A Well-Bred Muse: Selected Theatre Writings, 1978-1988

David E. Kemp is head of the Drama Department at Queen’s University.

Garebian has been writing about Canadian theatre since 1976. His essays,
reviews, interviews, and features have appeared in leading magazines and
journals, such as Scene Changes, Performing Arts in Canada, Journal of
Canadian Studies, Canadian Theatre Review, Canadian Forum, Queen’s
Quarterly, and Theatrum. Theatre criticism at its best is art, as
manifested in the writing of such critics as George Bernard Shaw, James
Agate, Harold Hobson, and Kenneth Tynan. Actors and their performances
are indeed “such stuff as dreams are made of,” and their brief
passage on the stage, while certainly being “the abstract and brief
chronicles of the times,” is transitory and can mean little to
subsequent generations unless documented by the critic. But Garebian’s
book includes more than just criticism. There are essays, features, and
interviews that cover most aspects of the Canadian theatre scene,
although these are confined mostly to Montreal and Ontario.

The book is divided into three sections. Part 1, “The Magic Craft,”
consists of material dealing with the very nature of theatre, from the
sensuous and witty textures of John Murrell’s plays through the
colorations of Brian Bedford’s acting to the directorial ingenuities
of Robin Phillips. Part 2, “The Maple Leaf Forever,” encompasses
some of the most striking strengths and defects of indigenous
playwriting, production, and theatrical vision, while Part 3,
“Boundaries of Performance,” deals with experimentalism in
interpretation, adaptation, genre-mixing, agitprop, repertory balance,
and stage design. All in all, A Well-Bred Muse is a fascinating look at
the many different strands that make up the Canadian theatre mosaic,
written, fortunately, not only by a critic but by an enthusiast as well.