Missing
By Florence Gibson
Directed by David Ferry
Featuring Fiona Highet, Alan Van Sprang, Kyra Harper, Shauna Black, Andrew Gillies, Guy Bannerman, Emma Hillier
Runs until April 5, 2009 @ Factory Theatre
Dora and Chalmers Award-winning playwright Florence Gibson’s new play, Missing, is, in the words of Factory Theatre Artistic Director Ken Gass, “a theatrical puzzle… predicated on the theme of identity, a recurring Canadian preoccupation.” I couldn’t have said it any better myself. Missing reflects on the changing landscape and identity of rural Ontario, the search for meaning of two profoundly unhappy women, and the possibility of fully realizing oneself whatever life’s circumstances may be. The result is a moving and intriguing work, deftly written and skillfully acted: a truly enjoyable show at an important Canadian institution.
Detective Carol Seaforth (Fiona Highet) of the OPP is sent to investigate the disappearance of Evelyn MacMillan from a small farm town in Ontario. It is unclear what exactly happened to Evelyn. Speculation about murder, insanity, and abandonment abound. The cast of characters she encounters perfectly encapsulates the feeling of a small, cloistered town: Trevor MacMillan (Alan Van Sprang), Evelyn’s husband and a quiet, angry farmer; Janine (Kyra Harper), the chatty proprietor of Janine’s Diner; Freddy (Guy Bannerman), the slow but knowing gas attendant at Janine’s; Michelle (Emma Hillier), the MacMillan daughter — each character has his or her own ideas about exactly why Evelyn left, and each eventually leads Detective Seaforth to realizations about her own life and marriage.
As Seaforth, Fiona Highet epitomizes the hard-nosed, caustic attitude of a woman who has had to work every day in her field for any modicum of respect. It’s exactly this attitude that draws her to Trevor MacMillan, and causes her to critically evaluate what she wants in her life. Seaforth and her husband, a schoolteacher named Ian (played with emotional intensity by Andrew Gillies) are trying to get pregnant with no success. As the case progresses, Seaforth’s marriage disintegrates as she realizes that she does not love Ian. Highet and Gillies have excellent stage chemistry, and the emotional investment in their fights was intense.
At Janine’s Diner, a drifter named Elaine (Shauna Black) gets work as a waitress. As the play progresses, we come to understand that Elaine is Evelyn, but in so many ways, so is Detective Seaforth. Black’s wistfulness and charm really make us believe that Evelyn is on the path to self-discovery and sympathize with her decision to leave. Kyra Harper’s delightful Janine commanded my attention in the same way that real diner waitresses do — with gentle authority. In fact, the whole atmosphere of the diner was so accurate I began to reminisce about the country diners of my travels, an ever-pleasant experience.
Gillian Gallow’s simple, moveable set combined with Glenn Davidson’s subtle but masterful lighting design complimented this well written and well-acted show. Director David Ferry has created a complex and moving play from Gibson’s script. It is one without easy answers, and without easy explanation. It is a show not to be missed.
