NEW BOOKS AND MEDIA

By R.C. Tino Bella*

Oakley the Squirrel: Camping 1, 2, 3! by Nancy

Publishing, 2023), 28 pages.

Rose (New York: Workman

Reviewed

by D.

Michael Bain, K.C.

As the editor of this legal journal, I sometimes receive unsolicited publicity for books that may be of interest to our readers. One such announcement in 2021 advertised a “unique alphabet book with a nutty twist”, Oakley the Squirrel: The Search for Z, a picture book by artist, educator and former guidance counsellor Nancy Rose. Ms. Rose’s book showed photographs of actual squirrels interacting with handmade props on miniature sets. I wrote back to the publicist and told her that “the readers of the magazine which I am editor of are all at a stage in their careers where reading should be such that nutty Oakley, as delightful and exciting as he may well be, is not actually required to help them out. They are either lawyers or judges and while this is entirely anecdotal rather than based on actual research, I am fairly certain most of them can read by now and even have the alphabet entirely memorized.” I was assured that I had been confused with a different Michael and would not be bothered by Oakley again.

Not so! For nearly two years later I received an email: “Hi Michael, I hope you’re well! I wanted to pop into your inbox with news of the return of Oakley the Squirrel – the nutty little creature who loves to count and spell with little learners.” This is how Oakley the Squirrel: Camping 1, 2, 3! came to my attention. I wrote to this new publicist and sent her copies of my prior interactions with her predecessor. For reasons I cannot quite explain, I also told her: “since then, of course, several more young people have been admitted as members of our profession and, I must confess, some of them could use some help with their spelling. Some of our older members, meanwhile, are also now likely losing the ability to count and most likely prefer looking at squirrels camping rather than reading some of the dry articles in our magazine.” I therefore requested a copy of the book for review.

The publicist did not disappoint. A mint copy of the book arrived at my office and I fairly immediately set aside the document review I had planned for the morning and read the book cover to cover in about three minutes. Let me start by saying that Oakley the Squirrel: Camping 1, 2, 3! is a handsome cardboard book suitable for young readers to gently gnaw the rounded edges of and smack their filthy hands against. Some older readers may take the same pleasure. Oakley is indeed a squirrel and he does appear to be on a camping adventure for which he and his squirrel companions look to be well prepared. Oakley has driven to the campsite in a red Mini Cooper attached to a small trailer, which instantly puts me in mind of the licensing of trailers pursuant to the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations, B.C. Reg. 246/2010. He has brought 1 awning for shade that, based on its somewhat flimsy construction, is a good opportunity to discuss with the reader the provisions of the Occupier’s Liability Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 337 and in particular the duty of care Oakley owes to his guests at the campsite. Oakley has 2 coolers filled with food he has made himself, and no doubt aware of the potential liability for hosts serving alcohol outlined by the Supreme Court of Canada in Childs v. Desormeaux, 2006 SCC 18, has sensibly also brought 3 pads and pillows for sleeping in tents.

Oakley’s drunken guests have 4 bright lanterns hung on a fence, which is probably owned by the province, and I am hopeful that he has considered the fire safety programs and fire bans that may be in effect, because those lamps look potentially hazardous to me. However, having apparently averted a disastrous end to the evening, the next morning, Oakley is up bright and early, and after using 5 buckets and shovels to erect a sandcastle and moat on a deserted beach (with apparent wild abandon when it comes to considering riparian, Indigenous and environmental concerns) he amasses no fewer than 6 fishing rods to head out onto the lake. Presumably Oakley knows about the basic licence carry and production requirements of the fisheries regulations, and if he is boating, he should also be familiar with the proof of competency currently required of all recreational boaters by Transport Canada.

I shall not spoil the entirety of the dramatic methods used by Oakley and his cohorts to reach the ultimate goal of counting to 10, for it suffices to note that simply the first six instalments provide the reader with a wealth of legal issues to explore with the grubby little brat bouncing on their knee, drooling all over the colourful photographs so beautifully prepared by Ms. Rose. The photographs themselves are very clever and rather humorous. Ms. Rose has done an admirable job of making us believe, for example, that squirrels can roast marshmallows, barbeque cashews, wield axes for chopping firewood and even play electric guitar with no apparent source for amplification (although this is only implied and is never explicit).

This book is suitable for people learning to count and retired judges.

Reviewed by Peter Roberts, K.C.

