Review: ‘Leaving Home’ by David French

First, a brief history lesson review that we all know. Before television, there was the radio for home entertainment. Now I know what it felt like to listen to the ‘radio’ (or, in this case, the computer) since we are all unable to attend the theatre during this time of the worldwide pandemic. 

From its website, Tarragon Theatre presents 18 plays for the listening pleasure of our ears – from its celebrated past to the anticipated future – from David French’s Leaving Home to Audrey Dwyer’s Come Home -The Legend of Daddy Hall!

As part of its re-imagined 2020/21 season and on the second Thursday and last Sunday of each month from Sept – May via its website,  Tarragon has posted this year will be a “season that celebrates the ground-breaking and genre-defining work from Tarragon Theatre’s rich history as well as a glimpse at our future. Tarragon Acoustic features plays from Hannah Moscovitch, Wajdi Mouawad, John Mighton, Joan MacLeod, Judith Thompson, Morris Panych and many more produced with the expertise of Chris Tolley and Laura Mullin of CBC’s PlayME Podcast.”

Tonight’s opening was ‘Leaving Home’ by David French which premiered at Tarragon in 1972 and was a hit since this production proved that Canadians could hold their own and celebrate their own performing artistic talent. ‘Leaving Home’ was the first of the Mercer plays which tells the story of the dysfunctional family (Of the Fields Lately, Salt-Water Moon, 1949, Soldier's Heart). I can recall my CanLit professor, John Orange, at King’s College, Western University stating that ‘Leaving Home’ introduced that distinct Canadian voice to the world (Margaret Atwood, ‘Survival: A Guide to Canadian Literature).

It is the 1950s and the Mercers now live in Ontario, displaced from Newfoundland. The family is in upheaval as they are preparing for the wedding of their youngest son, Bill, to Kathy, a girl whom he has got pregnant.  Then there is eldest son, Ben, who announces he is moving out as the family sits down to dinner with Kathy. We also meet Minnie, Kathy’s mother, who throws even further problems to the family during dinner. I remember reading this play during my undergraduate years but have never seen it performed live. I’ve seen ‘Salt Water Moon’ and ‘Soldier’s Heart’ performed on the professional and semi-professional stage.

And here comes the challenge of presenting ‘Leaving Home’ aurally – finding talented artists who can utilize their voices convincingly to create for our ears, and in our minds, a broken family solely on the spoken word and sound effects. I loved the latter work from Laura Mullin and Chris Tolley as the sounds and noises enhanced my enjoyment of the story tremendously.

Yes, there are going to be digital challenges when streaming a live production, and one occurred about halfway through which annoyingly interrupted my concentration because I was so engrossed in what I was hearing. I received an email this morning (I’m assuming all who participated last night received the same message) stating the performance is now available glitch free until September 17. 

It’s worth the time to listen to this fine production since director Jillian Keiley has splendidly cast performers who clearly understand what it means to work as an ensemble. I would like to see these performers present this story on stage somewhere once it is safe for all of us to return to the theatre.

Petrina Bromley is dynamic as Mary, a woman in her fifties who is getting tired of always having to mediate fights between her sons and their father. Steve O’Connell is a realistically gruff Jacob, father who is trying his best to be everything to everyone but longs for those days from before in his youth in Newfoundland. As brothers Bill and Ben, Brendan McMurtry-Howlett and Kayvon Khoshkam respectfully deliver two vocally distinct portrayals of young men who find that life has thrown unexpected challenges at them. Vivien Endicott-Douglas and Alison Woolridge as Kathy and her mother, Minnie, respectively and finely underscore the tensions that may seemingly tear the Mercer family apart even more.

I applaud Tarragon for its refreshing treatment of this upcoming theatre season that, for me, celebrates the beauty of the spoken word. One thing which I have learned from the results of this worldwide pandemic is the importance, when we have moments of silence in our lives, to stop periodically and just listen to the sounds around us. When I was at a cottage this summer for two nights, I spent many moments just stopping and listening to the sounds around me.

At this time, when we can listen to a play directed with charm and performed with dignity, there’s a good story to be heard.

This ‘Leaving Home’ fits the above criteria in the previous paragraph. Give it a listen.

The audio presentation of ‘Leaving Home’ is streamed through Tarragon’s website (www.tarragontheatre.com) until September 17. Please visit the website for further information on the other upcoming productions.