Slings and Arrows is one of the finest comedies of the 21st Century. It’s smart, witty and full of drama like any good Shakespeare company must contain. There’s plenty of let’s put on a show gumption for the various characters. The Canadian series lasted only three seasons for six episodes each. The brief run allows high quality in scripts and performances without pacing the action for 100 episodes to hit syndication. The Complete Collection of Slings and Arrows plays like three movies instead of 18 episodes.
The New Burbage Theater Festival is one of the most respected stages in Canada. Its sponsors provide healthy budgets for their lavish theater complex. Unfortunately its productions have become completely boring. The production of “Midsummer’s Night Dream” is lifeless. Festival director Oliver Welles (Stephen Ouimette) knows he’s going through the motions to create a quality production for the high brow audience. He’s thrilled to see his former actor Geoffrey Tennant (Paul Gross) create a stir when he chains himself to his impoverished theater. Geoffrey wants to guilt the landlord into letting his “Tempest” go into production. It doesn’t work but the media falls for the passionate actor. Oliver is jealous that Geoffrey knows how to create danger and excitement around a theater. Geoffrey still holds a grudge against Oliver and won’t take his call.
No need to spoil this series, but Geoffrey ends up taking over the posh festival. His first production is “Hamlet,” which doubles as his last involvement with the festival. When Geoffrey previously played the Dane under Oliver’s direction, the actor snapped and vanished from the stage. Will he survive or will he flip out once more? Oliver isn’t much of a help to him. Even less of help is Richard Smith-Jones (Mark McKinney), the festival’s bean counter. He’s hooked up with Holly Day (Jennifer Irwin), the representative of the festival’s biggest sponsor. She plots with him to take control of the festival. Geoffrey’s work gets harder with the stunt casting of an action star (Luke Kirby) as Hamlet. The young star is used to uttering a few words before the explosions and getting several takes to do it right. Rachel McAdams (before she made Mean Girls and The Notebook) is the actress that assures him that he can utter the long monologues. This sub-plot truly did happen when Keanu Reeves played the role of Hamlet in Winnipeg, Canada.
Each six episode season deals with another festival season with the focus being the massive Shakespeare production. The theme of the plays eventually overtake the lives of the characters. Season two has MacBeth in the big house. Geoffery collaborates with Oliver to bring the blood and guts to the stage. His biggest problem is a lead actor who would rather play to the crowd than get inside the character. Geoffery and Oliver resort to extreme measures to get their vision onto the stage. Richard ends up resorting to extreme marketing in order to bring a younger crowd to the festival. Colm Feore is hilarious as the guru who decides the best way to rebrand the Bard.
Season three’s main focus is “King Lear.” Instead of going with a major movie star, Geoffery risks it on his former acting mentor, Charles (Richard Hutt). While Charles is getting on in age, he desperately wants to tackle the role of King Lear for a final time. Indie darling Sarah Polley is part of the troupe and finds herself living the role of Lear’s daughter. Richard discovers that his spreadsheet talents do translate to the art world as he gets his chance with a new musical being debuted at the festival. Now that he can be creative, can he be stopped? Unlike shows that peter out at the end, the final episode of Slings and Arrows is an emotional heartbreaker. Richard Hutt is a great Shakespearean actor in Canada so his portrayal of Charles is particularly poignant to folks in the Great White North.
The Canadian show has a few familiar faces and voices to American viewers. Paul Gross was the star of Due South. Stephen Ouimette was the voice of the animated Beetlejuice. Don McKellar has appeared in numerous Atom Egoyan films. But the true surprise of the cast is Kids in the Hall member Mark McKinney. After his talents were wasted on Saturday Night Live, McKinney seemed doomed to the “remember how funny that guy was” pile. Turns out he was saving his creative energy for a greater platform. Besides his role as Richard Smith-Jones, McKinney co-wrote the series. All those crummy years of being “Live from New York” are forgiven.
Slings and Arrows is an amazing series. If you dabbled in theater, you’ll become hooked immediately on the show. For those who were hesitant to assume the role of a tree in your elementary school play, the show is entertaining without alienating. They don’t overwhelm us with unexplained inside jokes for the theater crowd. Be warned that once you want start a season, you’ll want to watch all six episodes in a row. And you won’t feel guilty marathoning since it’s just one big movie. Think of this as Canada’s version of The Wire ; instead of Baltimore gangs dealing heroin we’re given thespians pushing Shakespeare.
The video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The big issue is the first season was shot in standard definition. Instead of getting a true 1080p image, the episodes have been up converted. It looks acceptable, but not nearly as detailed and colorful as the second and third seasons. The audio is DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo for seasons one and two. Season Three gets the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround treatment.
Season One
Commentary Track with Bob Martin, Mark McKinney, and Susan Coyne on the first episode. The trio discuss how they created the show.
Trailer (4:24) gives you a sense to the theatrical insanity to come.
Bloopers (6:35) has choice flubs from the cast.
Deleted & Extended Scenes (10:02) has little moments, but nothing that seemed like a mistake to trim.
Production Notes is the text for the promotional material sent out to entertainment writers. There are quotes from various folks involved in the production.
Cast Filmographies gives the credits to eight of the actors.
Lyrics to “Cheer Up Hamlet” & “Call the Understudy” so you can sing along.
Season Two
Commentary with Michael Polley and Graham Harley gives the actors that sing the theme songs a chance to gab.
Cast Interview (7:57) lets Polley and Harley talk on camera.
Deleted & Extended Scenes (14:20) Eight scenes that didn’t completely survive the cutting room.
Bloopers (9:54) are in standard def.
Photo Gallery gives a montage of stills.
Lyrics to “Call the Understudy” and “Mackers” for more sing alongs.
Production Notes
Cast Filmographies cover 11 of the actors featured this season.
Season Three
Trailer (4:34) sets up the final season without giving too much away.
Paul Gross Interview (17:01)
Susan Coyne Interview (9:25)
Bloopers (8:48)
Song Lyrics is the text of “A Walk in the Rain” and “I Played the Part.”
Extended Scenes of King Lear (10:59) gives a chance to experience Richard Hutt without interruption.
Photo Gallery
Deleted & Extended Scenes (19:44)
Cast Filmographies covers 8 of the actors.
A Look behind the scenes (8:58) lets us see how this short series was produced.
Martha Burns Interview (8:47)
Stephen Ouimette Interview (9:33)
Graham Harley Interview (4:06)
William Hutt on the Set (2:34) lets us see how this stage lion deals with the camera crew.
The Cast and Crew on the Set of Slings and Arrows (5:32)
Director Peter Wellington on the set (27:25)
Slings and Arrows: The Complete Collection is the greatest thing to come out of Canada since Wayne Gretzky. Each season gets better than the last as the theater company goes through comic and tragic events worthy of a Shakespeare play. Frog Hammer will leave a dent on your memory. This is an adult’s version of Glee.
Acorn Media presents Slings and Arrows: The Complete Collection . Starring: Paul Gross, Martha Burns, Don McKellar, Rachel McAdams, Mark McKinney and Susan Coyne. Boxset Contents: 18 episodes on 6 Blu-ray discs. Released on Blu-ray: October 26, 2010.
