'The Greatest Play in the History of the World' comes to Fredericton

 The Greatest Play in the History of the World stage at the theatre New Brunswick. (Jennifer Williams/AQ)

On Oct. 16, the lights dimmed at Theatre New Brunswick (TNB), and for 90 quiet minutes, a single voice carried an entire universe, one that stretched from Preston Road to the edges of time. 

In The Greatest Play in the History of the World, written by British playwright Ian Kershaw, the world suddenly stops. 

Amid the stillness, a man looks out his window and sees a woman standing across the street, wearing an oversized David Bowie T-shirt. 

What unfolds is a story about love, loss and the human need to connect, which is told entirely through one actor’s voice. 

For many in the audience, it was an emotional experience. 

“I was so emotional because of the message in the end,” said Sabrina Zabatiero, a first-year student at St. Thomas University. “At first, I was confused because I didn’t know what was happening, but later I started to think about the good things in my life.” 

Zabatiero said the one-person format kept her fully engaged.  

“It’s one person talking the whole time, yes — but it’s really, really good. We stayed entertained the whole time.” 

Natasha MacLellan, artistic and executive director at TNB,  said she knew the story needed to be shared with Fredericton audiences the moment she saw it. 

“When I watched the video of it, I just fell in love,” she said. “It’s such a hopeful and joyful story and times are pretty rough right now. I think people here should see it.” 

TNB usually focuses on local writers and stories from the province, but MacLellan said this play felt like a natural fit. 

 “Part of the story’s beauty is watching one woman push herself as she talks about hardship, you’re watching her live it.” 

The production, directed by  Dean Fleming, brings together simplicity and scale.

 “I knew I wanted to direct it when I was halfway through reading it,” said Fleming. “I read it and thought, ‘I hope this play continues to be this good, because I want to do it.’” 

Fleming, who is also a professor at the National Theatre School in Montreal, said the story feels relevant after years of isolation.  

“It was written in 2018, but I think it’s even more relevant now after the pandemic,” he said. “It talks about hardship, isolation and loneliness but also about hope.” 

He described directing a one-person show as a deeply collaborative process, especially since his partner,  Amanda Kellock, plays the sole performer.  

“When you direct one person, it’s really a partnership,” he said. “You’re keyed into your actor, setting the tone together, figuring out how to tell the story. It becomes about trust.” 

For Kellock, that trust is transmitted to the audience. 

 “It’s a combination of terrifying and exhilarating,” she said. “We make this deal between the audience and me, that I’m going to tell the story and they’re going to come with me.”

Kellock said that performing alone for 90 minutes is offset by the emotional reward.

“The part that always hits me the most is near the end, when I talk about the sound of a bee or a bird,” said Kellock. “I think about the natural world and how many things need preserving right now.” 

That message of cherishing what endures ties the play’s cosmic theme to humanity’s profoundness.

 “If every person woke up thinking, ‘I’m lucky to be here and I need to make sure this planet survives,’ we’d be okay,” she said. 

The message of The Greatest Play in the History of the World is that in the vastness of time and space, what truly matters are the small, ordinary things — the laughter, the light and the quiet reminders that we’re still connected.