Fool For Love

 

I need to start by saying that I'm not a regular theatre goer by any means.  I like theatre and I do have background in theatre... kind of... it was always my own stuff though, so maybe that doesn't count.  Anyway, I say this just to let you know that I am by no means any kind of qualified critic when it comes to theatrical productions.  That being said...

I knew nothing of this play walking into it - and that's really nice these days when it's hard to be surprised by something, especially a story.  Without giving anything away, it's a story of star-crossed lovers, set in a motel room, right at the moment where they need to make a hard decision.  I went to see this because my new friend Ms. Katie Boland was starring in it, and because the darling Ms. Christine Horne was willing to go with me.  This is an Ezra Atlantic Co-op production, which is a group whose mandate is to make theatre more accessible and attractive to the youth.  Staging the play in an art gallery where you're literally in the same space as the actors is a nice touch.  The set has everything it needs, and I really liked the simplicity of it.  It worked well.  All of the technical aspects of the show were really quite nicely done, in particular the sound design.  It really added this nice little layer of naturalistic score to the entire piece.  The other nice thing about a venue like this is because it's so close to the street and not insulated properly that (with the right play) it really adds to the soundscape.  There was a lovely moment in the play's second half where I was literally transported.  I was sitting in a motel room.  I forgot I was watching a play, which was a really lovely and unexpected thing to have happened.  

This play if full of really lovely performances.  Boland and Blais have a pretty kick-ass chemistry as the two would-be lovers.  You really aren't quite sure what they're going to do next, and in a play like this - that's a lovely thing.  David Christo was a lovely surprise as Martin, and his hayseed slackness was a nice breath of fresh air at a point where the intensity was rising and we needed the emotional break.  Rounding out the cast is a very enjoyable Barry Flatman.

And then there's the star of any good play, the script.  I'm not very familiar with Sam Shepard's work.  I think with any drama there's a real danger of the work easily slipping into melodrama, and I think that this production avoided that as much as possible.  The play moved with a great pace, and the story unfolded in a natural way.  It had a really lovely balance to the whole thing.  There are a number of really delightful moments both in dialogue and sometimes the lack there-of.  It's a very nice piece of writing.  

The show is a limited engagement at the Meta Gallery and I believe that it's only on until this weekend, and it may or may not already be sold out.  Email foolforlovetoronto@gmail.com to reserve seats.  

If you like independent theatre and have a free evening this week get on it!