A GEORGE F. WALKER DOUBLE BILL: PARENTS NIGHT and THE BIGGER ISSUE by George F. Walker, directed by Wes Berger, with Sarah Murphy-Dyson, Matthew Olver, Dana Puddicombe and Julia Heximer. Presented by CrazyLady at Theatre Passe Muraille (16 Ryerson). Previews Wednesday (April 22), opens Thursday (April 23) and runs to May 17, Wednesday-Saturday 7:30 pm, matinee Sunday 2 pm. $35-$42.50, Sunday pwyc/advance $17.50, preview $20. 416-504-7529, crazylady.info.
A new play by the legendary George F. Walker is a cause for celebration.
The fireworks increase when what were getting is the start of a new cycle of works by the talented writer, whose last series was Suburban Motel.
The new cycle begins with a double bill of one-acts, Parents Night and The Bigger Issue, presented by CrazyLady, a company making its debut in Toronto. The two inaugurate After Class, a look at Canadas eroding education system and the larger causes that are helping it crumble.
Both shows are comedies, though they deal with pretty dark material, says director Wes Berger, who has a history both performing and directing works by Walker, and who has been working closely with the playwright on these scripts. But theres always a streak of humour, an appreciation of the absurd, that makes the material bearable.
Berger admits that when he was in school, Walker was his favourite playwright.
I appreciated early on that his scripts had a sense of life, that his characters had a real pulse onstage, an emotional intensity, honesty and directness. I also understand the blue-collar element thats part of his writing, something that you dont often find in the theatre in Georges plays it feels authentic.
Both Parents Night and The Bigger Issue are set in school classrooms. In the former, John and Rosie, parents of two different Grade 3 students, have come to see Nicole, their teacher. Johns well-off, opinionated and with family problems Rosie is a working-class mom who doesnt mind getting into the faces of those with whom she disagrees. Its not long before Nicole, who has her own issues, has to treat them like squabbling youngsters.
The Bigger Issue introduces us to a mother and father, Maggie and Jack, whose son is causing disruption in the classroom, something that his young teacher, Suzy, and her cynical principal, Irene, try to sort out. The latter two have their own sort of family unit, and all four have secrets that are unveiled the more they talk and argue.
CrazyLady opened Parents Night in Hamilton last year The Bigger Issue gets its premiere in the current staging.
George compares Parents Night to a chamber piece, a play that works on a small scale The Bigger Issue is more a play of ideas. The former sits in a visceral, emotional place, and while thats also true of the latter, it presents a specific social perspective.
Both plays touch on a yearning to break free from some of the strictures that keep people following rules that dont really make sense. Theres a desire for something more just, something that will help rather than simply continue empty traditions and regulations.
The director appreciates not only Walkers ideas but also his sense of caring.
He has a huge empathy for everyone he creates he never judges them, but he also never censors what they do or say. That empathy is linked to his sense of comedy, which comes from compassion for his characters, an exposure of their nakedness and vulnerability.
Because these people express how they feel so directly, theres an honesty that eliminates barriers between actors and audience. Viewers cant help but feel part of whats happening onstage.
