Review by Laura Serra

A comedic play about sex, class, power and a pair of high heels.

Bread and Circus Theatre Bar
Until March 22
1931/2 Baldwin St. in Kensington Market
www.breadandcircus.ca

You’ll like this play if you like: the Seinfeld approach to entertainment: a basic theme riddled with witty banter and heavy on the dialogue. The themes of the play are simple and revolve around love, a battle of the sexes and friendship but the literary references and snide remarks are what keep it colourful and funny.

Indicative Quote:

Georgie: “I just wanted to sleep with you, I didn’t want to mess up world history.”
Andrew: “Talking to you is like talking to a swamp.”
Edward: “It wasn’t my idea to give everyone rights.”

Highlight: The show started off on the melodramatic side with a high-octane fit of rage from the lead female actor Georgie (played by Jackie English), a Marissa Tomei-like Bronx girl with a short-temper whose anger was directed toward the object of her affection, Andrew (Ben Graham). Shortly after, however, Edward (played by Jamie Spilchuk) appeared on stage and instantly the mood lightened: a notable turning point in the play. His laid-back character and supreme acting abilities kicked the show from drama-heavy to playful and fun; the point where you recognize yourself sitting forward in your chair. Edward saved the day and from his appearance onward, the play was lively, realistic, suspenseful and gripping.

What was the audience like: The theatre’s location (Kensington Market) is a good measure for the audience to expect. There was a healthy range of ages and a nice mix of groups from the two older women in the corner to the group of young girlfriends to the date-nighters. No one could feel out of place there.

Who you should bring: The central theme of this play is love and all of its trimmings. Don’t go with your boyfriend, especially if there are issues with your exes. Go with a girlfriend or a male friend or your mom. You want me to be able to be honest with your love life and digress about a bad point in time or a bad relationship or a guy that really screwed you over and, well, you can’t always do that comfortably with the love of your life on-hand.

Verdict: Two enthusiastic thumbs up. The play started off rocky but maintained a steady incline right up until the end and by that point I didn’t want it to end. I felt close to the actors and enjoyed every second of their intelligent dialogue, stern acting and comedic relief. The venue was also cozy, contributing to the intimacy of the play. It is a small narrow room with limited seating and a saloon-type bar in the rear. The perfect setting.

Special Shout Out: My friend and I are pretty sure one of the actors, Jamie Spilchuk, is from the Rogers commercials: the business-type who always has good reception and keeps running into the same guy who doesn’t have reception. Hey you! We recognized you!