Falling with Style – Matthew Edison

Matthew Edison is a Dora Award-winning theatre actor, director and writer. New this year to A Christmas Carol but a Soulpepper veteran, Edison has appeared in Loot, Awake and Sing! and The School for Wives, to name a few. His first play, The Domino Heart, premiered at Tarragon Theatre to much acclaim. Edison also happens to be a great, great, great grand-nephew of Thomas Edison.

Well, we opened Monday night with a strong show, I thought… minus the part where I went tumbling in the isle on my exit at the end of act one. A comical way to button an otherwise emotional cliffhanger. Luckily, I had fallen in the exact same place a week earlier and so had some experience in repeating it. Unfortunately, I landed on my left hand again just as it was beginning to heal.

My ego was more bruised than my hand but it did make for difficult quick changes. I appreciate those who came up after the show saying it was an interesting choice to have young Ebenezer spill into the concrete after Belle brakes up with him. I agreed and told them that I had to fight for the choice to do the fall. I just hope they don’t return to find out it wasn’t actually staged that way.

I did notice that someone whom I will not name but who played the part prior to me and whose initials are Patrick Galligan was in the house that night and sitting, coincidentally, near my exit. I’m not suggesting he would do such a thing. Only that I found it strange to see him afterwards wearing my costume and telling Michael Schamata that he was available if I couldn’t finnish the run of the show. Humbug.

(Photo: Sandy Nicholson)