Wonder women

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This article was published 02/04/2025 (511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Toxic masculinity and the art of forgiveness take centre stage as Prairie Theatre Exchange presents the world première of Raised by Women.

The autobiographical one-man show — written and performed by award-winning Métis playwright/actor/director Keith Barker — takes audience members on a whirlwind journey from his birthplace of Kenora to his current home in Stratford, Ont., as he grapples with the sins of his father while paying homage to the women who helped shape his own life choices.

Barker is a natural-born raconteur, regaling Tuesday’s preview audience with a stream of mostly chronological stories and anecdotes delivered rapid-fire, beginning with “the big secret” his late father told his family regarding his terminal cancer diagnosis.

That sets the play in motion, as he reveals the deep emotional wounds of his dad abandoning his spitfire mother — a 911 telephone dispatcher — and her three infant children. He praises his mother’s ironclad strength in living by a wellspring of “grace” and refusing to badmouth her former husband.

It’s harrowing to hear about how his father, who hightailed it to Thunder Bay after leaving the family nest, regularly switched jobs to avoid paying child support for more than 20 years.

Barker shares this particular detail matter-of-factly and without malice, but it cemented his resolve not to become a father himself someday — a promise he’s kept, though his later admission to being a proud dog dad elicited delighted oohs and ahs from the mostly older crowd.

As Barker grows into adulthood, he faces a litany of challenges, including bullying and entrenched attitudes about what it takes to be “a man” in the 21st century.

The show often feels equal parts private confessional and public discourse on gender ideology; more universality of its themes would have been welcome.

We hear about the “stupidity of hockey,” a normalized breeding ground for male violence that his mother abhorred, and how he stared down “Alex the football player” with his “man-man, bro-bro stuff.”

The actor seamlessly steps in and out of his characters throughout the 70-minute (no intermission) production directed by Matthew Paris-Irvine, including his female cousins, aunts and friends, in a way that never feels disingenuous.

His wise revelation that “the majority of things I’ve learned in his life come from women in kitchens” is fleshed out by set designer Daina Leitold’s simple yet effective 1950s table.

An overhanging light fixture further underscores the confessional nature of his storytelling, with rocky boulders flanking upstage evoking the granite cliffs of Northwestern Ontario. Lighting designer jaymez creates subtle mood throughout, further highlighted by MJ Dandeneau’s less-is-more sound design, and matched by Brenda McLean’s pedestrian costume of a pullover sweater, trousers and sneakers.

One of the funniest scenes does happen in the kitchen, as the women in Barker’s story openly chat about their bodily functions, including menstrual synchrony.

The “younger Keith, naive Keith” is met with guffaws after gamely jumping into their conversation to share about his own “cycles.”

Barker is also unafraid to delve into the darker underbelly of his upbringing, shaking his family tree — hard — as he recalls his grandparents, both dying from alcohol poisoning, conveying their own socialized beliefs regarding gender roles. This sobering truth speaks to the reality of inter-generational trauma and damaging attitudes, unwittingly passed on.

There’s much to like in this production, billed by Barker as a “love letter to the women who raised me”; however, its fatal flaw is that the female characters, including his mother, sisters, aunties, friends and, eventually, a life partner, invariably wind up more postscript than primary focal point.

The lion’s share of the narrative, which begins — and ends — with references to Barker’s father is centred more on his coming to terms with his dad’s “bad choices.” Ironically, his inspiring mother plays more of a cameo role, and one wishes to hear even more of her backstory.

A few more beats and pauses would also have allowed audience members to fully digest his tales, helping the show breathe.

Still, we can’t help but root for this modern-day hero with plenty of heart as he ultimately makes peace with his past by “learning the lessons I need to learn until I learn them.”

holly.harris@shaw.ca