THE SORAUREN BOOK CLUB by Lisa Randall (The Universe Over 50/Toronto Fringe Festival). At the Al Green Theatre (750 Spadina Avenue). July 13 at 2 pm, July 14 at 1:30 pm, July 16 at 6:45 pm. See listing. Rating: NNNN
If, like me, you’ve missed live and in-person book clubs during the pandemic, Lisa Randall’s The Sorauren Book Club should satisfy that craving. The script and production are a little rough around the edges, but the show has lots of heart, plenty of drama and engaging characters. Oh yeah, and there are some fascinating insights into Colm Tóibín’s The Testament Of Mary.
That’s the book up for discussion as four women – some long-time friends, some just book club friends – sit down to snacks, wine and dessert, nominally to discuss literature but indirectly to share stories about their lives. As the women pair off to slice cake, prepare tea or bring out another bottle of vino, stories emerge about children, parents, work. When a fifth member, who split from the group a couple of months earlier, arrives, tempers flare. And that’s when things get really interesting.
Randall, who plays the warm, funny, go-between friend Lucelle, has created characters we all know, like Priya (Jasmine Sawant), the focused moderator and co-founder of the club, and Charlene (Maria Syrgiannis), the breezy person who never reads the book. Some of the most intriguing comments come from the host Susan (Catherine Speiran), a devout woman who has serious issues about how Christianity is handled by Tóibín.
While some of director Christina Collins’s staging is awkward – all the chairs face forward (likely for acoustic reasons), and intimate conversations feel forced – the production really picks up in the second half. Syrgiannis and Tricia Williams are especially powerful as two women who push each others’ buttons.
With a little tweaking, I could see this crowd-pleaser getting picked up by regional theatre companies. With some work, it could even be developed into a TV series, with the performers – all proudly and gloriously over the age of 50 – discussing a different book each week. Here’s hoping.
