By Olya Ryabets

Both my friend, who saw the play with me, and I walked away with a consensus that the MacKenzieRo production of bedbound is a very good show.

 

First of all, it’s very well written. Enda Walsh is one of Ireland’s most widely performed playwrights and is the deserving recipient of several awards, including two Fringe Firsts at the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival. 

His writing is rich, vivid; listening to it is like biting into a juicy, bloody steak. The actors bring the riveting imagery to life with the violence and precision that goes beyond storytelling.

Richard Greenblatt (perhaps best knows in the city as co-creator and performer of 2 Pianos, 4 Hands) is terrifyingly likeable. Cathy Murphy manages to remain beautiful even when playing a creature broken by the agony of entrapment.  Watching her character wrestle with her mind infected me with almost as much frustration as observing both characters’ inability to leave the soiled bed – the entire set.

The hour-long verbal battlefield between father and daughter contains all the agony of absent mothers, the healing and the destructive ability of words, and the traps our minds can become.

This piece ends this weekend, so catch this poetic and thrilling piece of theatre before it’s over.

Details
– bedound runs to May 17, 2009 at Tarragon Theatre (30 Bridgeman Ave)
– Showtimes are Tues – Sat 8pm, Saturday and Sunday 2:30pm
– Ticket prices are $20 (Sun mat PWYC).
– Advance tickets are available online, or from the box office at (416) 531-1827 

 

Photo of Richard Greenblatt and Cathy Murphy