Nothing brings about family drama more than a funeral. And there is drama to be had at the funeral hosted by the family in Alberta Theatre Projects’ Liars at a Funeral by Sophia Fabiilli, a production in association with Western Canada Theatre. This is a light and fun story, though it centers on a funeral, as it has a farce feel to it. It’s a comedy with some serious themes, but it doesn’t take itself seriously. Nearly all the cast members play two characters, and the magic of this production is in watching every artist on stage flip to their other role. It’s also amazing to watch them carve meaning into the various characters that they play.
The story tells of Grandma Mavis (Maureen Thomas) who stages her own funeral to bring her family together and end estrangement between the twin sisters in the family. This estrangement is referred to as the ‘curse’ throughout the play. Evelyn (Helen Knight) is coming to the funeral with her good friend Frank (Tyrell Crews), to say goodbye to her mother. She asks Frank to pose as her boyfriend even though he’s not straight, and neither is she. Evelyn’s daughters’ DeeDee and Mia (both played by Grace Fedorchuk) are planning on being at the funeral and haven’t spoken to each other in a decade. Joel David Taylor plays Quint and Cam, partners to DeeDee and Mia respectively. Quint works at the funeral home, wants to grow in his career and is exceedingly earnest. Cam exudes ‘dude’ vibes and is putting forth enormous effort to integrate into Mia’s family. Wayne (Crews), the father to the twins also shows up in all his terrible absent dad glory and justifies his existence by saying he just wants to help. Leorah (Knight) is the owner of the funeral home and is worried because the business hasn’t hosted a funeral in a while. There has been a bit of a dry spell in deaths in this small town in Alberta. Throw in pregnancy and labour, a storm that traps everyone at the venue, and a lot of people pretending to be something they aren’t, and you have the basic plot to Liars at a Funeral.
The cast of this production is what makes it so funny. The men are given more opportunities to provide deeper meaning and more layers to their characters, as the women have less depth. Leorah is basically a pleasure seeking woman and a bully to her only employee Quint, but that persona doesn’t really change throughout the narrative. Evelyn shows a bit more depth, as she is emotionally complex, but the distance between her and her daughters is never really explained. Knight’s reaction to seeing her mom back from the dead is gold. Deedee is all anxiety and absence, and very pregnant Mia’s feelings don’t get too much exploration. Thomas (as Mavis) gets to be compassionate and the person who wants to reunite everyone. She also gets the opportunity to hide from sight, which dials up the comedy in the play. It’s Taylor and Crews who get a bit more to work with in their characters. Frank and Wayne are made better because Crews is so good at comedy, especially with Frank. It’s amazing to see him flip to the emotionally absent Wayne. Taylor’s ability to embody a character is extraordinary, especially in how he conveys care and love for both of the twins respectively. To be clear, the women of the play are equally or even more talented than the men, they just aren’t given as much to work with.
Director Clare Preuss has the action move along quickly in this production, and Anton DeGroot’s set design lets artists enter and exit to do quick costume changes. Abbie Brokenshire’s costume design is the stuff of legend, allowing everyone the necessary fast changes. Kathryn Smith’s sound design and composition along with DeGroot’s lighting design create comedy, especially when anyone says the word ‘curse.’
This production is funny and light. It does miss any opportunity for any depth, but that isn’t a priority in a farce. This cast and creative producers make this a fun night at the theatre.
Alberta Theatre Projects’ presentation of Liars at a Funeral runs until May 11th. More information is available online.
Photo: Helen Knight, Tyrell Crews, Joel David Taylor, Maureen Thomas and Grace Fedorchuk in Liars at a Funeral. Credit: Benjamin Laird.
