Live and in person at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, Ont. A Soulpepper and Obsidian Theatre Company Co-Production. Playing until March 2, 2025.
Written and starring Akosua Amo-Adem
Directed by Djanet Sears
Set and Costumes designed by Astrid Janson
Lighting designer, Nick Blais
Sound designer, Maddie Bautista
Cast: Ryan Allen
Akosua Amo-Adem
Bola Aiyeola
Meghan Swaby
A gift of a play and a production.
The Story. Abby has no luck with men. Almost all of them disappoint her by being bad dates. “Mr. Right” comes with complications. Abby’s mother is pressuring her to find a good Ghanaian man, carry on the cultural traditions and give her grandbabies. Abby is not getting any younger and the pressure of finding the right man is making her anxious, especially since her friends and siblings are either finding partners or having children.
The Production. The production begins in darkness as we hear sounds of panting, grunting and gasping. Is this someone in the throes of sex? No, it’s Abby (Akosua Amo-Adem) trying to put on her SPANX. Playwright/actor Akosua Amo-Adem and her director Djanet Sears, know how to begin a production with a bang. The audience is roaring. Playwright and director set us up for the well-earned, hard laughs to come. They also set us up to be caught off guard for the more serious moments, and there are plenty.
Playwright Akosua Amo-Adem has written Abby with an irreverent sense of humour, a hopeful anticipation with each new ‘date’ that this will lead to a lasting relationship and a sense of pride that will not allow her to sell herself short.
Amo-Adem’s dialogue pops with perceptive observations on the dating game in the modern world. Through Abby’s Mom (a wonderful Bola Aiyeola) we get a rich cultural reference of what is expected of a Ghanaian woman regarding family and all that follows. Abby’s Mom quotes the Bible for her go-to wisdom of how to live a proper life. Abby refutes that with her own wit.
The relationship between Abby and her Mom is complicated. Abby is a modern woman, educated with two degrees and eager to meet a man to be a partner. Perceived societal pressures weigh on her to find a man. Abby’s Mom is a traditional Ghanaian woman who believes it is the daughter’s responsibility to meet a man, ideally Ghanaian, marry and have children.
As Abby, Akosua Amo-Adem is superlative. She has a keen sense of humour and the subtlety to carry off the humour with understatement. Amo-Adem gets the audience roaring with just a sidelong look out to them, after a particularly ‘loaded’ speech. That ‘look’ says everything about irony, sarcasm, disbelief—pick one or all. And Amo-Adem also conveys the disappointment and heartache of Abby with the same kind of economy. A sigh, a look of despondence says everything.
As Mom, Bola Aiyeola, walks with a heaviness of a mother who worries about her daughter, as well as of a woman who has her own disappointments in life and in marriage. Bola Aiyeola as Mom, is dour, stingy with her compliments to her daughter, demanding in her expectations, and yet, funny in all that seriousness. The quoting of the bible is full of conviction. Abby’s eye-rolls put it all in perspective. Both performances are splendid.
Also splendid is the work of Ryan Allen as all the men mentioned in the play (Reggie, Patrick, Terrance and Marcus007). Ryan Allen is detailed in his variation of each man. Each character is distinct in his body language and acting.
Meghan Swaby plays Janelle and a Server (named Kevin) in a restaurant. Abby notes that the Server is a woman with a man’s name and refers to the Server that way when dealing with her (the Server). Even in uncomfortable situations, Abby protects herself with humour.
Meghan Swaby is also varied in her various roles. As Janelle, Abby’s friend, Meghan Swaby is lively, compassion, attentive and up-beat. As the Server she is efficient but concerned that whomever Abby is waiting for hasn’t shown up and they need the table. There is a cool exchange here—Abby is anxious about her date being late; the Server needs to know when he will be there. This was beautifully conveyed in director Djanet Sears sensitive direction and the chemistry between Akosua Amo-Adem and Meghan Swaby.
Designer Astrid Janson has created a simple set with a few set pieces that are easy to maneuver. Janson’s costumes for Abby as sexy, seductive and in their way empowering. The costumes for the other characters are fine for establishing the world of the male character, and for Mom, Abby’s mother.
Djanet Sears has directed Table for Two with insight and a delicate touch for both the humour and serious moments of the work. Djanet Sears knows how close humour and heartache are. The production ends with a twist/trick. Abby is faced with a dilemma. What will she do to solve it. The audience and Abby know there are two ways to go. We wait for a resolution, perhaps sitting forward in our seats, in anticipation. It’s a tease. It’s delicious.
A quibble/question….. At one point Abby does meet a person on line. They exchange e-mails. Then they have phone calls and long conversations. Abby and the man finally plan a date at a restaurant. Abby is the first to arrive. Her phone is on the table in case there is a problem. And she waits and waits. She wonders if perhaps he’s had an accident. And she waits. Here’s my question: why doesn’t she call him to find out where and how he is? She knows his number. The question is obvious and the fact she doesn’t call appears deliberate. My question is why? There is that dilemma later which seems a bit disingenuous and contrived. Perhaps a rethink, although I do love the trick and tease.
Comment. Quibble aside, Table for Two is a luminous gift of a play and so is the production. Akosua Amo-Adem is not only a fine actor in her own right, she is also a fine emerging playwright with a clear, bracing voice with something important to say, and an ability to say it with humour and compassion. Cause for celebration.
Soulpepper Theatre Company presents:
Runs until March 2, 225.
Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes. (no intermission)