Coal Mine Theatre/People, Places and Things, written by Duncan Macmillan, directed by Diana Bentley, movement direction by Alyssa Martin, Coal Mine Theatre, closes Mar. 7. Tickets here.
British playwright Duncan Macmillan’s 2015 hit play People, Places & Things is a harrowing experience because it deals with both addiction and the difficult road to recovery in graphic detail.
Coal Mine Theatre’s top of the line production rests primarily on three factors: Diana Bentley’s meticulous direction, Alyssa Martin’s imaginative movement, and Macmillan’s traumatic script.
The Story
Emma (Louise Lambert) is a troubled young actor whom we first meet struggling through a rehearsal of Chekhov’s The Seagull in the role of Nina. It’s not surprising that Macmillan chose this particular scene because the character of Nina is a tragic and broken young woman, and much like Emma, is having to face her demons.
When Emma realizes that her drug and alcohol addiction is out of control, she signs herself into a rehab centre, and so playwright Macmillan begins to document her journey to recovery, but it is a long and tortuous climb that will never really be over. The lure of drugs and alcohol is always there.
We see Emma in different rehab situations as she falls off the wagon, such as the 12-step program of Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous, and later, group therapy which involves acting out scenes from the patients’ lives. (Macmillan believes that there is a certain commonality between group therapy and theatre, while being wary of the 12-step regimen.)
Emma’s rationale for using drugs and alcohol is that the world is such a shitty and chaotic place, that life is pointless, so why be sober. In order to recover, however, Emma must first admit the truth behind her self-destructive lifestyle, and this she finds difficult to do.
What I’ve written above is a barebones outline of the play.
What fills in the picture are Emma’s terrifying drying out experiences coupled with a patient’s inherent lack of dignity and the harsh demands of therapy, which for the audience, are challenging scenes to watch.
In one particularly excruciating episode, Emma witnesses multiple clones of herself writhing in agony. It is a devastating visual coup de théâtre.
The Character of Emma
Macmillan is on record as saying that he wrote the character of Emma because women actors weren’t getting enough of the great roles that push them in their craft and display their brilliance. Emma certainly fits that bill.
Bringing Emma to life is monumental in terms of acting, and Lambert gives a raw, taut and visceral performance. She opens herself totally to Emma’s fractured spirit.
In the beginning, just how Lambert holds her body and the desperation in her voice, indicates that there is something terribly wrong with her. Her combative nature is coupled with fits of inner terror. She is defiant and cowering by turn. In short, Lambert executes Emma’s perilous rollercoaster ride through recovery in vivid, disturbing detail.
The Other Characters
There are other important people in the play who add layers of both reality and delusion to Emma’s experiences. The talented cast provides the gilt edging to Lambert’s brutally honest performance.
The great Fiona Reid, who seems to be everywhere these days, plays a no-nonsense doctor, a soothing therapist, and Emma’s rock-hard mother. Oliver Dennis is the dangerous patient Paul and Emma’s resigned father.
Emma’s two personal attendants are different but, nonetheless, compelling personalities. Matthew Gouveia’s Foster is laconic, unruffled, and steady, and Macmillan has given him the best lines in the play through his ironic humour. Farhang Ghajar’s Mark, on the other hand, is more of a warm, caring, concerned friend.
And then there is the ensemble — Nickeshia Garrick, Sam Grist, Sarah Murphy-Dyson, Kwaku Okyere and Kaleb Tekeste. They play other characters as needed, but their main role is exercising Martin’s telltale choreography which skillfully mirrors the tumult of Emma’s damaged psyche. They surround her, harry her, and downright frighten her. The very unreality of them makes them all the more real to Emma’s discordant mind.
I’d like to add that I’m familiar with Martin as a gifted choreographer and she does not disappoint in this play.
The Direction
Apparently Bentley took advice from CAMH (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) which certainly shows in the detailed physicality of Lambert as she negotiates Emma’s anguished stages from addict to recovery. So much is asked of the actor in this role that a dedicated director had to be closely along for the creation.
As well, Bentley deserves kudos for ensuring the verisimilitude of every actor in the company. This play is populated by utterly believable people. As well, the seamless way the cast changes set pieces never interrupts the flow of action.
Taken altogether, and judging from recent work, Bentley is becoming a very able director.
The Production
Steve Lucas’ clever set is like a boxing ring surrounded by the audience on all sides, and when you think about it, Emma is in the fight of her life. Co-lighting designers Bonnie Beecher and Jeff Pybus have done a particularly effective job in mirroring mood, while Laura Delchiaro has produced the realistic costumes. Thomas Ryder Payne has once again done his usual excellent job with ambient sound.
All is not perfect, however.
Macmillan’s play falters at the end. It is clever but its quasi-idealism jars with the bleak and frantic nature of the rest of the play. Having Emma at an audition works per se, but the speech she recites, although tied to another incident in the play, is just too pie-in-the-sky to hold true.
Nonetheless, Coal Mine Theatre’s reputation is built on substantive theatre and People, Places and Things is another hit for the company.
Incidentally, look for the play’s enigmatic title that is embedded in the script and emerges in dialogue.
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