HOLLY CULP
Arts Writer

“Ah, the Canadian male, a noble creature,” said Jeff Rogstad as Ryan Seven in Home Ice.

Perhaps the greatest and most bizarre part of Persephone Theatre‘s latest production Home Ice is the fact that Rogstad, local CTV weatherman, is in it. There is even a game show-like scene where Rogstad plays the host while actor Joshua Beaudry plays Jeff Rogstad. This play is so Saskatoon. He opens with, “This is a good looking crowd. Maybe all the ugly people are sitting in the back.” Har har har.

Written by local playwright James O’Shea, Home Ice follows the story of Clayton, (Matthew Burgess) and his pregnant wife, Vera (Andrea Menard) as Clayton completely unsettles their lives when he decides to surprise his wife by remodelling their kitchen in preparation for the new baby. The project suffers huge setbacks as Clayton gets distracted by his obnoxious friend, Martin (Joshua Beaudry), who draws him back into a life of hockey fandom, beer and violence after their team (which, unfortunately, is the Edmonton Oilers) makes the playoffs.

The play has Clayton visit the assumed location of Gordie Howe’s childhood home, travel to Edmonton for a playoff game and reconcile with his previously assumed dead father, all the while not building the kitchen he promised his wife and trying to save his marriage from failing.

Rogstad, posing as Ryan Seven— a TV sports announcer— serves as a sort of sound board for Clayton’s conversations with himself. The play explores the culture of hockey and its connection to the emotional freedom of men being limited to very few scenarios, one of them being sporting events.

Meanwhile the wife, Vera, is a master’s student at the university trying to put together an art show for her thesis. She is also always incredulous at everything that Clayton has to say and is quite shrill while doing it. Or maybe that’s just her being pregnant. I don’t know.

I found it very difficult not to buy into all the pro-Canadian content centring around beer, hockey and Tim Horton’s jokes; it is hard to resist something that appeals to my vague sense of nationalism. With a lot of clearly Canadian jokes and a pretty dynamic set design, the play turns out to be enjoyable. Mix home renovation with beer, local celebrities, playoff hockey and the prospect of being a new dad and you’ve pretty much got a winner.

There are also a lot of flashing lights and dream sequences. I do not recommend this play for epileptics.

Home Ice plays Jan. 27 ”“ Feb. 13, 2010
Shows nightly at 8pm, except Mondays.
Also shows Sundays at 2pm