Walter Borden: Living Legend
Last night I sat in a completely rapt sold out house at the Bus Stop Theatre for Walter Borden’s performance in Metamorphoses, directed by Christian Barry and Jacob Sampson, and adapted from Ovid by the company. You could feel the audience in tandem leaning as far forward as they could to further immerse themselves in Borden’s melodic voice. Storytelling is often described as “weaving a spell,” and I’ve never encountered a more powerful example of this kind of wizardry.
The stage at the Bus Stop Theatre is dominated by one gigantic table on which there are several lamps, small projectors, and a number of small human figures in different configurations standing on a number of different small platforms. The figures reminded me of the little people who get pins shoved into their joints in those Robaxacet commercials, which is apt considering that’s nothing compared to the levels of pain inflicted on the characters from Ovid that Borden brings to such stunning life. There is also a larger figure of a tree. Borden stands under a spotlight and next to a lamp at the back of the table and faces the audience, and he speaks directly to us. Christian Barry’s lighting design keeps the theatre very dark and isolated beams of light shine on individual figures on the desk, and they move and spin, and sometimes even seem to float, as well as casting shadows on the back wall. The kinetic art design magic is created by Chris Little. Borden has a large tome, like a storybook of myths, and he shares four of them in depth with us- the stories of Narcissus, Pentheus, Myrrha, and Pyramis and Thisbe.
Hilary Adams with a guitar, percussion, and her own voice provides a unique and quite cinematic soundscape for Borden’s stories created with Stewart Legere. I found the way she used her breath, especially in the story of Pentheus, to help build the tension and momentum of this harrowing tale to be especially effective.
I am currently reading Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, and the way this play was written by the company reminded me of Wilde’s style. It is deliciously literary, but also dense in that deliciousness in the way that these familiar stories are brought to life. There is one specific monologue of Pentheus’ where he is raging against the prediction that Tiresias, the blind seer and prophet, has given him where the language of Pentheus’ utter contempt and fury is especially evocative. Then Borden transforms even further into Pentheus when portraying him being attacked by his mother and his aunts- begging them to recognize him, but being slack jawed and nearly incomprehensible by the brutality of their initial assault. This is an especially disturbing and gory story, and it is told in such an unflinching and haunting way.
It was interesting to see Borden present an earnest rendition of the story of Pyramis and Thisbe, which I am only familiar with because it serves as a play within A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream, but in Shakespeare the story is intentionally made ridiculous by the “rude mechanicals” who are performing it, and it is their absurd performance styles that are featured much more than the myth itself. Here Pyramis and Thisbe are given the same gravitas we give to Romeo and Juliet as we explore the tragic potentials in the rash passions of young love.
The theme of all these stories is this concept of metamorphosis, a great change and transformation, and this play is anchored by Borden telling two stories in the first person where he himself, as a child in New Glasgow, experienced two profoundly magical instances of extreme transformation. He also speaks briefly about grief, and how now, at 84 years old, his world has been transformed by the loss of a great many family members and friends. Also, of course, as an 84 year old gay African Indigenous Nova Scotian man, someone who was two years old when Viola Desmond was imprisoned in his hometown for daring to sit where she liked in a movie theatre, he has experienced a metamorphosis of this province, this country, this world, and yet also these stories from Ovid’s poem, written in the 8th Century of our Era, remain gripping, powerful and pertinent portraits and warnings of the darkness and perils of being human.
There is a reason why the word that is most associated with Walter Borden is “legend.” His ability to create story from language, especially poetic language like Ovid, like Shakespeare, in entirely his own unique way is right up there with Dame Judi Dench and Sir Ian McKellen. He could live and work in any city in the world and be heralded for his incredible talents and skills as an actor, an artist, and a storyteller; we are so lucky to have him here.
2b Theatre’s production of Metamorphoses, directed by Christian Barry and Jacob Sampson, and starring Walter Borden plays at the Bus Stop Theatre (2203 Gottingen Street, Halifax) until October 4th, 2026 as part of the Prismatic Arts Festival. Many of the performances have already sold out. Tickets for October 2nd and 3rd at 7:30pm are available at Flexible Door Rates of $27.69 (fees included) and Standard Door Rates of $48.79 (fees included). They are available to purchase online here. ** Student Appreciation Night (reception at 6:30pm) / Artist Talkback after performance – Wednesday Sept 30th.** ASL Interpreted performance – Saturday Oct 3rd. **Elders Honour Matinee (post show stories sharing) – Sunday Oct 4th. THIS PRODUCTION HAS A CONTENT ADVISORY.
Follow this link for more details: https://www.2btheatre.com/shows/content-advisory-for-metamorphoses/
“The Prismatic Arts Festival is a national, multidisciplinary arts festival that showcases and celebrates innovative work by Indigenous artists and artists of colour from across Canada. Based in Kjipuktuk (Halifax, Nova Scotia), Prismatic has been bringing audiences vibrant, boundary-pushing new works in theatre, dance, music, film, visual arts, media arts, and spoken word since 2008.” It runs until October 4th in venues around the city. For more information about the full lineup of programming please visit this website.
The Bus Stop Theatre Co-op is a multi-use performance venue located on Gottingen Street in Kjipuktuk/Halifax. The theatre has been in operation since 2003 and operating as a co-op since 2012. It hosts over 100 different groups and shows annually and is booked for performances, rehearsals and gatherings of all kinds for 250+ days of the year. The Bus Stop Theatre Co-op’s goal is to operate theatrical facilities that serve both artists and audiences. It does this by operating the only independent, affordable, accessible and professionally equipped black-box space in Halifax. Not only that, it is owned and operated by those who use it and benefit from it! The theatre also includes a welcoming lobby with a licensed bar. The Bus Stop is an all ages venue and welcomes youth whether or not the bar is operating. A dry bar is also possible on demand. Furthermore, the theatre is one of the few physically accessible venues in the area with level access and front row seating for chair users.
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