EDMOND by David Mamet (Red One Theatre). At the Storefront (955 Bloor West). Runs to November 22. $20-$25. thestorefronttheatre.com. See listing. Rating: NNN
One of the best young actors in the city, Tim Walker has made a specialty of playing put-upon Everymen. The challenging title role in David Mamets Edmond gives him the chance to play another on a grand, nearly Biblical scale. Its too bad the script and production arent better.
After breaking up with his wife, Edmond heads out into the mean streets of New York City in search of adventure, but ends up being scorned and ripped off by an increasingly unsavoury set of characters. The show should move swiftly, but theres a start-and-stop feel to director Benjamin Blaiss production, and the acting is uneven.
Using drummer Carter Hayden to bang and thrash between scenes works brilliantly, however. And Walker, whos in every scene, invests his character with believable shadings of anger, mania, desperation and remorse.
