I recently was given the opportunity to go see Beautiful Scars at the NAC and I left that night with a renewed appreciation for Canadian art. Now, I went into this show knowing absolutely nothing about the show and the artist behind it. Beautiful Scars is a hauntingly beautiful personal story of Tom Wilson’s discovery of his Mohawk identity. A child born in Hamilton and part of the Sixties Scoop, Wilson didn’t learn about his Mohawk identity until he was an adult. Following this journey of discovery and reaffirmation is the music from Wilson’s own catalogue that has a wide range of different styles. Educational and emotional, this show is a must watch so as to not forget the harm done in the past and the scars that exist today. 

My limited knowledge on the First Nations and Indigenous peoples is an example of the lasting effects of colonization and the erasure of their history: so please take what I say with a grain of salt on this area where I’m not as knowledgeable as I should be. One thing I absolutely love about this show is how it draws upon the roots of oral tradition to preserve history: a trait that is vital in how the Mohawk kept their traditions and ways of life alive. Intentionally or not, Wilson honours those that came before him. 

Musically, the show being all of Wilson’s music was a wild ride. I’ve never heard of any of his songs before, but now I have “Blue Moon Drive” on my Night Drives playlist. That being said, the eclectic nature of his musical style was a slight detriment as the show lacked cohesion musically. Some of his songs also didn’t lend well to the show’s description of being a rock musical. 

The set design for this absolutely blew me away. It screamed classic Canadian Indie movie vibes, but also incorporated the art style and language of the First Nations people (Skoden was one of the words I recognized!) that gave the stage this uniquely beautiful drawn aspect to it. Add to that, the LFX enhanced everything on stage to a mesmerizing level. 

One of my outstanding moments on stage was Phil Davis (credited as artist/Indigenous collaborator). His vocal additions in traditional Indigenous style was ethereal and transcendent whenever he sang. Jeremy Proulx (Bear) and Sheldon Elter (Tom) made an incredible duo onstage as well. The push and pull of their comedy at times was well-timed and showed a strong connection. 

Overall, I enjoyed my night out experiencing original Canadian made theatre. This story is an important one to tell and to go see. I hope in the future we get to see it return to Ottawa.