Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story is a story about desperation – hope – love – refugees – babies – grandchildren – the past – and the present. It’s an entertaining, touching, and memorable night at the theatre. Did I like it? I loved it. Would I recommend it? Without a doubt.
This show has won praise and sold out around the world. It’s been to New York where it was nominated for six Drama Desk Awards and was a New York Times Critic’s Pick. The Herald Scotland called it, “A thing of raw and unmissable beauty.” David Cole, from the Village Voice, said: “It will reaffirm your faith in the enduring spirit of humanity, community, and family.” And our very own Louis B. Hobson from the Calgary Herald said that Old Stock is a “must-see for anyone who loves and appreciates theatre that pushes boundaries.”
So, what’s it about?
Well, it’s about the great-grandparents of Hannah Moscovitch. Hannah Moscovitch is one of Canada’s most celebrated and talented playwrights and she along with her husband Christian Barry and Ben Caplan got together over pickled herring and decided to tell the story about Hannah’s Jewish grandparents who fled the ethnic and religious violence in Romania in the hopes of starting a new life in Canada.
The story is told to us in songs and scenes and one of the best parts of the play is Ben Caplan’s performance as The Wanderer. The Wanderer is the narrator of the tale. A tall, energetic, and bearded master of ceremonies who is a commentator and a comedian and a joyful dancing spirit who celebrates life but still acknowledges the darker side of humanity.
Caplan is a pure joy to watch and he sure knows how to use his voice in ways that convey emotion and humour and add texture to the sound. And while his voice has shades of Topal from Fiddler on the Roof and Leonard Cohen’s melancholy ballads I’d describe his sound as truly unique and powerful.
Director Christian Barry has assembled a talented group of musicians and performers to round out the ensemble. Eric Da Costa plays Chaim with wonderful shyness and tenderness while also playing the woodwinds. Shaina Silver-Baird is perfect as Chaya who is a little more matter-of-fact about life. A little less the dreamer and a little more the pragmatist. She also plays the violin. The rest of the band includes Jeff Kingsbury on drums and Graham Scott on keyboards and accordion. And this is a tight-knit group of musicians who weave a tapestry of sound throughout the show.
And as far as the songs go they’re a lot of fun to listen to with smart and playful lyrics that comment on the story and on broader issues. For example, in Truth Doesn’t Live in a Book it’s a song about the tension between oral traditions and the written word and that once things get written down they lose their ability to adapt and evolve. Because as The Wanderer points out “An eye for an eye means fair compensation. It doesn’t mean take up arms against another nation. Anything written down can be twisted apart.” You can check out the full song by following this link where Ben Caplan drops by Paste Studios in New York City to perform.
The whole story unfolds before us from a shipping container that opens up to create the world of Chaim and Chaya as they arrive in Canada in 1908 and meet for the first time at Pier 21 in Halifax as they stand in line waiting for a medical exam.
He has a rash. She has a cough.
This is a beautifully written scene as two strangers meet and learn about each other and clearly one of the two is interested in maybe being more than just friends. And so they both move to Montreal where they meet again and love blossoms. Well, not exactly. Chaya who along with her husband and family fled Romania before the trouble started lost her husband, whom she dearly loved, to typhus and her newborn child to starvation as they made their way along a dirt road to Russia. She paid a heavy price coming to Canada and those memories haunt her.
But Chaim’s story is no less tragic. He left after the pogroms started and the details about what happened to his family makes you question God and humanity. And it’s that dose of reality that counters the humour and fun and gives Old Stock its power.
In the end, Chaim and Chaya marry. They have a child. Then another one. And one more after that. And then a fourth. And those children have children. And then those children have children. And then Hannah Moscovitch and her husband Christian Barry bring their first child, Elijah, into the world – who just so happens to be the great-great-grandchild of Chaim and Chaya.
Old Stock: a Refugee Love Story is a Klezmer, rock, folk musical and it’s a true story…for the most part. I mean obviously, it’s a story and some poetic license has been taken and what takes years in life is told in ninety captivating minutes on the stage. This is a story about life and death and hope and perseverance and lessons to be learned about how we treat our fellow man and the assumptions we make and the things we say.
Have we learned those lessons?
History would say no.
But that doesn’t mean we should stop teaching them. After all, we tell stories to learn about ourselves and others and maybe at the end of the day to help us live our life a little bit better and with a little more compassion and meaning.
So, let me just sum up by saying I’m just a guy who likes to go to the theatre and when I see something, I like, I like to tell others. So, I’m telling you – go see this play. I loved it. This is a play I’ve been looking forward to seeing for over a year and it did not disappoint.
Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story was part of Alberta Theatre Projects 2019/20 Theatre Season and the show has done numerous tours. You can check out 2b theatre company to see if it will be coming to a theatre near you and if it does I’d highly recommend you see it.
