Preacher turns pirate, loves the evil role
Kirstin Endemann, The Ottawa Citizen - Thursday, October 3, 2002
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| Jennifer Fontaine, at left, plays the princess in GOYA Theatre Company's production of The Princess and the Pirate, presented Oct. 16-19 at Centrepointe Theatre. |
Bizarre as it sounds, it's true. I've seen the shocking transformation with my own eyes, though it's doubtful if his congregation will believe it when they finally do. Centrepointe Theatre might want to start thinking of purchasing smelling salts in bulk.
Rev. Baldwin, who has been a minister for 17 years and with the Britannia United Church for the past two, is playing the deliciously conniving pirate Peter Easton in GOYA Theatre Productions' The Princess and the Pirate, opening Oct. 16. And, yes, the nine-year-old in question is his daughter, who wanted to audition for the show.
"My motivation was to share an experience with our youngest daughter, Shannon, who wants to be a singer," said Rev. Baldwin, who has sung gospel and performed with the Savoy Society.
"So I went out and auditioned with her and was - to my surprise - cast as Peter. My daughter's reaction was 'I knew you'd get the part of the pirate! think it's the eyebrows!'"
It turns out that the soft-spoken Rev. Baldwin is perfect for the role as the manipulative, egotistical Peter Easton, if a recent rehearsal is an gauge.
In one scene, the pirate preeningly announces that he is the "world's greatest lover." That musical number, replete with a slapstick pirate crew as backdrop, is worth the price of admission alone. (I almost fell off my chair laughing while watching a recent rehearsal.)
"There are certain roles I might not take on, because I have to remember who I am and what I am doing, so I read the script with a critical eye," said Rev. Baldwin.
"I think my congregation will understand this is a comedy, and it is all done in good fun and I think in good taste.
"Besides," he laughed, "playing the evil characters is always the most fun. But I'm sure I'll be teased about this for a long time."
The show is based on the stories of Sheila Na Geira, the Princess of Carbonear, Newfoundland.
Legend has it she was an Irish princess (or an English lady) who was kidnapped by pirates and then rescued by British naval privateer Peter Easton (or not) around 1700 (or 1800) and then married the first mate Gilbert Pike (or the then pirate Peter Easton) and gave birth to the "first European born in Newfoundland" (except for the Vikings) and saved the village (or the province) from influenza or marauding pirates (or both, or none) and generally made everything good.
Any way it's told, the story is good enough to make her gravestone a well-visited landmark, and there are a lot of proud Pikes on the island.
"I didn't have to do a lot of research to realize all the stories are contradictory," said Gordon Carruth, founder of GOYA, who was commissioned to write this play for the town of Carbonear in 1998.
"I decided, 'Why not make it fun?' So I created a love triangle, with Peter Easton suffering from unrequited love because his first mate, Gilbert Pike, ran off with Sheila - the woman he saved. And Easton spends the rest of his life trying to get rid of Pike."
History also doesn't tell of the King of France proposing to a feisty and disapproving Sheila (played by Jennifer Fontaine), or of the village women and children saving their land from aggressive interlopers while the fishermen are away. Or of a trio of singing and dancing leprechauns who act as Sheila's protectors, characters who come close to turning the musical into pantomime.
"There's no deep message in this," said Carruth. "This is light entertainment. And it's nothing more pretentious than that."
The show is appropriate for children of almost all ages, though it is expected to run about two hours long.
Last year, GOYA (Giving Opportunities to Young Artists) mounted another of Carruth's musicals, Joey, about Newfoundland premier Joey Smallwood. It was popular with audiences, but this critic found it slow moving and a little bland.
A notable exception was the actor Andrew Galligan, who is appearing in GOYA's new show as Freddy, the head leprechaun.
With a large cast including more than 13 children - all between the ages of 8 and 12 - and curly-toed leprechauns, The Princess and the Pirate is not likely to be bland, at least.
The show is presented Oct. 16 to 19 at Centrepointe Theatre, 101 Centrepointe Drive. Performances are at 8 p.m., with an additional 2 p.m. performance Oct. 19. Tickets for adults range from $18 to $22, with a $2 discount for seniors. Student tickets are $15. To reserve, call 727-6650.