Tough Call deals with suicide–from the vantage point of a person contemplating it–as well as through the view of an unsuspecting witness who, without experience, must navigate this situation with support, empathy, vulnerability, and honesty; not easy for a person as self-absorbed and rough around the edges as the main character Dean displays.
As I have always tried to do, I read with an open mind, while also striving to hear it through the ears of others who might not be able to separate art from real life. It was dark. It was in your face. And no punches were pulled in the writing of the character Dean. He had an edge, and even in such a fragile situation, it seems to take him longer than most to soften and reveal any sign of empathy and compassion. I knew straight away that I must go to the performance to find out what happened next.
To be honest, while I definitely was intrigued and excited to see the full production, there was also a sliver of reservation, not for how I would react, but I was a little concerned that there would be a few in the crowd who would take offense to some of the dialogue, and maybe even cause a scene. If there was any inclination to do that, actions were tempered and no one left the theatre. There was some nervous laughter, but otherwise I could tell that others present appreciated this unconventional treatment of a suicide call. In the end, the play leaves you with enormous respect for the attention to detail employed in telling the story without constraint. You are moved by the power that this production has over your emotions. Insights are gathered, lessons are learned, and along the way you gain respect for this character who, at first glance, did not appear to have a high moral character.
The show received a standing ovation during its initial run at the Highland Arts Theatre in June, and the post performance discussion calmed any fear of any offense taken. In the days following I had discussions with folks who had joined me in seeing Tough Call and I must say I was so pleased to hear folks echo my sentiments with such enthusiasm. Like myself, others really wanted to see it again, this time without the “fear of the unknown” getting in the way of just simply enjoying the show for its honesty, irreverent humour and message of empathy, along with teaching us to really hear someone who cries out for help.
It sounds serious, and it is, but let’s not forget this is a play, even as it challenges us to take on a topic in a whole other manner than we’re used to. The acting is outstanding; no easy feat for one person to grab and retain the attention of a crowd for two hours and leave them pondering what they just witnessed, long after the curtain comes down.
Tough Call is an original work by Chéticamp’s Alex Poirier and was first introduced to audiences at Highland Arts Theatre in June. Recently the HAT announced a special return engagement of the show for two performances, Friday November 2nd and Saturday November 3rd.
Now it would be easy for me to just give the show a glowing review and highly recommend folks get out and see it. You should! But I wanted more than my word alone as a selling point; and so I asked several of the most respected minds in our community, who I knew had seen the show in June, to weigh in with their reliable critique. They could not have been more honest and giving of their expertise, looking at scenes in the show through the lens of the serious issues they have seen through their work.
Here is some of what they had to say:
“I did really enjoy the piece and will see it again if it comes back and help promote it as well. The acting was superb (it had good energy, conflict, pauses, nonverbal, etc) and you could feel the tension, fear, sadness, etc., as was intended at just the right points.”
“I strongly encourage folks not to miss another chance to see this production. It does have strong language and serious theme, but the show definitely has many teachable moments on such a relevant topic.”
“I thought Alex did a great job of developing his character as the play went on, and it drew me in. At first the character just seemed a shallow bumbling man, but he peeled back the layers really well, and you then saw the vulnerabilities, and he did it really well, so that’s what I liked about it.”
“Tough Call takes you through every emotion… humour, sadness, empathy, anxiety, and back again. Totally thought-provoking!”
If you enjoy live theatre, have an open mind for script writing, hold a healthy sense for dark humour and appreciate exceptional stage performance, then this is the show for you. You laugh, cry, and sometimes raise an eyebrow, but you can’t help but stay with the story to see where it leads! Don’t miss this second opportunity to catch Tough Call at Highland Arts Theatre on November 2nd and 3rd.
Tough Call is presented by Viewer Discretion Productions and features Alex Poirier as Dean and Matt Earhart as the voice of the caller. Tickets available at highlandartstheatre.com.
