Late Company Resonates with Bauer Theater Audiences
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Left to right: Tyler Kingston, Briana Lynch-Rankin, Max Toulch, Kailin Wright, Ashley Sheppard, and Ken Kingston Photo: Ashley Pettipas
Detailing the cross-generational conflict regarding LGBTQ rights and gender norms, Late Company tells a deeply moving story about homophobia and a young life taken far too soon. Far from finding the closure they seek, two families deal with their conflicting political views and discover that sometimes ignorance truly is bliss as secrets bubble to the surface, and grief shadows all involved.
Written by Jordan Tannahill following the suicide of Jamie Hubley in 2011, the blame is dished out alongside the main course and, to put it lightly, nothing on the table is easy to swallow. The teenage son of a city Councillor in Tannahill’s hometown of Ottawa inspired the play, and it first took the stage in the early 2010s. With emotive acting and a detail-oriented production team, the cast and crew of Late Company impressed with their touching performance of controversial issues regarding sexuality and mental health. Tannahill's emotionally complex story is simply one of many examples, and it is with this knowledge that the audience allowed themselves to be sucked into one such tragedy.
Joel Shaun-Hasting’s parents, an artist Debora and politician Michael, have dinner with their son’s bully and his parents following Joel’s suicide. Curtis and his friends shoulder much of the blame over their merciless actions and hurtful comments regarding Joel’s sexuality, but are they truly the only ones at fault? Tamara and Bill, his parents, certainly don’t believe so, and the complications of blame and responsibility touch all at the dining table in one way or another.
The contempt Debora (played by Ashley Sheppard) feels for the less-cultured Tamara (played by Briana Lynch-Rankin) brings in class tensions and highlights the vastly different lifestyle and parenting choices that both couples have made. Underneath the veneer of civility is a desperate desire for bloodshed and vengeance for everything that her son would never experience. With bitterness and resentment, the audience soon realizes that the hostess never intended for the evening to be one of reconciliation. Ken Kingston, playing her husband Michael, artfully displayed a wide array of emotions, notably defensive and shameful over concealing his knowledge about their son’s controversial YouTube videos from his wife. Bullied for his flamboyance and femininity, Joel’s presence certainly hangs over Michael and accusations fly about his and Debora’s role in not supporting their son or recognizing his cries for attention.
Curtis’ mother Tamara wants absolution for her son, and it quickly becomes evident that Debora is willing to do anything to Curtis but forgive him. Lynch-Rankin embodied the complicated pain of someone both wanting to protect their child and understanding that some actions can have consequences that not even a mother’s love can prevent. Max Toulch’s nuanced performance as Bill left the audience with mixed feelings of both sympathy and outrage. His performance tugged at the heart, especially when he returned to the stage as a panelist following the performance and admitted to not always having had it the easiest in high school as an LGBTQ teenager. He refused to let his personal views disrupt his professionalism, and it was easy to believe that the man on the Bauer stage was one full of toxic sayings like “boys will be boys.”
Tyler Kingston played Curtis—as much of a victim as a bully after being raised by his toxically masculine father. His few lines were supplemented with expressive physicality that highlighted how difficult forgiveness can be, especially forgiving oneself. Kingston offered compassionate insight into the challenging role of Curtis, and his performance captured remorse, regardless of what Debora may want to believe. Kingston deserves commendation for adding depth to his character through implications of a more than a simply bully-victim relationship with Joel. Curtis’ own fear of rejection from his father added a poignant level of realism, as Bill punctuated his ‘love’ with outbursts, both verbal and physical.
The subtle technical aspects of the performance added to its believability. Despite being her first show as a stage manager at the Bauer, Lia Blackett smoothly ordered transitions. Designed by Ian Pygott, the subtle set served as an effective backdrop that heightened rather than distracted from the actors. Though few in number, the sound cues Pygott designed were just the right addition to the dramatic finale. Martha Palmer, wardrobe designer, and Robyn Bixby, wardrobe assistant, paralleled Bill and Michael’s wardrobe, creating a subtle comparison between a parent who couldn’t understand their child and another who didn’t want to.
Receiving standing ovations on both performances indicates that director Kailin Wright certainly achieved her goal in choosing a show that would resonate with today’s audience. Theatre Antigonish hosted a perfect blend of the difficulties of reconciliation and learning to live with grief in their performance of Late Company.
