“Old Love” is the end of the road for Theatre Aurora’s “Borderless” season

April 5, 2017 · 0 Comments

By Brock Weir

All too often when we think of “love” we think about budding young romance and everything that leads to, but there is much more to it than that.
This week, Theatre Aurora brings down the curtain on their latest season based around the theme of “Borderless Love” with Norm Foster’s Old Love.
Directed by Sergio Calderon, the show opened last week and continues at the Henderson Drive theatre through this Saturday, April 8.
Old Love tells the story of Bud, who tries to woo the recently widowed Molly who he has come to love over the years. As he pursues her, Molly has her own memories to contend with as she adjusts to her new life.
“Love is love is love is love,” says Mr. Calderon, quoting Lin Manuel Miranda. “We have shown it in so many different forms and in so many different ways, this has a challenge; it is about I don’t care who sees, I don’t care what they think, this is my time, this is my life and this is how it should be lived. I think those words from Norm Foster ring true for this entire season. There is no judgement when it comes to love; it comes in all shapes and sizes, and in all forms and all ideals, whether they are your own or someone else’s.”
One of the reasons Theatre Aurora chose Old Love is its examination of love from “outside of our normal viewpoints and constructs.”
“We always think of young people falling in love and starting a life together, or dropping in on people who are already married and in the midst of their life,” says Mr. Calderon. “In this particular show, we drop in on two characters who have had their first loves and then discover it again post-retirement. [It challenges] the stereotypes of old love and how they are viewed socially.
“One character is quoted as being ‘fully disgusted’ by the idea of anyone over 50 kissing or showing some affection, which really taints the viewpoint of Molly and puts her in fear of expressing, showing, wanting or needing love and affection.
“It was nice to show throughout the season a whole bunch of different viewpoints of love and [asking] what does that mean? Of course, we had to explore not just young, youthful, blossoming, awakening love, but we also had to show it in all its forms.”
An added bonus with a show exploring love blossoming later in life, it is a nice transition to Theatre Aurora’s next session, which is built around the theme of “In Memoriam” which will focus on various forms of upheaval.
“There is a funeral somewhat centred in the story,” says Mr. Calderon. “Bud starts chasing Molly somewhat at her husband’s funeral. She’s still reeling from the fact her husband has died but is discovering this new second chance at love. It’s nice to leave a hint of that coming into the next season where we are going to be examining different ideas of what is loss, what is grief, and about missing someone.”