Tempus Theatre, 2007

Review by Katie

 

A Delicate Balance, the Pulitzer-Prize winning play by Edward Albee, is hailed as a "classic study of the American family." In Tempus Theatre's inaugural production this Spring, Teryl appears as Claire, the troubled alcoholic sister who is perhaps too burdened by her own insight.

As presented in the Jericho Arts Centre in Vancouver, three full sides of the stage are thrust out amongst the audience, lending an almost claustrophobic feel to the production. The intimacy of the venue effectively compounds the tension of the action onstage; the audience can't help but feel uncomfortable in such proximity to the brewing domestic discord. Fortunately, the cast manages to play several lines for irony, lightening what would otherwise be a dreary, talky drama saturated with the whining of the over-privileged.

Real-life husband and wife Terrence Kelly and Anna Hagan take the lead as Tobias and Agnes, a couple married too long beyond the early blush of affection. Their relationship is one of inertia, mired in habit and convenience and flavored liberally by alcohol. Their daughter Julia is portrayed by T Weir, who lends sensitivity to the abrasive and eventually unstable divorcée.

Into this household intrude longtime friends Harry and Edna (Bert Steinmanis and Valerie Sing Turner), who seek shelter from a nameless terror, crowding the family and eventually provoking Tobias' wrenching epiphany at the end. Finally, the characters are simply left - empty and miserable - forced into recognizing the long years lost to their own painful inadequacy.

Claire is a bright spot, perhaps as unable to bear the family's dysfunction as the audience itself. What might have been true vivacity in earlier years has been dulled by the soul-weary crush of her familial failure and disappointment. Even though often anesthetized by drink, she is alternately funny or sharply empathetic. With raucous accordion playing or bawdy "bottomless swimsuit" jokes, her levity is welcome but desperate. She has spent decades with the secret burdens and disappointments carried in this household, and is painfully aware of the futility that permeates their lives.

Teryl is excellent in the role, tempering natural compassion with the character's booze-soaked bitterness. Originally cast as Edna, Harry's shrinking-violet spouse, Teryl instead shines in Claire's damaged, desperate humanity.

This is not a "fun" play. These are not terribly likable people. They are, however, familiar. The leads especially find the light touch of sympathy, and Teryl's Claire is vulnerable beneath her drunken ambivalence. The only real impediment is an oddity of casting; the ages of the various characters are wildly disproportionate, and require an effort at suspending disbelief.

Even if Balance's subject matter is cloying and heavy-handed, Tempus Theatre manages to make it palatable. In any case, it is always a treat to see Teryl in a role that's so different, yet handled so deftly.