Penny Dreadful

It’s been two-and-a-half years since I first saw Zuppa Theatre’s Penny Dreadful, and like a fine wine, it has become even more brilliant with time. The Uniacke Room at the Halifax Club, with its glittering chandeliers, amber candlelight and gloomy portraits, proves to be a spectacular setting for this story of love, madness and murder. The acoustics are out of this world so that the haunting music and soul-warming sounds of Claire Gallant’s cello become other-worldly. Stewart Legere won the 2008 Merritt Award for his portrayal of Harry, a charismatic gentleman who sets in motion an event that destroys three lives, but Susan Leblanc-Crawford as the delusional maid Adelaide and Ben Stone as the rough but honourable groundskeeper Charlie are equally deserving of praise. This is truly an ensemble piece, where the performances fit together like clockwork. –Kate Watson