Fringe Show Reviews

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

The Darling Family

Written by: Linda Griffiths

Presented by: Broken Still Productions, Winnipeg, MB

Venue 11: Red River College

Our Rating: Your Average Rating:

07/22/2012 3:41 PM | Comments: 0

This two-hander by Toronto playwright Linda Griffiths is no picnic, but the story of a new couple handling an unexpected pregnancy is rewarding if you’re up for some tough moments (it runs about 75 minutes, not 90).

As the nameless couple, played by Megan Andres and Justin Otto, struggle to make a decision, they talk to each other, but they confess what they’re thinking directly to the audience. It’s an effective (sometimes amusing) look at how open communication is really an impossibility.

Andres, who opens the show with a stomach-churning monologue, is adept at showing She’s conflicted emotion — the play is subtitled A Duet for Three, and she truly makes you feel the weight of that potential third person.

— Jill Wilson

From the Fringe program:

It's the summer of 1988. As they face the dilemma of an unplanned pregnancy, a couple's decision to search beyond their trivial self-definition to face every thought, every option becomes a path to healing, courage and growth.

"Lacerating dialogues. Self-lacerating monologues. Dream memory and fantasy futures...No distractions. No formality." - Toronto Sun

"...smart, tough, tender... an extremely brave play." - Winnipeg Free Press

Recommended For: Mature Audience

Length: 90 min

Tickets: $10

Discount Tickets: $8 for Matinees, Students, Seniors

Under 12 not admitted.

Warnings: Subject Matter, Language, Herbal Cigarettes

History

Updated on Sunday, July 22, 2012 at 3:41 PM CDT:
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