VOICE CHOICE

“Superlative, masterful performances by Cyrus Lane and Kirstyn Russelle. Bold and audacious direction by Dean Deffett.”

David Harrower’s ‘Blackbird’ is an intense, edge-of-the-seat psychological thriller that breathlessly speeds toward its haunting conclusion.

At fifty-five, Ray (Cyrus Lane) has a new identity and has created a new life. He spent years in prison and faced subsequent hardships. He hopes his new identity will keep him from being found out about something horrible that occurred.

Fifteen years ago, 40-year-old Ray had a passionate affair with twelve-year-old Una (Kirstyn Russelle). Now twenty-seven, she has thought of nothing but what occurred with the man. She saw Ray’s photo in a magazine and arrived at his office unannounced.

This lunchroom encounter oozes rawness. Designer Lauren Cully's set coordination is filthy and cramped. Garbage is scattered everywhere, spilling over into the far-left side of the seating area.

Flared emotions run the gamut. Amid the litter that piles higher as this encounter continues, Ray and Una sometimes recall what occurred differently. The two of them (and the audience) endure an exhausting journey full of rage, anger, and bitterness.

Exhausting, indeed.

But let’s not forget that theatre is meant to move audiences emotionally. At times, it can profoundly unnerve them.

‘Blackbird’ is one of those plays that unnerves.

It remains unsettling due to the subject matter involving an adult who should have known better than to have engaged inappropriately with a young girl. Read pedophilia in here if you want because I did.

In a pre-show discussion, director Dean Deffett shared that we are all flawed individuals. Under certain circumstances, anyone can become either a victim or a villain. Deffett explains how the play also frighteningly delves into love, kindness, and the importance of holding space for those who matter to us.

That’s an unsettling dilemma in interpreting playwright Harrower’s script.

Do people in love behave as Ray and Una do? Do people who hold space for those who matter genuinely behave in the way these characters do? Shouldn’t the person who is the ‘adult’ in this relationship have known better?

These are questions that kept niggling within me.

Yet, I’m hooked on what I see playing out before me. I don’t want to stop watching.

There are two reasons why.

The first is Deffett’s direction, which remains decidedly audacious. Using what he calls ‘juicy’ words from Harrower’s script, Deffett’s intriguing vision confronts two troubled individuals and their emotional baggage with gripping yet daunting boldness.

The second is Cyrus Lane and Kirstyn Russelle.

Their Ray and Una are complex and real human beings who are damaged.

On the outside, they appear to be conventional. Sequoia Erickson dresses Lane and Russelle smartly. With his cell phone strapped to his belt, Ray wears an appropriate, professional-looking dress shirt, tie, slacks and shoes. While Una wears a lovely floral pattern sleeveless dress, there is a slight slit in it that could (might?) perhaps show she has an ulterior motive regarding meeting up with Ray.

Lane and Russell’s superlative and masterful performances, in collaboration with Deffett’s taut direction, make ‘Blackbird’ unforgettable.

For this reason, I’m giving this performance a VOICE CHOICE.

Lane and Russelle succinctly illustrate how individuals react and respond when faced with volatile issues that strike at their very core. They stutter, pause, and listen intently to one another. Lane’s Ray feels frightened, agitated, and nervous at first. He can’t comprehend why Russelle’s Una appears suddenly. She is determined to confront Ray again after seeing his picture in a magazine.

Yet throughout Deffett’s clever cat-and-mouse staging, Lane and Russelle's reactions are genuinely believable. Clenched fists, horrific glares, and unfinished thoughts become harrowing and mesmerizing. At one point, Lane holds power in the scene while Russell cowers. Just moments later, Russelle maintains control, and Lane quivers, appearing as though he might either burst into tears at any moment or fling himself across the room at Russelle.

I have to give credit to Barrie’s Talk Is Free Theatre. The company truly understands what risk-taking is all about. Theatre doesn’t need to be confined to the traditional proscenium arch setting; it can happen anywhere.

What an imaginative idea to set ‘Blackbird’ in a warehouse office in Barrie. There’s a small audience at each performance. However, the intimacy of the setting makes the space the third character in the play, as noted by Deffett. The audience can’t help but buy into what’s happening right before them.

The late Natalie Cole sang a line from her father’s famous song ‘Unforgettable’. There’s part of the song lyric that comes to my mind:

‘Unforgettable in every way.’

Talk is Free's production of David Harrower’s ‘Blackbird’ is magnificently unforgettable.

Please go and see it.

Running time: approximately 80 minutes with no interval/intermission.

‘Blackbird’ runs until March 29 at 80 Bradford Street, Barrie.

For tickets: www.tift.ca.

TALK IS FREE THEATRE presents
‘Blackbird’ by David Harrower

Directed by Dean Deffett
Costume Designer: Sequois Erickson
Sound Designer: Nolan Moberly
Set and Props Coordinator: Lauren Cully
Fight and Intimacy Director: Christina Fox
Stage Manager: Tracy Lynne Cann
Performers: Cyrus Lane and Kirstyn Russelle