The Burden of Self Awareness: George Walker at the GCTC

Paul Rainville and Eric Coates. Photo: Andrew Alexander

Money and sex are the driving forces for the flawed individuals in George F. Walker’s newest dark comedy/farce, currently receiving its world premiere at the Great Canadian Theatre Company.

Then, a close encounter with death flips the self-awareness switch for the wealthy Michael, who aims to find redemption by giving most of his fortune away. Emotional imbalance can be the only motivation for such an action, fears his grasping wife, Judy, who rushes him to a couples’ counseling session with her psychiatrist/lover, Stan. As depicted, both before and after he is stripped down to his underwear, Stan is the most incompetent psychiatrist on the planet.

Meanwhile, the private detective/born-again Christian/hit man that Judy has hired to spy on Michael consults with Michael’s university-educated prostitute friend and occasional sex partner, Lianne. (Along the way, Michael also hires the same detective to spy on Judy, while Lianne employs him to kill her.)

If Walker’s aim is to shortcut the exposure of the selfish underside of human nature in record time, he succeeds admirably in the first act of this short (85-minute) comedy about inherent evil, weakness, greed and self-doubt. Towards the end of Act II, however, The Burden of Self Awareness descends into farce, as murderous and suicidal intent overtakes the temporary relief of sexual encounters. If the joy of sex has faded, the joy of extreme wealth remains, for the two women at least. But, as is often the case with farce, the ending fizzles and the play ends with a whimper, rather than maintaining the bang (both senses) of the earlier scenes.

Amusing, occasionally mildly disgusting, The Burden of Self Awareness moves through multiple scene changes at a brisk pace under the direction of Arthur Milner, ably supported by Martin Conboy’s set and lighting design.

The strong cast is headed by Eric Coates as the apparently reasonable Michael, the man whose feelings of unworthiness threaten to turn Judy (played with ferocity by Sarah McVie) from a rich bitch into a middle class or poor one (“What’s the difference?” she snaps.)

Around this central conflict between the unhappy couple swirl the incredibly useless psychiatrist (Paul Rainville keeps such a delicate balance between humorous and pathetic that he manages to inspire pity), the multi-tasking detective (coolly played by John Koensgen) and the call girl ready to promise anything to improve her own circumstances (Samantha Madely).

The Burden of Self Awareness continues at GCTC to June 22, 2014.

Director: Arthur Milner

Set and lighting: Martin Conboy

Sound: Aymar

Costumes: Sarah Waghorn

Cast:

Michael…………….Eric Coates

Phil:………………..John Koensgen

Lianne……………..Samantha Madely

Judy………………..Sarah McVie

Stan………………..Paul Rainville