Head cold did not stop Great
Comedic Play of the Year

The Minor Head cold experienced by actor Justin Ross did not prevent an outstanding show from beginning to end, the “Mona Lisa Caper” performed on Tuesday January 20th.

The actors (Justin Ross, Anick Gayard, Kathrine Paquette, Sandy Wong Wong Keet and François Macdonald) did a flawless job in there performing. They all remembered there lines, and I could not see any blocking of other players. Rehearsal was very apparent in there work, you could see that many hours of labour where achieved. Although, Mr. Macdonald seemed a bit hesitant in a more intimate hotel scene.

The costumes where very well chosen, they really defined each actor’s individual characteristics. Ms. Wong acting a Chinese con artist that gets what she wants through the use of her body wore scarlet red, black dress and a “risqué” tank top. As nice as the costume was, it was not appropriate for the time period of the early nineteen hundreds. Mr. Ross, acted a foolhardy detective with exaggerated disguises reminiscent of the (not so) great Dupond and Dupont characters from “Tin Tin”. The audience definitely established that Mr. Macdonald was an Italian even before he opened his mouth, from the blue tight coat with the yellow captain’s cuffs. Ms. Katherine Paquette wore a brown dress, which immediately showed off importance, as she was the curator of the Louvre. Anick Gayard, played Benson, Justin’s sidekick, or “trainee” was the real brains of the bunch. She wore a brown overcoat with white puffs on her front. This also gave off importance, yet at the same time made her more “swift” looking then Kathrine (being a detective). It also helps tie in that she was on Mr. Ross’s and Kathrine’s side.

The music choice for this play was well chosen. The calm at the beginning, when all is well, then the Vivaldi when the Mona Lisa is stolen. Whatever music they used through out the play (mostly classical) did not break the presentation in anyway. It helped it move along, and enhance the actual moment, Like in the beginning when the guards (Guyaume Carol and Shadoe Huard) discovered that the painting was missing, they where panic stricken, thus the Vivaldi.

The lighting was well carried, yet still basic. Dim during the night, bright during the day. During the final scene, where they caught that burglar and his associate they did a very clever thing of actually bringing a lamppost on stage, intensifying the impression of a street corner or a park.

All In all, The “Mona Lisa Caper” is a terrific comedy and should definitely be worth seeing. The costumes are beautiful, and the actors should be admired for there talent, especial Justin Ross, as he had a bad case of a head cold during the first performance.