Seven Siblings Theatre takes us to a grim world in the not so distant future with their Toronto Fringe production of Eliza Clark’s Recall, directed by Will King, assisted by Erik Helle, and running at the Theatre Centre.
The play opens with Justine (Genevieve Adam) laughing at a reality TV show about morbidly obese people and their bizarre weight loss experience, while her teenage daughter Lucy (Kyla Young) scrubs what appears to be blood off a white towel. And then they’re off—on the run (again) to a safe house hosted by David (Luis Fernandes). Lucy finds a friend in fellow social misfit Quinn (Warren Kang) at her new school, where she’s now using the name Tiffany. Meanwhile, scientist Charlotte (Madryn McCabe) has been monitoring David and “list kid” Quinn.
As the play unfolds, we learn that this is a world in which science and medicine conduct pre-emptive profiling to weed out violent offenders and criminals. What really goes on at the facility where Charlotte works? And are Lucy and Quinn dangerous?
Strong, compelling work from the entire cast. Adam is delightfully crass and sassy as the outspoken Justine; and there’s great mother/daughter chemistry between her and Young’s sullen feisty Lucy, who tends to have an unsettling gaze. Fernandes is very still waters run deep as the soft-spoken David, who’s struggling with demons of his own; and McCabe is adorably quirky as the chipper science geek Charlotte. And Kang brings a genuine, awkward and sharp-witted vibe to Quinn. There’s more than meets the eye to all of these characters; and the ensemble does a lovely job mining those layers.
In a world of pre-emptive profiling, a mother goes on the run to keep her daughter safe in the chilling sci-fi thriller Recall.
Recall continues at the Theatre Centre until July 16; you can book advance tix on its show page.
life with more cowbell 