UPON THE FRAGILE SHORE
Theatre Centre Incubator (1115 Queen West)
Rating: NNN
Aug 9 at 7:30 pm, Aug 11 at 9:45 pm, Aug 13 at 4:45, Aug 14 at 9:45 pm, Aug 15 at noon, Aug 16 at 8:15 pm. 1-888-328-8384, summerworks.ca.
In this new work from acclaimed American playwright Caridad Svich, characters whose lives have been marred by tragedy wrestle with unresolvable emotional issues.
Some of the scenes and monologues focus on recent well-known events: a father struggles to help his daughter who survived the Aurora, Colorado movie theatre shooting angry friends and family of passengers on flight MH370 come to grips with loss.
Others deal with disasters not extensively covered in the west, like the plight of students imprisoned in Venezuela, or survivors of Syrian chemical weapons attacks.
The stories are recounted realistically by the solid ensemble, with some slow, symbolic group choreography.
But at 90 minutes the bleak laundry list of injustices drags and feels overwhelming.
