnus Theatre since her last appearance in Boeing Boeing in the spring of 2019. In an interview with Tbnewswatch, Tucker shared that she relates deeply to the play and the character she portrayed.
“It’s so close to my heart because it really is about this woman’s journey of discovering herself and being a Métis artist, sometimes you’re kind of informed that you’re not enough of something, you’re not white enough, you’re not indigenous enough[…] And it’s taken me a long time to really come to terms with the fact that just me is enough”
– Brianne Tucker via Tbnewswatch.com
Tucker’s emotive performance demonstrated just how closely she felt connected to the character Salt Baby.
Accompanying her on stage was Jordan M. Burns, a disabled, Indigenous, two-spirit, neuro-divergent, multidisciplinary artist who played both the role of Alligator, Salt Baby’s white boyfriend, and Phillip, the Indigenous man Salt Baby dates. Burns played both characters extremely well, especially Alligator, who had many comedic lines.
Danielle Charette, a multidisciplinary artist based out of Tkaronto and a recent graduate from Randolph College For The Performing Arts, played a plethora of roles. She took to the stage as
the Grandfather, Clara, Doctor, Psychic, Sheryl, Wanda B., and Elder.
Charette transitioned between characters with outstanding ease. With only minimal costume changes, it was Charette’s outstanding acting that allowed the audience to distinguish each role.
The fourth and final actor on stage was Jeremy Proulx, an award-winning actor, and multi-disciplined First Nations storyteller of both Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee descent. Proulx played the roles of Dad and Terry, giving touching performances for each character. He also had a few silent background roles; his silent performance as a fortune teller’s assistant had the audience bursting with laughter!
Salt Baby portrays the unique experience of an Indigenous woman in a way that is informative and accessible to all. Although everyone’s individual experience with identity is unique, many can relate to the feeling of wanting to belong.
Salt Baby was directed by Natalie Robitaille, Costume Design by Lisa Macchione, Set Design by Sean Mulcahy, Lighting Design by Adam Parboosingh, Stage Management by Gillian Jones, and Production Management by Nicholas Palinka.
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From May 5-21, 2022, Magnus Theatre will be presenting the world premiere of Smarty Pants. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: https://magnustheatre.com/smarty-pants/
During the run of each show, Magnus Theatre offers a Pay What You Can (PWYC) performance as an accessible option for those who otherwise would not be able to attend a show.
Visit https://magnustheatre.com/pay-what-you-can-2/ for more information.