An amazing production about luck
Stage adaptation of Miriam Toews work captures the details of everyday life
Barb Stewart

This delightful adaptation of Miriam Toews’ novel of the same name is a heartfelt and hilarious look into the world of a teenage mom.

Lucy (Beth Graham) is a young woman whose life is tainted by tragedy but whose spirit can never quite be dampened to the point of despair. She lives in the Have-a-Life Manitoba Housing development with her son, Dill, and a cast of delectable characters, including her best friend, the devastatingly brash and bodacious Lish (Caroline Livingstone).

The play begins with Lucy and Lish about to set out on a road trip to Colorado, then jumps back in time to fill us in on the hows and whys of what has led them to this point, for better and worse. The foundation laid, Summer of My Amazing Luck then joyfully moves to a happy ending.

At breakneck speed we’re taken on a delightful journey through Lucy’s life, with Chris Craddock and Livingstone capably taking on multiple roles to flesh out her world.

Lucy is a sweet girl with a sad past, and she wants nothing more than to be a good mother to her young son while not forgetting the mother she no longer has.

Throughout the play she experiences everything from the humiliation of applying for welfare to the thrill of hatching a plan to mend Lish’s broken heart with guileless charm. Her worries regarding her tentative relationship with her broken father are genuinely touching.

Lucy is a devastatingly human character who plucks at the heartstrings but never cashes in on that emotion, and Summer of My Amazing Luck is a refreshingly amusing and compassionate play. Thankfully, its compassion does not suffer at the hands of its humour but rather thrives in its arms. Craddock’s clever adaptation for a cast of three allows these fine actors to revel in their roles with sheer joy. He has proven himself a fine comic actor and writer at the Winnipeg Fringe many times, and this production upholds his high standards.

Even the production’s simple kitchen setting, littered with children’s toys, is a wonderful touch, and it adapts to become a van, a bedroom and a welfare office. Similarly, the inventive use of household objects, water pistols and other toys gives the play a giddy inventiveness that’s downright enthralling. Even the music, such as the hilariously cheesy organ version of Paul Anka’s (You’re) Having My Baby — playing as one of the characters gives birth — is a crowning touch.

The beauty is in the details, and Summer of My Amazing Luck is so full of delicious and creative touches and genuine love of its characters. Don’t test your luck by missing this production.