Padre X

Review by Lauryn Kronick
80 mins | Drama | General

Coupling faith and theatre is not everyone’s cup of tea. Throw in a war story on top of that and Padre X at first seems to be a show that fails to stick out as one to watch, but a strong performance redeems it from this initial hesitation.

Written and performed by Winnipeg’s Marc Moir of Looking Glass Productions, which presents itself as a Christian theatre company that “strives to take the ‘cheese factor’ out of Christian Theatre,” Padre X gives an honest, reflective and historical account of the only Canadian Chaplain to win the Victoria Cross during World War II.

Moir plays John Weir Foote, a do-gooder Chaplain who ends up staying on through the war to help his men by finding the way of God. Moir is honest with his audience, explaining that yes, he is a Chaplain but is not a preacher. His goal in aiding his comrades is to keep their spirits lifted in good faith, which is what keeps him going as well. This show clearly represents the theatre company’s mission: “to serve God through the medium of drama.”

Moir works hard during this performance. There is a healthy blend of physical theatre (while he is at war), effective use of props (the military gear was simple yet symbolic) and emotional moments that certainly reverberated with the audience (a few tears were spotted).

There were moments where the religious factor became a bit too intense – there are several mentions of prayers, plenty of talk about God – but luckily, Moir successfully brings comedic slants to an otherwise serious piece.

While there were a few line slip-ups on Moir’s part, Padre X is an engaging, thought-provoking story which is worth putting in to your schedule.

Padre X by Marc Moir is playing at Venue 2 – Arts Court Library (2 Daly Avenue, Elevator B) on Saturday June 18 at 2:00pm, Sunday June 19 at 12:30pm, Tuesday June 21 at 5:30pm, Saturday June 25 at 4:30pm and Sunday June 26 at 1:00pm. Tickets are $10 each.