Matthew MacKenzie and Mariya Khomutova's real-life romance becomes Theatre Calgary's new stage
The First Metis Man of Odesa runs through September 27 at the Martha Cohen Theatre—a couple's love story across COVID, war and continents.
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Matthew MacKenzie is not an actor. He tells audiences this at the top of every performance of The First Metis Man of Odesa, and they seem to like that. They empathize with him.
Khomutova, his partner and a classically trained actor, plays alongside him at Theatre Calgary's Martha Cohen Theatre through September 27, telling their own story: how they met in Kyiv in 2018, fell in love across continents during a pandemic, married in a rush as the world locked down, had a son, and then had to find a way to live together as Russia invaded Ukraine and Khomutova's mother needed refuge in Canada.
The couple has performed their story more than 150 times since it debuted at The Theatre Centre in Toronto in 2023. They'll add another two dozen shows during this Calgary run. MacKenzie, who was workshopping a play with director-playwright Lianna Makuch when they met, kept writing to Khomutova after he returned to Edmonton. She eventually joined him in Toronto. They rekindled their connection there—"That's when we got to know each other romantically," Khomutova recalls—but she returned to Ukraine, and MacKenzie followed to meet her mother. He came back to Canada in February 2020.
"A guy was coughing on the plane. We didn't think much of it, then suddenly the world changed overnight," MacKenzie says of that crossing. Khomutova was pregnant by then. COVID made it impossible for him to return immediately. Four months later, with only nine people on his plane to Europe, he got on board. They married as quickly as they could and welcomed their son.
When Russia invaded in 2024, the story gained a new chapter. "We thought our story was finished when COVID was over, but then Russia invaded Ukraine, and it added a whole new chapter," MacKenzie said. "Suddenly, we had real difficulty processing everything that was happening. We talked Mariya's mother Oda into coming to Edmonton. We had to tell how that impacted everything."
Khomutova says the play's staying power comes from its authenticity. "Even after three years, it is a very personal story. It shows what we have been through. People like the show because it is a real-life couple telling it. They can relate to that even if they haven't been through all we have. It's a bit of a romcom, and that makes it very accessible."
The challenge for each performer is different. MacKenzie must stay present without formal training. Khomutova, with her technique, must strip it away and be as honest as the person beside her. "I'm very grateful for the play because it has helped me put so many things in perspective," she says. "It's very important to both Matthew and me that we end the play on a happy, uplifting note."
The details
When does The First Metis Man of Odesa run at Theatre Calgary?
The First Metis Man of Odesa runs through September 27, 2026 at Theatre Calgary's Martha Cohen Theatre.
Who performs in The First Metis Man of Odesa?
Matthew MacKenzie and Mariya Khomutova, a real-life couple, perform the play together, telling their own love story.
What is The First Metis Man of Odesa about?
The play tells how MacKenzie and Khomutova met in Kyiv in 2018, fell in love across continents during the pandemic, married as the world locked down, had a son, and navigated life together as Russia invaded Ukraine and Khomutova's mother sought refuge in Canada.
