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Culture Theatre

Forests

FORESTS by Wajdi Mouawad, translated by Linda Gaboriau, directed by Richard Rose (Tarragon, 30 Bridgman). Runs to May 29. $10-$46. 416-531-1827. See listing Rating: NNN

In many ways, Wajdi Mouawad’s Forests resembles the playwright’s best-known work, Incendies (or Scorched, in its English translation), which was adapted last year into an Oscar-nominat-ed film. There’s a child’s investigation into a mother’s past, a vast temporal and geographical canvas, the theme of twins, and a central mystery that has the weight of a Greek drama.

But where Scorched featured characters with a clear goal leading to an inexorable end, Forests – the third in a four-part cycle that includes the earlier work – meanders and confuses with its tangled timelines and stories. That’s a shame, because there’s lots of brilliance on display in this Tarragon production.

Helped by paleontologist Douglas (R.H. Thomson), morose 16-year-old Loup (Vivien Endicott-Douglas) grudgingly begins digging into the history of her mother, Aimee (Jan Alexandra Smith), whose mysterious illness gave her surreal visions before she died after childbirth.

Forests’ opening is magnificent – many of the play’s themes are announced boldly, and director Richard Rose effectively stages scenes within scenes, a recurring technique that generates lots of theatrical tension.

There’s a problem once we get to Loup’s quest, however. It doesn’t feel sufficiently set up – nor does her burgeoning friendship with Douglas make much sense. So it’s hard to really care about what happens as they sit at desks, make phone calls or visit relatives and friends, gradually uncovering six generations of Loup’s family.

Basically, Forests is a very long episode of the CBC family tree series Who Do You Think You Are?

Rose and his fine design team distinguish the time periods nicely, carefully using lighting and even rain to capture significant moments. Some scenes stand out, particularly one in a cemetery filled with bodies laid out, and another set in a forest that blurs the line between history and fairy tale.

It’s hard to keep track of the various generations, though, and Mouawad’s poetic language often makes things more difficult to follow. But the cast, most of whom play three or four characters, is generally up to the challenge.

Dmitry Chepovetsky, Matthew Edison, Sophie Goulet, Brandon McGibbon, Alon Nashman and Liisa Repo-Martell each have powerful moments in a play that’s not quite equal to the sum of its parts.

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