Live and in person at the Streetcar Crowsnest, Carlaw and Dundas St. Playing until December 15, 2024
Written by Michael Ross Albert
Directed by Paolo Santalucia
Co-set designer, Ken Mackenzie
Co-set designer, Sim Suzer
Costume designer, Laura Delchiaro
Lighting designer Christian Horoszczak
Sound designer, Olivia Wheeler
Cast: Aurora Browne
Sergio Di Zio
Izad Etemadi
Peter Fernandes
Veronica Hortiguela
Amy Matysio
Gregory Prest
Fiona Reid
Steven Sutcliffe
Sophia Walker
Gregory Waters
An ambitious play and production focusing on trying to buy the last affordable house in Toronto, that spirals out of control of focus, after what should be an intermission, and almost gets back that focus at the end.
The Story. Eleven ambitious people are involved in a bidding war for the “last affordable house in Toronto.” There are four real estate agents, their clients and one reluctant seller who has to share the profits of the sale with her step-mother, who she doesn’t like and vice versa. Each participant has their own agenda and nefarious ways of working the system to get the house. Mayhem ensues.
The Production. Co-set designers Ken Mackenzie and Sim Suzer have designed a sprawling set of the living room-kitchen of this well-appointed house that will give the audience ‘house envy.’ Food is being laid-out for the real-estate agents and their clients to soften them up as they explore the house.
Sam is a new real estate agent and this is his first showing of a house. Sam as played by Peter Fernandes is always watchable. Sam is always thinking on his feet and his feet are always moving, in this buoyant, nuanced, yet driving, performance. His partner in this endeavor is Greg (Sergio Di Zio), a former actor, who is there to see that Sam is ok in his first showing. Greg, as played by Sergio Di Zio is intense and attentive. Blayne (Aurora Browne) is a combative agent, who takes charge and takes chances. As played by Aurora Browne, Blayne is always in charge and dangerous. Patricia (Sophia Walker) is a real estate agent who have been cut loose by her sister and real estate business partner, and now Patricia is struggling to make a deal. She needs this chance to sell this house. While Patricia is knowing, Sophia Walker plays her with grace, integrity and imbues her with character.
The possible buyers are just as varied: Donovan (Ezad Etemadi) and his partner Ian (Steven Sutcliffe) want the house because Donovan has fallen in love with the garden, although for Ian, parking will be an issue; Lara (Amy Matysio) who is pregnant and her husband Luke (Gregory Prest) bicker about money—he won’t ask his rich parents for any to buy the house; Miriam (Fiona Reid) is a widow who appears ditzy; and Charlie (Gregory Waters) is a model/body-builder/Instagram star. Add to this mix is June (Veronica Hortiguela) who is half-owner of the house and has just returned from Berlin where she has been living, to come into the hell of seeing the frenzy to sell the house. She and Sam have known each other a long time.
Each character brings their baggage, issues and private stories to the mix. Playwright Michael Ross Albert has fleshed out each character, revealing more and more layers as we go along. Michael Ross Albert’s dialogue is brisk, funny, clever and knowing about the real estate world. He introduces complications that could affect the house’s value seamlessly.
Director Paolo Santalucia stages the action to ramp up as matters get more and more tense, so that the action is a swirl of activity of characters coming in, going up the stairs and down, into and out of the back yard and various other places of interest. The staging is accomplished to be sure. But watching it becomes a blur. Listening to it, as the volume gets louder and louder with each character who needs/wants to make their points, also overwhelms. Ya know what happens when one is being yelled at relentlessly? One stops listening. In the theatre, not listening is not a good thing. Theatre is life lived on purpose. One has to decide what information to keep and what information to cut.
Act I goes on and on. The pace and volume ramp up until a startling moment when everything goes haywire. This is a perfect place for an intermission. The audience needs it, not just to recover from all that angst but to pee! But the play goes on for more complications and even a more startling moment and then there is intermission. I think that has to be rethought. The air has gone out of the room after the first reasonable place for an intermission.
And one of the characters has an inside edge on the bids because they will be on the person’s cell phone. Other characters know it and so one character gets into a tussle for the carry-all with the cell phone. The character with the inside edge clutches the carry-all for most of the scene. But then there is more angst elsewhere and the carry-all is placed waaaay over there in the kitchen, unprotected, and the owner of the carry-all is waaay over there in the living room. And yet no one quietly goes over to the carry-all and gets the cell phone. I think this is a missed step of playwrighting and direction.
Comment. Playwright Michael Ross Albert has fashioned a lively play, rich with implications, humour and wit. He has captured the cut-throat world of real estate made more vicious because of the rarity of the property and therefore the intensity of the bidding. Director Paolo Santalucia has directed and staged a production that goes like the wind, leaving everyone breathless. But the play needs a revisit to judiciously, ruthlessly edit improbable revelations (you get rid of a character to go on an audition? Really?) so that the play is on track to the point and not going off into philosophical, esoteric, personal history tangents, that detract from the point.
The Bidding War is an ambitious play by a gifted playwright, directed with spirit by a knowing director. The whole cast is terrific. But there are aspects of the play that need to be edited or cut and the production needs to tone down with more nuance and attention to details. Still, it’s worth a visit to Crow’s Theatre.
Crow’s Theatre presents:
Plays until Dec. 15, 2024.
Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes (1 intermission)