Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann.
Communion
Written and directed by Daniel MacIvor
Starring Sarah Dodd, Caroline Gillis and Athena Lamarre
Runs until April 4 @ Tarragon Theatre Mainspace
By Daina Valiulis
Daniel McIvor’s newest work is about a mother and daughter trying to reconnect after years, and the barriers they face, including a drinking problem, a secret that needs to be told, a troubled teenage-hood, a stint in jail, and some fundamentalist religious beliefs — not to mention the balls of fiery anger shooting from both cannons, and a lesbian therapist in the middle of the battleground.
Short and sweet, the piece runs for 85 minutes, which is just enough time for the audience to invest in and root for the characters and feel touched by their struggle to know each other. The performers are a huge part to giving this show wings; they all deserve great credit. MacIvor’s witty and bitingly honest dialogue is wonderful on it’s own, but these ladies make it sing. Ann’s (Athena Lamarre) anger as the daughter is both relatable and realistically funny, Leda’s (Caroline Gillis) sarcasm and bumbling demeanor charming and Carolyn (Sarah Dodd) the therapist’s bewilderment in dealing with these two understandable and funny.
That being said, the metaphors are obvious (opening doors and walking into the light). Plays about damaged mother/daughter relationships are a dangerous risk — they’re done frequently and not always well. In spite of the premise, however, Communion manages to be charming.
Though it produced some sniffles in the audience, warranted by Ann and Carolyn’s communion, this is not necessarily a play that will endure beyond its performance. It was a fine MacIvor piece — not groundbreaking, not new or different, but charmingly predictable. A nice way to spend a verging-on-spring evening.
