Vigilante rocks with vengeance

Tick-tock. Tick-tock. There is no other sound in the stillness. In a flash, shafts of light pierce a fog on the blackened stage and the spirits of murdered men stride forward from mists of hell.

Garbed in costumes that mix 19th century stable boy vests, 1980s Madonna bustiers, the Sex Pistols chains and Goth makeup, they brazenly march on stage ready to defy the world.

They are the Black Donnellys, a family of hooligans at the centre of the world premiere of Vigilante, Catalyst Theatre’s newest rock opera now running at the Citadel Theatre until Sunday, March 29.

The personal creation of Catalyst’s artistic director Jonathan Christenson (writer-director-composer-lyricist), it retells the tale of a famous Canadian feud, how a family circled the wagons to protect itself and how frontier justice was meted out in a massacre.

What actually happened remains sketchy and contradictory. In Christenson’s version, a mixture of fact and artistic license, the young James and Johanna Donnelly are immersed in Ireland’s ongoing clan wars.

Knowing their marriage faces family opposition, they emigrate to Canada in the 1840s with hope of making a fresh start.

In Ontario, they meet an absent Irish landlord who agrees to give them 100 acres if they clear 50. It takes 10 back-breaking years, but once done, the landlord conveniently forgets the agreement.

The Donnellys refuse to give up their home. A brawl ensues and the feud escalates. Before long conflict characterizes the family and divides a community.

James subsequently kills a man and is sent to prison. Johanna’s motto becomes “never forget, never surrender.”

Spurred by their mother’s need for revenge, the six Donnelly boys, troublemakers in their own right, go into battle at the drop of hat. Short-tempered, arrogant and foul-mouthed, they are blamed for everything and accused of numerous crimes.

Feuds escalate and eventually a town posse surrounds the Donnelly house, murders its hated members and burns the house to the ground.

The tale has all the ingredients of a powerful story – romance, intrigue, adventure, vengeance, sorrow and horror. And the balanced cast delivers credible performances.

David Leyshon, as James, creates a man with a profound hope for a better future that crashes as he morphs into a shell of cynicism.

As the only female in the cast, Jan Alexandra Smith’s Johanna is a Celtic warrior woman unafraid to battle her fiercest foes. This is not a woman of tenderness, yet she is rocked to the core by the death of her beloved James.

The six sons are cast as ensemble actors and unfortunately often appear interchangeable. Yet Carson Nattrass (Will), Kris Joseph (Daniel) and St. Albert Children’s Theatre alumnus Scott Walters as Tommy produce more than a few riveting moments with the power of their personalities.

A live five-piece band produces virtually non-stop rock music marked with heavy drum work and riffing guitar work.

This is a massive rock opera to produce from scratch. Like most classic operas, it’s theatrical, dramatic and stylized. But it is missing one important ingredient – emotion.

I left the theatre feeling cold and unable to care for the characters’ plight. And as many thespians in the community have often stated, character to audience connection is critical in creating a successful production.