Can you imagine a city where you’re protected from the elements as you walk along the sidewalk? Or the whole road can become pedestrians only for a block party with just a quick change of lights? Sidewalk Labs could when they proposed their ideas for how to transform Toronto’s waterfront. Crow’s is bringing its smash hit The Master Plan to Soulpepper Theatre Company this winter, along with three new cast members. This remount further cements The Master Plan as a wildly funny and entertaining success.

The Master Plan is based on true events, documented in the book ‘Sideways: The City Google Couldn’t Buy” by Josh O’Kane of the Globe and Mail. It details the events of Sidewalk Labs’ bid to develop the Quayside parcel of land along Toronto’s waterfront. Owned by Waterfront Toronto, this parcel of land was to become a step towards a more sustainable and vibrant future. However, Sidewalk Labs is owned by Google, and this immediately raises suspicions about the amount of data they were planning to collect on the residents and, most importantly, how that data’s going to be used. As board members and advisors begin to distance themselves from Waterfront Toronto and the project, things begin to feel less and less like a step in the right direction.

While the production insists that it’s a work of fiction, the timelines and narrative structure of the play also give the audience a solid grasp on the facts of the events that happened during this time period. Of course the conversations we witness aren’t going to be word for word what happened, that’s where the fiction comes in, and yet it’s truly difficult to imagine them going any other way than what we see presented; to have things go so catastrophically wrong in such a short period of time, there must have been a great deal of clashing and butting heads.

An element of the production which I’ve enjoyed both times I’ve seen it is that before the show the performers speak to the audience, just as themselves, and ask folks about if they know what the show’s about. It’s a simple gesture, and yet it proves that the production itself doesn’t assume that you know all of the details about what you’re about to watch; we call get carte blanche coming in and they’ll happily chat with out about what you’re going to see. I do highly recommend reading the book, either before or after you’ve seen the show; I haven’t flown through a non-fiction book like that ever before.

Joshua Quinlan’s stunning set design fits perfectly into the Micheal Young Theatre space, with the same theatre-in-the-round set up preserved from the Crow’s production. The hexagonal floor tiles and wooden mock-up buildings are such a great representation of the work that was actually shown off at Waterfront Toronto during this time. The live video, designed by Amelia Scott, is once again a fabulous tool to remind the audience how televised and public all of this was at the time. However it also allows for close up perspectives on the actors as well, giving us a front row seat for their emotional and thrilling performances.

There are three cast members who are new to this production at Soulpepper including playwright Michael Healey himself. Healey takes the role of Tree, and acts as the main narrative voice throughout the play. He gives the role a dry humour that juxtaposes so perfectly with the other highly emotive characters. Rose Napoli joins this cast as Kristina Verner; watching her shed real tears during the scene before parliament literally made me say “wow.” Tanja Jacobs is the final addition as Helen Burstyn, however I think it’s her portrayal of former mayor John Tory which had me laughing the hardest. Her comedic timing in her many roles was exceptional.

The returning cast members of The Master Plan truly are masters of their crafts. I cannot imagine anyone but Mike Shara playing the over-the-top Dan Doctoroff; his performance is truly larger than life. Christopher Allen’s idealistic Cam brings tears to my eyes. The world needs more visionary people like Cam in charge, and Allen’s performance will make you believe in the good Sidewalk thought they were doing. Ben Carlson brings his charm and wit to Will Fleissig; his back and forth with Shara is comedic perfection. Philippa Domville just absolutely smashes it as Meg Davis. At the performance I attended she went ALL IN on her breakdown and it was astounding.

The Master Plan captures our recent history in Toronto in a very real way; we still feel a great deal of the same hesitations about data gathering and usage as we did then, despite the fact that it’s a part of our daily lives. Yet there’s something about the way that Waterfront Toronto insisted so strongly that things be done their way, and how they resisted the bullying from Sidewalk Labs and Doctoroff that’s inspiring in a way. While a project like this is still desperately needed, the work that Waterfront Toronto is doing in the Portlands is vitally important in its own right.

The Master Plan has, unsurprisingly, just been extended until January 5th. It runs in the Michael Young Theatre at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Make sure to factor in time as the Distillery Winter Village is in full swing! For more information and tickets, visit: https://www.soulpepper.ca/performances/the-master-plan

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Cover Photo: l-r: Mike Shara, Ben Carlson. Photo by Dahlia Katz from the World Premiere production at Crow’s Theatre.

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