CRIPPLED by Paul David Power (Theatre Passe Muraille/Power Productions/#BeyondTO Festival). Runs to May 21 at Theatre Passe Muraille (16 Ryerson). Pay what you can afford ($10-$60). passemuraille.ca. Rating: NNNN
Paul David Power’s Crippled is a moving and insightful look at both living with a disability and dealing with grief.
One night in St. John’s, an anxious man on crutches climbs onto the edge of a wharf and looks out, despairing. Before he can do anything else, a concerned stranger joins him, obviously suspecting suicide, and engages in small talk.
The first man is named Tony (playwright Power); the second Evan (Pat Dempsey). On the surface, they don’t appear to have much in common. Tony is a writer, while Evan works in construction. Gradually, though, it turns out that earlier that night Evan had seen Tony at the city’s gay bar, from which he abruptly fled. What happened?
Power’s script, which was nominated for a Governor General’s Award for Drama last year, is very clever in the way that it reveals information about the two. Under Danielle Irvine’s assured direction, we flash back to earlier that night, when Tony suffered through a condescending conversation with another bar patron, Carl (Matt White).
Tony, still grieving the death of his partner years earlier, is fed up with this kind of attitude, deconstructing seemingly innocent words and phrases like “help,” “accept” and “good for you.” Soon, however, as Tony and Evan begin to connect on a deeper level (Evan too has experienced loss), we learn that things aren’t entirely as they seem. To reveal more would spoil how carefully Power has crafted his story.
Kirsti Mikoda’s simple set nicely evokes a lonely wharf, with the lights of the city and the ocean below suggested in video projections. Robert Gauthier’s lighting and George Robertson’s sound work beautifully in the flashback sequences and to help establish the play’s shifting moods.
The actors deliver deeply felt performances. Tony is clearly a man in pain, and Power captures that in his voice and posture; his despair in the play’s climax is almost overwhelmingly emotional. Dempsey’s genial, concerned Evan becomes more complex as the play progresses. And White finds subtle shadings to characterize different takes on Carl.
But it’s Power’s script that is the gem here. Full of vivid, authentic details and some bold theatrical surprises, it’s a wonderful part of Theatre Passe Muraille’s #BeyondTO Festival.
