Factory Theatre – Brad Fraser's True Love Lies

reviewed by Paula Citron
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True Love Lies
Factory Theatre
Written and directed by Brad Fraser
Starring Andrew Craig, Susanna Fournier, David W. Keeley, Julie Stewart and Ashley Wright
At Factory Theatre until Nov. 1
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Brad Fraser is one of Canada’s most challenging writers. True Love Lies looks at family morals and the generation gap. Carolyn and Kane’s very modern children have been brought up with permissive freedom. A chance encounter with David leads to the children discovering that their father had a homosexual relationship before his marriage, opening up an abyss of reactions from all five people involved.

I’m not sure Fraser should direct his own plays, because there is an over-arch, brittle tone to the staging. Bretta Gerecke’s set involves an ebb and flow of food that becomes irritating over time. In short, the direction needs to concentrate more on the human element.

A terrific cast has been assembled, however, and Fraser can really toss off clever one-liners while he raises provocative questions. While some events are predictable, others are not, and as a whole, the play is fast-paced, immensely enjoyable and totally stimulating.

True Love Lies continues at Factory Theatre until Nov. 1.