Sonja Smits and Kristopher Turner eventually turn up the heat in That Face.
THAT FACE by Polly Stenham, directed by Kelly Thornton (Nightwood/Canadian Stage). At Berkeley Street Theatre Downstairs (26 Berkeley). To November 21, Monday-Saturday 8 pm, matinees Wednesday 1:30 pm and Saturday 2 pm. $20-$45, Monday pwyc. 416-955-0101. See listing. Rating: NNN
Liquor, emotional addiction and drugs fuel Polly Stenham's powerful family drama That Face. Too bad the Nightwood/Canadian Stage production only realizes the show's intensity late in the evening.[rssbreak]
Mother Martha (Sonja Smits) is hooked on pills and booze. Her daughter Mia (Bethany Jillard) steals drugs, while her son Henry (Kristopher Turner) cares for his mother in seemingly Oedipal fashion.
The father, Hugh (Nigel Bennett), has left them for a new family in Hong Kong, but a crisis brings him home for a series of explosive confrontations.
That Face is about codependencies and how far people will go to protect others as well as themselves. The relationship between Martha and Henry is never overtly sexual, but she's terrified by the thought that he might leave her. There's as strong a bond between the siblings: the younger Mia does her best to maintain her link with Henry.
At times the performances under Kelly Thornton's direction are bang-on, notably Jillard's young Mia, who reveals both the character's bravado and insecurity. Bennett turns from dictator to confused ex-spouse in an instant, while Turner has some touching moments when Henry tries to be his mother's white knight.
But in the key role of Martha, Smits too often gives a superficial reading, failing to convince us of this complex woman's contradictory aspects. There's no chemistry between her and Turner until the final scene, when the production suddenly comes to life.
At that point, when the four central characters engage in an emotional life-or-death fight, we see what's at risk; the anger's palpable, the game-playing for real.