My Child - Secluded Spots - by Gleams Theatre

Secluded Spots includes two productions: My Child and Riverside Drive both currently playing at MainLine to May 10th. They are directed by Constantin Sokolov of Gleams Theatre. MY CHILD by Mike Bartlett, London UK receives it North American premier, originally produced in London in 2007. This production features a large cast of local talent including: George Bekiaris, Marc Poulin, Warona Setshwaelo, Christine Rodriguez, Jacqueline Van de Geer, and Ira Sokolava.

The one act play runs approximately 65 minutes and is about a father who finds himself being phased out of his son's life. Denied access to his son's life he goes to extraordinary means to hold on to him. Thrown into a violent world where good intentions count for very little the play offers an incisive honest look at what it means to be a good parent. The staging is immaculate and the use of space is impeccably well blocked. The artists bring us into their world and hold our attention throughout. Very challenging material that's well presented all things considered.

Where the production suffers is in the overall design. The space is not the easiest to work in especially for a production of this scale. Lighting, set and costuming are all in need of a creative eye. The ideal stage for this play would be to mount it in a space like the M.N. Hydro Quebec Studio, maintaining the minimalist perspective but with a killer lighting design, and some avant-guard costuming; -Oh, and maybe 'en francais' as a bilingual production...food for thought for the producers next endeavor. GO C IT!