Three beds, suggesting three separate playing areas. And Christmas music, which is kinda trippy when you’re hearing it in August. Setting the scene for Outside the March/The Serial Collective co- production of Jason Chinn’s Murderers Confess at Christmastime, directed for SumerWorks by Simon Bloom.
An injured young actress (Amy Keating), home alone, becomes an unwitting host to a handsome, but uninvited guest (Harry Judge). A closeted young mayoral candidate’s (Aaron Willis) hook-up with a twink trick (Jeff Ho) he met online becomes woven into his life and relationship with his troubled former model wife (Candace Berlinguette). The relationship between a wheel-chair bound man (Tony Nappo) and a female co-worker (Nancy McAlear) becomes the catalyst for a future encounter.
The compelling storytelling includes a stellar cast, each executing his/her multi-layered character’s evolution with skill and respect throughout the piece. Keating is energetic and adorably quirky, yet surprisingly strong, as the young actress; and Judge gives a lovely, layered performance as a man living a secret life outside that of his family. Willis does a nice job of playing the duality of his character’s life – self-assured in the political arena, while his personal life is an exciting exploration in a minefield of secrets. Ho’s twink is a hip, cocksure boy, his flip sense of humour the other side of a loyal soul filled with empathy. Berlinguette brings a lovely combination of vulnerability and savvy to the damaged trophy wife, troubled and struggling to soldier on. Nappo gives us a sweet and accommodating, yet deeply lonely and frustrated, man longing for love and affection – something of a polar opposite to McAlear’s larger than life, hard-drinking, hilariously funny, yet equally lonely, co-worker. No one is as he or she seems at first– and in every case, circumstance becomes the catalyst for action of a “didn’t know he/she had it in them” quality.
The one thing all three scenarios have in common is each character is filled with a deep longing to connect in some way, to fill a profound sense of loneliness and isolation. It’s ironic that, in this day and age when we have all this technology to help us connect with each other – the web, cellphones, Skype all feature in this play – we seem to be a more lonely race than ever.
Murderers Confess at Christmastime is a touching, disturbing macabredy – darkly funny and tension-filled, with moments of brutality and unexpected tenderness. It continues its SummerWorks run at the Lower Ossington Theatre main space until August 17. Go see this.
life with more cowbell 