Review: Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story

Compelling performances and an impeccable script.

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Stoo Metz

2b Theatre’s latest show tells the true story of the playwright Hannah Moscovitch’s great-grandparents who came to Canada from Romania in 1908. The beloved Ben Caplan is at the helm of the play, guiding the evening along with story and song, leading to flashbacks performed out of a shipping container-turned magnificent modular set. Mary Fay Coady as Chaya is mesmerizing. Her perpetual half smirk and unwavering stare only occasionally give way to vulnerability, showing a woman whose strength is matched by the hardships she’s endured. Chris Weatherstone as Chaim gives an understated performance full of earnestness and sensitivity. Hannah Moscovitch’s writing is spare and precise and lends itself perfectly to the quiet, natural performances of the two leads. It is an engaging and timely story, but can at times feel overpowered by Ben Caplan’s presence, which rarely veers from bombastic. If you’re already a Caplan fan, you’ll love the show. If you’re not, you’ll undoubtedly be drawn into Moscovitch’s impeccable script and the compelling performances from Coady and Weatherstone.

Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story
Created by Hannah Moscovitch, Ben Caplan & Christian Barry
Ran May 4-14
www.2btheatre.com