BIRTHDAY BALLOON by Steve Cochrane (Mauzy May Productions/Next Stage). At Factory Studio (125 Bathurst). January 5 at 5:15 pm, January 6 at 3:30 pm, January 7 at 5:30 pm, January 8 at 7:15 pm, January 10 at 8:45 pm, January 12 at 7:15 pm, January 13 at 2:15 pm, January 14 at 4:15 pm. See listing. Rating: NNNN
Recent economic changes in Newfoundland drive this intense and emotional drama that plumbs the depths of a couples broken marriage.
The play follows a long, nasty argument between Millie (Renee Hackett), a former small-town post office employee at the end of her rope, and David (Craig Pike), her husband who has been largely absent from her life while working in Fort McMurray, Alberta.
The fight airs all their dirty laundry, but also serves as a powerful parable about work, family and cultural identity in Eastern Canada, which David at one point dismisses as a convenience store economy.”
Hackett and Pike take a while to fully acclimatize to their coastal accents, but aided by a strong commitment to realism (there’s actual cooking onstage) from director Steven Gallagher, both deliver harrowing and heartbreaking performances.
Anyone whos ever had a loving relationship falter due to distance or tragedy will want to pocket some tissues.
