Whittaker's Theatricals

Ian C. Nelson is assistant director of libraries at the University of
Saskatchewan and director of La Troupe du Jour, Regina Summer Stage.

Books of theatrical anecdotes abound. So why shouldn’t Herbert
Whittaker write one too? He definitely has the right to be called a
doyen of Canadian theatre, first as a director/designer (his design for
the 1950 production of Brecht’s Galileo graces the cover of this book)
and then as a longstanding and most influential critic at The Globe and
Mail.

With broad experience and acquaintances, Whittaker has at his command a
rare canon of detail, and he has a flair for bringing it out
interestingly and succinctly; there are, for instance, the Canadian
connections with Oscar Wilde and Gertrude Lawrence, and the British and
French stylistic rivalries that dominated the early history of both the
Stratford Festival and the National Theatre School. The 24 pieces focus
on some 34 figures. Each piece is preceded by a thumbnail career sketch
of the major players.

On occasion, the author appears to be distracted by another thread from
his rich repertoire, and perhaps too frequently descends into a
recitation of successful roles or productions. Nevertheless, he can be
sensitive and touching (about “The Kid from the Canadian Sticks:
Beatrice Lillie”) or undisguisedly wise and eloquent (about the genius
of designer Tanya Moiseiwitsch).

Whittaker seems to move through his book to the quintessential
oxymoron—the Canadian “star turn”—in discussing actors and
actor/managers who worked from about 1950 into the 1980s. His book has
an understandable tint of nostalgia about it; the well-chosen
black-and-white illustrations complement this flavor quite nicely.