GREY by Chantal Forde (Three Five Productions). At Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace. July 8 at 4 pm, July 10 at 3:15 pm, July 12 at 5:45 pm, July 13 at 12 pm, July 15 at 11 pm, July 16 at 2:45 pm. See listing. Rating: NNN
True crime hits the stage in this provocative exploration of the space between right and wrong.
Twelve years after his teenage son was murdered at a house party, a man must confront the killer at his parole hearing. Chantal Forde‘s Grey skips around in time, slowly unravelling the circumstances of the event in bits and pieces that, like so many popular podcasts, add shade to what at first seems like a black-and-white crime.
The play tries to cover a ton of material in a lean 60 minutes, using its five actors and two props a football and a scarf to span decades and open questions of personal responsibility, upbringing, disability and racism. Under directors Forde and Mandy Roveda, the show slides smoothly through a complicated structure with deft blocking and lighting.
But for a play so centered around big emotional moments, the actors often seem to be holding back.