The
one thing about breaking down the fourth wall in the theatre and using one of
your characters to advance the exposition by way of direct dialog with the
audience, is that itÕs hard to take your eyes off that character. Especially
when the character (in this case, Iris Trimble, daughter to the eponymous
Bernice) is played by Alexis Gordon
who never lets us out of her sight for the entire 90 minutes of the playÕs
running time and subsequently we never let her out of ours. Ms GordonÕs is an
emotionally energetic, immediate and charismatic performance that really holds
this frail piece of a play together.
With
the boomers now heading toward retirement, old age (and all of the ailments
associated with same), it shouldnÕt be a big surprise that there will be more
and more plays focussing on the Ōsecond childishness and mere oblivionĶ about
which Shakespeare speaks so eloquently. In Beth GrahamÕs play about the onset of early AlzheimerÕs
disease, it is the character of Bernice Trimble (played by Karen Robinson), mother of Iris, Sarah and Peter that will soon
be Ōsans everything.Ķ And so it is that she sets out to control her own destiny
raising questions around the process of death and dying while she struggles for
some control of her environment and, most of all, the preservation of her
dignity.
It
is an interesting choice of plays for Obsidian Theatre, long regarded as one of
TorontoÕs (and CanadaÕs) preeminent companies producing work that emphasizes
diversity and an opportunity for black actors. Director Philip Akin plays the race card in an interesting way by
choosing white playwright (Beth Graham) and casting her play color blind with a black family facing the
challenges of losing their matriarch. He thereby ups the ante with every white
director in the country by demonstrating very publicly: there you go, the
social concerns in this play are universal - beyond race, ethnicity and
cultural identify - so the next time you cast a season of plays with only white
actors, why donÕt you think about that?
The
only catch to this philosophy is that of course somewhere out there is a black
playwright who has also experienced early dementia, AlzheimerÕs and the
irreversible road to oblivion in their own family and is thinking about or has
written a play about it. ThatÕs the playwright who didnÕt get her or his shot
with Obsidian this time out and whose heart lies heavy tonight IÕm sure. But
such is life in the theatre.
The
role of Sara Trimble is played forcefully by Lucinda Davis. As Iris is conscientious, quiet and caring so Sara
is outspoken and totally take charge in her personality, even when she is
wrong. The underwritten role of Peter Trimble (Peyson Rock) is so underdeveloped that it leaves one
wondering why they even invested in it as an extra salary within the playÕs
budget. Rock does his best with the little he has, but when it comes to his
final meeting with Iris close to the playÕs conclusion, we really are expecting
some elements of character, emotion and backstory to finally be revealed.
Unfortunately such is not the case.
The
Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimbell plays until December 1 at Factory
Theatre mainstage, 125 Bathurst St., 416-504-9971.