Philip Cairns
Tears of a Bullet, a searing drama written by Josh Downing and directed by Jeff Kennes at the Toronto Fringe Festival, is a fictionalized account of an incident in sci-fi writer Thomas Disch’s life. Stephen Flett plays Jim Abernathy, a gay writer who has recently lost his long time lover. The building’s maintenance man, Danny (Adrian Leckie) will get a nice bonus if he can get Jim out of the apartment by the end of the month. Jim’s lover didn’t put Jim’s name on the lease so, legally, he doesn’t have a leg to stand on.
Danny and his wife, Louise (Chantel McDonald) are a bible-thumping, homophobic couple, even though Louise’s long, lost brother is gay. At different times, both Louise and Danny go to Jim’s apartment to try to convince him to leave but Jim, who is in a wheelchair, has no place to go. Jim is angry and bitter and lashes out at both of them in a charmingly sarcastic manner. Louise and Jim end up making a personal connection because he tries to help her locate her brother.
All three actors are excellent, with the stand-out being Stephen Flett. He barks out his lines with cynical authority but we sense Jim’s pain and vulnerability underneath his brittle exterior. Leckie and McDonald have some wonderful scenes together, as they argue about Jim in their apartment. Downing’s heartfelt script boils with passion and rage and a deeply moving ending. Director Kennes has kept a tight rein on his actors and the emotions flow in this lovely, quiet, gentle production that was very satisfying to behold. Highly recommended.
Info and tickets to all Toronto Fringe shows can be found at fringetoronto.com
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