Summerworks 2008 – Sheldon Currie’s Lauchie Liza and Rory

Paula Citron
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Lauchie Liza and Rory
Summerworks
Written by Sheldon Currie
Directed by Mary-Colin Chisholm
Starring Natasha MacLellan and Christian Murray
Factory Theatre Studio until Aug. 17
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The play Lauchie Liza and Rory was adapted by Nova Scotia writer Sheldon Currie from his own short story. The plot details the tangled relationship between identical twin brothers – the wild Rory and the nerdy Lauchie – Lauchie’s wife Liza and son young Rory, and the twins’ spinster sister and tart-tongued mother.

While the characters are certainly interesting, what marks this East Coast production is Mary-Colin Chisholm’s imaginative direction. All the parts are played by actors Natasha MacLellan and Christian Murray, but with a twist that is hard to describe. For example, Lizzie is manifested by the actors putting their faces in a portrait on a rolling stand. Rory’s vulgar girlfriend is portrayed by the holding of a jacket. The use of props as people is as unpredictable as it is delightful.

Murray is a wonderful actor, but MacLellan is not quite in his league. Nonetheless, this engaging play deserves a visit.

The 42 juried plays of Summerworks continue until Aug. 17.