Blu-ray Review: Slings & Arrows - The Complete Collection

Making its debut on Blu-ray, Slings & Arrows - The Complete Collection gathers all three seasons of the award winning Canadian television series. These 18 episodes tell the story of the fictional New Burbage Shakespeare Festival and its struggle to remain financially viable. Certain administrative members are pushing for a more commercial approach to New Burbage's presentation. Of course this is greatly at odds with the actors and directors who wish to maintain the artistic integrity of the theatre.

I'll admit this sounded like homework at first glance. I don't know anything about the works of William Shakespeare, except for what I was able to glean from flipping through CliffsNotes the night before an English test. My initial assumption was that Slings & Arrows would be loaded with inside jokes and references only theatre majors would appreciate. I was wrong. You don't have to know anything about the paper business before watching The Office, nor must you understand the real estate industry to enjoy Arrested Development. And so it goes with Slings & Arrows, an easily accessible character-driven comedy with moments of heart-piercing emotion.

The first season introduces the core cast of characters: artistic director Oliver Welles (Stephen Ouimette), actor/director Geoffrey Tennant (Paul Gross), and perenial leading lady Ellen Fanshaw (Martha Burns). Though they worked together years before, Geoffrey suffered a nervous breakdown onstage and retreated from New Burbage. Oliver continued to direct but never quite came to terms with losing Geoffrey. Ellen continued to act under Oliver's direction, though she too never got over Geoffrey's departure from the festival. She and Geoffrey were once a couple, though everything fell apart after Geoffrey's mental difficulties.

It's no spoiler to reveal that through a bizarre twist of fate that claims Oliver's life, Geoffrey is roped back in to direct New Burbage's production of Hamlet. The passing of Oliver occurs right at the beginning of season one, though Stephen Ouimette continues to play the character throughout the series. The somewhat unstable Geoffrey is haunted by his late friend and director - quite literally. Invisible to all others, Oliver keeps popping up in Geoffrey's presence. The "ghost" of Oliver can't resist attempting to direct the production from beyond the grave.

Article Author: The Other Chad

My name is Chaz. A former co-worker (Dave) always misheard my name as "Chad." Complicating matters was a third co-worker, who was in fact named Chad. So Dave habitually called me the "other Chad."

Contact: chazlipp3@gmail.com

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