After a pandemic-induced hiatus of three years, the Lawyer Show returned for a four-night (and one matinee) run between May 10 and 13, 2023 of the long-awaited Mamma Mia! , the ABBA-inspired play conceived by Judy Cramer from the book by Catherine Johnson. The Lawyer Show, now in its 20th year, is a fundraiser for Touchstone Theatre, a cherished cultural institution and registered charity that promotes and produces new Canadian plays. The Lawyer Show features a cast of local lawyers strutting their stuff on the boards in impressive style. This production of Mamma Mia!, the musical based on the songs of Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, was originally set for May 2020 but, like so much else, was put on hold given what else was going on at that time. Most of the cast from that intended production hung on and returned with gusto for the performances in May 2023. Collectively, they put in over 3,400 volunteer hours to get ready for opening night.

Staged at the Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island, Mamma Mia! tells the story of Donna Sheridan (Linda Sum), a single mum, and her daughter, Sophie Sheridan (Vista Trethaway), on the eve of Sophie’s wedding to Sky (James Blackwood), the bartender. Donna raised Sophie singlehandedly while building and running a quaint hotel on the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi. On the surface, it is a familiar, breezy comedy centred on Sophie’s search for the identity of her long-lost father. Love interests wax and wane as the play unfolds, but at its core it is an exploration of two generations of women exploring whether they need a male figure in their quest for personal fulfillment. As this unfolds, Donna is also coming to terms with her daughter becoming an adult. The foil to this exploration is the return to the island, at the surreptious invitation of Sophie, of three of Donna’s lovers, all of whom were with Donna on the island approximately nine months before Sophie’s birth—one of whom is surely Sophie’s father. Whenever the mood suits, the cast spontaneously erupts into the world’s catchiest pop hits from 1970s and 1980s Swedish powerhouse, ABBA.

The three father figures were enthusiastically played by Cobi Dayan (Bill Austin), Liam Kearns (Sam Carmichael) and Roger Watts (Harry Bright). All gave great vocal performances of the ridiculously catchy ABBA tunes (everyone knew them all), but special kudos to Roger for carrying it off with a brightly credible English accent throughout. Donna’s two closest friends, returning for Sophie’s wedding, were played by Mandana Namazi (Rosie) and Johanna Goosen (Tanya), both of whom gave witty comedic performances. The comedic timing of Cobi Dayan and Mandana Namazi on the song “Take a Chance on Me” was hilarious and memorable. Indeed, all the play leads gave committed and delightful performances though special kudos to Lawyer Show veteran Rhona Lichtenwald for her hilarious portrayal of Father Alexandrois.

Space does not provide room for comment on the supporting cast of Jennine Punzalan (Lisa), Jonathan Braun (Eddie), Jennifer Lang-Hodge (Ali), Breanna Moffitt, Ilana Teicher, Kiera Neufeld-Heinrichs, Itti Ma, Seeley Brocklebank, Nimrit Dhillon, Jeevyn Dhaliwal, K.C. (soon to be Law Society president), Kate Dueck, Stacey Grubb, Elan Hannah, Amy Ko, Sarah Lavrisa, Felicia Slogoski, Celia Taylor, Una Urosevic, Roselle Wu and Craig McCue. Suffice it to say they all brought an inspired level of commitment, enthusiasm and fun to the stage and wonderfully complemented the production.

As an interloper to the legal cast, Vince Kanasoot, a CPA, did an engagingly humorous turn as Pepper. For his efforts, he was awarded the Miller Thomson Shining Star Award, along with Kiera Neufeld-Heinrichs, who was the assistant choreographer and dance captain, in recognition of their contributions and dedication to the Lawyer Show.

Unseen and stuffed off to stage right was the band, a slightly reworked version of Battle of the Bar Bands champions Mr. Fancy Education, who provided tight, lively and enjoyable renditions of the songs. The band was led by musical director Marguerite Witvoet and consisted of Michael Bain, K.C. (bass guitar), Cappone D’Angelo (guitar), Patrick Aldous (drums), Doran Chandler (keyboards) and Mark Slay (percussion).

As a general observation, everyone in the production has a demanding day job but acquitted themselves well enough that they could conceivably consider giving up that employment for the stage. It was clear as an audience member that those strutting the boards before us were all having a rollicking good time. They brought an infectious energy that had the audience singing along by the end. The cast were clearly having fun, and there was scant evidence of opening night jitters or stage fright. Kudos must be given to Touchstone’s creative team, which included Roy Surette, director; Miranda MacDougall, choreographer; Ryan Cormack, set designer; Victoria Bell, light designer; and Donnie Tejani, costume designer. Well done, all. It was an engagingly enjoyable evening of musical theatre and Swedish funk. To boot, it was all for a good cause. The 2023 Lawyer Show grossed over $100,000 and netted Touchstone Theatre $35,000.