Danny and the Deep Blue Sea

Reviewed by Paula Citron

Danny and the Deep Blue Sea
Problem Solver Productions
Written by John Patrick Shanley
Directed by Michael Kash
Performed by Daniella Forje and Jonathan Shatzky
Pia Bouman Scotiabank Theatre

I like theatre surprises. A new group called Problem Solver Productions is a case in point. John Patrick Shanley’s disturbing 1984 play Danny and the Deep Blue Sea is well worth a visit.

The play is an early work of Shanley’s who is currently a hot commodity in the United States and elsewhere. The subtitle is “An Apache Dance” referring to that French phenomenon where gangsters throw their molls around in a violent tango in seedy Paris nightclubs.

Daniella Forje and Jonathan Shatzky play troubled souls Roberta and Danny. She is a guilt-ridden single mom who had her child when she was a teenager. He is a violent trucker who is called “The Beast” by his fellow workers. He gets into fights. She neglects her kid.

Their intense encounter is deftly choreographed by director Michael Kash who has his actors take real physical risks.

Danny and the Deep Blue Sea continues at the Pia Bouman Scotiabank Theatre until Nov. 6.