How should a city be remembered, and who gets to decide? Theatre Aquarius’ production of Matt Murray’s The Time Capsule, directed by Mary Francis Moore, looks for answers to these questions in the resilience and grit of Hamilton, Ontario.
It’s a dark and snowy night in March, and long-time history teacher Erin (Deborah Drakeford) is holding a meeting in a church basement to work on her pet project: a time capsule. The collection is meant to give Hamiltonians 100 years in the future a taste of the past, and so ensuring the right objects are included is key. Erin is eventually joined by a motley group of participants: Stelco foreman and die-hard Vancouver Canucks fan Rick (Richard Alan Campbell), heartbroken couples-therapist-turned-Winners-employee Marcus (Richard Young), and Jess (Stephanie Sy), a defensive 20-something bartender with a criminal past. Orbiting the edges of the meeting is Louise (Mary Long), the straight-talking church caretaker.
As the evening progresses and the characters begin to both open up and butt heads, the play becomes a comedic yet heartfelt reflection on memory. We learn that the past is never as far away as we might think, that a moment forgettable for one person could be life-changing for another, and that it takes more than just a Hamilton Ticats pin or a Tim Hortons cup to memorialize a city and its people.
The combined efforts of the creative team carefully render the play’s setting. Robin Fisher’s set is a true-to-life church basement, complete with an old piano tucked into a corner, months-old Thanksgiving decorations, and a table covered in homemade baked goods. In a lovely touch, snow falls outside the set’s two windows, visibly piling up over the course of the play. Steve Lucas’ lighting helps to build atmosphere, with the stage lit first by harsh fluorescent overheads, and later by an array of lanterns. Sonia Nardi Lewis’ costume design is highly detailed, down to the salt stains on Jess’ Ugg boots.
The dynamics between the characters are also nuanced and believable. The antagonism between Erin’s abrasive need for control and Jess’ spontaneity is particularly compelling, and when tensions inevitably rise, Young’s Marcus is a steady, stabilizing force. Revelations of character backstories and interconnections in the play’s second half add nuance to the cast’s performances, and it’s in these stories of challenge and perseverance that we get a taste of the grittiness that Hamilton is known for.
That said, in comparison to the rest of the ensemble, Louise’s character felt underdeveloped in its writing, a disappointment in a show that otherwise lives up to its promises of “female-forward” storytelling. While Long makes the most of her more limited time on stage, the script only presents oblique references to Louise’s past, and I was left wanting to know more about the mistakes, regrets, and relationships we get occasional glimpses of.
Aquarius’ social media bills The Time Capsule as a Hamilton-specific combination of Schitt’s Creek and The Breakfast Club, and as such Murray’s script is peppered with numerous mostly comedic references to the city. Nods to local grocery stores and clothing boutiques, a debate over the city’s best pizza spot, and jokes about local favourite Grandad’s Donuts drew appreciative laughs from the audience on opening night. As these references largely disappear in the play’s second half, though, I couldn’t help but wonder what makes a play truly of a place. The Time Capsule lived its first life geared to a different city entirely, as The Chronicles of Sarnia at the Blyth Festival in 2023, and the challenges its characters work to overcome, while highly believable, feel like they could have occurred in any number of places. Those references to Hamilton’s most popular institutions do most of the work of situating the play in the city.
There are upsides and downsides to this — future productions could easily adapt Murray’s script into something local audiences will connect with, wherever that “local” might be. But at the same time, this approach to site-specificity misses the opportunity to dig more deeply into the nuances of the city.
That complaint aside, though, The Time Capsule remains lively and funny — a detailed, entertaining two hours with plenty of heart.
The Time Capsule runs at Theatre Aquarius until October 18. Tickets are available here.
Intermission reviews are independent and unrelated to Intermission’s partnered content. Learn more about Intermission’s partnership model here.
WRITTEN BY
Charlotte Lilley
Charlotte Lilley (she/her) is a writer currently living in Hamilton, ON. She holds a BA from Western University, a Master of Applied Literary Arts from the Memorial University of Newfoundland (Grenfell), and currently studies at McMaster University. Her writing has appeared in Horseshoe Literary Magazine, Prelude (Calgary Phil), the Stratford Beacon Herald, and elsewhere. Charlotte’s writing and academic work explores speculative fiction, sustainability, and hope. www.charlottemlilley.com
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