Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

THE FIRST METIS MAN OF ODESA

Western Canada Theatre’s newest production features a real-life transatlantic love story

Mar 7, 2023 | 4:28 PM

KAMLOOPS — Set against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, The First Metis Man of Odesa follows the real-life love story between Canadian playwright Matt and Ukrainian artist Mascha.

The stars of the show are also the writers. Playwright Matthew MacKenzie and actor Mariya Khomutova met in 2018 in Odesa, Ukraine. Shortly after that, the pair realized they were in love.

“When we realized that our marriage and our story — how we met — demands something more than just telling this story to our friends and family all the time, the same details, we realized we need to bring it to a wider audience,” Khomutova explains.

Back in Canada, Matthew found out Mariya was pregnant with their son, Ivan, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Matthew had to navigate travel bans and closed borders to reach Mariya, in order for them to be together.

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“I had to figure out how to fly across the world during the pandemic and sort of sneak into Ukraine,” MacKenzie recalls. “From there, we got married and returned to Canada, where we’ve had our son. We were just about to return to Ukraine so that our son could meet his grandparents in Odesa, and Russia invaded Ukraine. That turned everything upside down.”

The Russian invasion changed the tone of the script, adding serious tones to what was originally a romantic comedy. While Matthew and Mariya still want the play to be joyful and uplifting, nearly every day they deal with difficult news from Ukraine.

“Just today, we learned that a friend’s partner was killed outside of Bakhmut,” Matthew says. “We’re in our pretend land where we’re playing versions of ourselves, definitely based completely on our lives, but the war in Ukraine and the horrors Russia is visiting on Ukraine are touching us every day.”

Despite those horrors, the play is a story about love and hope. That’s what Mariya wants audiences to take away from the performance.

“Love conquers all. That’s the phrase I really emphasize in our show,” Mariya explains. “Love will overcome all the troubles, even ones as tragic and dramatic as the war.”

Image Credit: Western Canada Theatre

The First Metis Man of Odesa is set to open on Thursday, March 16 and run until March 25 at the Pavilion Theatre in Kamloops.