CONTEMPT by Brandon Crone (Contemptuous Collective). At the Storefront Theatre (955 Bloor West). Runs to March 6. $20-$25. thestorefronttheatre.com. See listing. Rating: NN
You know somethings amiss when a playwright laughs more than the audience at his own show.
Brandon Crone wrote and directed his aptly titled play, Contempt, so when he was in the crowd and was cracking up during a recent matinee, he likely knew what was supposed to be funny. But whats onstage at the Storefront for an interminable two and a half hours doesnt warrant much laughter or thought. Yawning and confusion? Yes.
A novice sexologist and sex surrogate named Tara (Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah) goes to visit her new client, Freddie (Prince Amponsah), a quadriplegic who communicates by blinking. Freddies clingy mother, Sharon (Marcia Johnston), wants him to lose his virginity. Meanwhile, Taras libidinous slacker bartender boyfriend, Ryan (Benjamin Blais), is freaked out by it all.
Theres enough drama in that situation to inspire several plays, and if youve seen the Helen Hunt/John Hawkes film The Sessions, youll know how delicate the issue can be. But Crone clutters his script with exposition and is less interested in developing characters than in giving them tics: Sharon chatters, Ryan doesnt like raisins in his butter tarts.
Sex and the disabled is a complex theme, but it doesnt seem like Sharon or Freddie has any medical or social support. (Although the former is so perky she must have a prescription for some kind of stimulant.)
Neither does Tara seem to be accountable to anyone. Does she have a boss? In addition, her attempts at communicating with Freddie are rudimentary we barely learn a thing about him. So when the narrative switches gears in the second act, complete with unnecessary style shifts, it elicits groans of disbelief.
The second N is for Blais, whose stage presence and solid delivery of one disturbing monologue make the show a bit more watchable.
