As someone who was enraptured by Arthurian legends as a child, I think it’s wonderful that the Halifax Theatre for Young People is staging Paul Ledoux’s Merlin. What a great opportunity to turn kids on to an engrossing, enduring story. This is an
action-packed play filled with swordfights and magic tricks that will appeal to a younger audience. The complex political machinations and the exploration of the role of women also provide food for thought for teens and adults. The story is told in a non-linear fashion with many flashbacks and visions, but actor Gordon Patrick White does a fine job of delineating the young, insecure Merlin and Merlin as a mature sorcerer who carries the weight of the world on his shoulders.
This article appears in Apr 22-28, 2010.