Tom's A-Cold

Reviewed by Paula Citron

Tom’s A-Cold
Starving Artists/Next Stage Theatre Festival
Written by David Egan
Directed by Daryl Cloran and Ashlie Corcoran
Featuring Shane Carty and Matthew MacFadzean
Factory Theatre Studio
Jan. 5 to Jan. 16, 2011

By definition, anything Fringey is going to be rough and ready, and then along comes David Egan’s magnificent Tom’s A-Cold at the Next Stage Theatre Festival.

Two sailors from the doomed Franklin expedition are abandoned in a lifeboat in the frozen Arctic ice pack. The able seaman, played by Shane Carty, as in Shakespeare’s Lear, is taking care of his king, in this case, a lieutenant played by Matthew MacFadzean. Both actors are superb.

Egan’s script is powerful. The playwright takes us through real time – the men’s deep concern if the others will come back for them, their trips down memory lane, and most wonderful of all, the intriguing games the men play to take their minds off their dreadful situation. Co-directors Daryl Cloran and Ashlie Corcoran have created just the right amount of tension and limited action.

This little production is a must see, and absolutely deserves a shelf life.

Next Stage Theatre Festival continues at Factory Theatre until Jan. 16.