DETAILS

ATP presents the Enbridge playRites Festival of New Canadian Plays
Martha Cohen Theatre
Wednesday, February 4 - Sunday, March 8

More in: Theatre

Robin, a personal trainer, and Brodie, an engineer, are happily married. Both have found success in their professional lives, but after more than two years of trying to have a baby, test results confirm that it is Brodie’s inability to produce sperm that is causing the problem. With Robin’s 40th birthday looming, the couple enlists Wade, a virile, muscular young man who pays the bills by depositing his goods in a sperm bank and posing nude for art classes, to privately donate his sperm to their cause. When Wade realizes that he is falling head over heals in love with Robin, the couple discovers they may have gotten more than they bargained for.

Michael Lewis MacLennan’s The Good Egg is a fast-paced, lyrical comedy full of poetic language, punched up with raunchy jokes and witty repartee. The characters are prone to bringing down the fourth wall as they turn out to the audience between each scene, telling stories of their desires and aspirations, drawing us deeper into their lives and the ridiculous situation they find themselves in.

It is in one of these monologues that Robin, played by Helen Taylor, tells us point-blank that she is in desperate need of someone to focus her love and attention on other than her husband. Brodie, played by David Keeley, tells us of his insecurity, and how he feels that he is less of a man because of his sterility. Tyrell Crews charms the audience with his sincere portrayal of Wade as a charismatic young man who is, ultimately, lonely. It is this honesty and directness that is so appealing about the play. All three characters are fully rounded — full of flaws and insecurities as they tumble through these huge life-altering events.

It appears that director Gina Wilkinson focused on creating genuine relationships between these characters during the rehearsal process. Keeley and Taylor banter back and forth as though they actually have been married for years. There are a few moments when the twists and turns of the plot feel slightly forced, but they are smoothed over by the cast members’ conviction. They sell the story so well that the audience is willing to buy into its extreme situations.

The Martha Cohen Theatre’s thrust stage brings Robin and Brodie’s living room into the middle of the audience, and their primary red furniture just happens to look like a giant sperm and an egg. The suspension bridge that Brodie has spent the last four years building sits high upstage, with one of the pillars rising up into the air as a phallic reminder of where all his energy has gone. There are even projections of giant sperm, egg cells and zygotes on the upstage wall, giving the audience an up-close and personal view of Robin’s pregnancy.

The play’s scenes are set in several locations, but Scott Reid’s design facilitates the action of the play by utilizing a revolving upstage wall to bring large set pieces on and off efficiently. Consequently, the scenes flow effortlessly from one into the other without any downtime for transitions. Since there are no extraneous props or set pieces on the stage, all of our attention is focused on the characters and their attempts to manipulate one another.

The Good Egg is a sharp, fun, sexy comedy.