Remember playing Twister, Operation, Risk? Ever have an imaginary friend, pretend you were in space, turn your hand into a firearm? When you were a kid, was there a place in your town or neighbourhood you weren’t allowed to go – a place that was out of bounds?
Uncalled For does it all – and then some – in their thoughtful comic return to childhood games and fantasy in Playday Mayday, running now in the Theatre Passe Muraille (TPM) Mainspace, produced in association with the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival. Written and directed by Matt Goldberg, Mike Hughes, Dan Jeannotte, Jacynthe Lalonde, Colin Munch and Anders Yates, the cast features Goldberg, Caitlin Howden, Hughes, Munch and Yates.
Five friends, once inseparable as they played together around their coastal town, have grown up and apart with adult busy-ness and responsibilities. After all those years of meaning to keep in touch, they gather at the edge of a cliff, awkwardly trying to reconnect at water’s edge. Then, something weird happens. One by one, they each lose their cellphones, watching with horror as the devices fall into the water of high tide below. Bruce (Munch) gets called into work, while the others wait for low tide to venture down. Down into out of bounds (OOB) to retrieve their phones. And then, something magical happens.
OOB is a world of eternal childhood, where grown-ups rekindle their sense of fun and play – and the four friends (Goldberg, Howden, Hughes and Yates) launch into games. Childhood games with an adult twist, like corporate Twister, a deadly game of 20 questions, hand gun arms dealer, a slimy amphibian imaginary friend with an agenda, and a unique version of musical chairs that features hip hop and period dance moves (choreography by Holly Greco and Stephanie McKenna). Oh, and the audience gets to play too – but you’ll have to go see for yourselves.
Meanwhile, Bruce has been working at the games call centre when his boss Mr. Wolf (Hughes) announces that there’s a situation in OOB. Concerned about his friends, Bruce volunteers to go down to save them. Of course, he ends up joining in on the fun and games. Which become not so fun when Mr. Wolf threatens to leave the five friends stranded, with the incoming high tide fast approaching.
Awesome work from the ensemble. Stand-out moments include a spacewalk with a twist; an impressive display of tongue-twisting alliteration in a courtroom scene; and an intergalactic space battle that goes horribly astray, but not for the reasons you might think. Playing together again and banding together against Mr. Wolf, friendship reignites with loads of big fun on the edge of reality.
With shouts to Lalonde for the cool production design, where everyday cast-off object become the stuff of imagination, including red hoodies.
Five childhood friends grow up, lose touch and take a wacky trip out of bounds in the big fun, big-hearted Playday Mayday.
Playday Mayday continues at TPM till Dec 4; check here for show dates/times – please note the 7:30 start time for evening performances. Get your advance tix online at Toronto Sketchfest or Arts Box Office, or call 416-504-7529.
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