ROUTES by Collin Doyle, directed by Mieko Ouchi, with Joshua Beaudry (Concrete Theatre/Lorrain Kimsa Theatre for Young People). At LKTYP (165 Front East). Sunday (November 14) 2:30 pm. $15-$20. 416-862-2222. See listing. Rating: NNN
Most people ride a bus to get from one place to another. Sitting at the back of a suburban bus, the teenaged Tom rides to escape from problems at home and school.
He gets it from all sides. Overweight and unpopular, Tom does his best to remain invisible at school, which means distancing himself from his friend Leonard, who’s proven himself to be a loser. And while he’s not happy when Leonard’s bullied by another classmate, he won’t do anything about it.
He wishes he could be more invisible with his family, too, for things are pretty stressful at home. Tom’s mother turns for help to Tom when his alcoholic father picks on Tom’s elder brother, David, but it’s hard to stand up against your father when you’re only 15.
Oh, and the bus Tom’s riding? It’s travelling the same route on which a homeless man was kicked to death by three of the kids in Tom’s school.
Routes, an often strong script by Alberta writer Collin Doyle (not to be confused with fine Toronto actor Colin Doyle), takes place during Tom’s night of soul-searching, as he rides the bus and sorts out thoughts and feelings about school and family.
Presented here in Toronto by the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People, the production by Edmonton-based Concrete Theatre, directed by Mieko Ouchi, has already toured schools in its hometown. Doyle has a good ear for teen language, but the script packs too many problems and plotlines into its single hour could much else go wrong in Tom’s life?
Still, it packs a punch. There wasn’t a sound from the teen audience during the school performance I saw, and if a play doesn’t hold this audience’s attention, you’ll know it right away.
There are a number of reasons for the quiet house, including production designer David Fraser’s detailed projections behind the live action and also the work of actor Joshua Beaudry, who plays Tom as well as all the other characters. Always emotionally true, Beaudry’s expert at creating all the figures we meet. The play’s last five minutes, as Tom tries on different scenarios to change the cycle of abuse and bullying in his life, is riveting.
