Prodigals at Havana Theatre

It’s rare for me to have a play whose central theme is interpersonal that doesn’t make me feel tired and/or overwhelmed. I am a theatre fanatic, but with the kind of schedule I have (teaching, doing research, doing client work/consulting and then attending social media/dance/theatre performances in the evening on top of it all), I need to manage my energy levels quite well, and pay close attention to how I feel.

Prodigals (a play by Sean Minogue and produced by Sabrina Evertt from Twenty Something Productions) is an exceptional show, in my opinion. Set in a bar in Sault St. Marie (Ontario), Prodigals tells us the story of a group of six underachieving friends, with story lines that are interconnected in various ways. Jen, bar manager extraordinaire (Tara Pratt, in an exceptional performance) is currently dating Nips (Brandyn Eddy) but her heart doesn’t seem to have let go of everyone’s favorite villain, Wesley (Timothy Johnston). As indicated in the official release,

Set in a small bar in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, six young underachievers await the results of a murder trial thatÃ¢s hit close to home. Their world of drinking, sarcasm and missed opportunities is flipped upside down when a former friend returns from Toronto to testify in the trial, reopening old wounds and creating some new ones as well.

Peter Boychuck’s direction was fantastic, in my opinion. The actors’ performances were seamless. All actors are so incredibly believable, so totally human, so flawed and imperfect yet so caring and loving. I was so incredibly taken by the play that in one of the climaxing scenes, I actually shouted “oh sh!t” (I can’t tell you the context, because I would give the play’s plot and climax away). That, to me, was the perfect demonstration that I was completely immersed in the play.

I was very happy to be joined at the Havana Theatre by my good friend Julie Wright (WrightOn Communications). We both had a fantastic time (and the mojito at Havana rivals that of Bridges). I had two tickets to give away, and contacted my winner but haven’t heard back so I might re-draw, and if so, you might just get lucky and get a chance to attend this excellent play.

Thanks to Sabrina for the complimentary tickets to attend, I really enjoyed the play. And to all the actors, I’ve fallen in love with all of you