Merlin

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 both an engrossing and enduring story and to the pure delight of live theatre. This is an action-packed play filled with swordfights and magic tricks that will appeal to a younger audience (probably age nine and up, due to some scary death scenes). 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. (KW)