Guest Reviewer Kym Vaitiekus Shares His Thoughts On TOM AT THE FARM

Tuesday 30th August 2022, 7:30pm, KXT Theatre

Michael Marc Bouchard's TOM AT THE FARM is the directorial debut of Danny Ball.

Ball has assembled a fine cast to present this layered and complex piece that touches on the journeys of those that use avoidance, fear, violence and hidden truths to survive their relationships and to save themselves from their own realities.

Tom (Zoran Jevtic) arrives at the failing family farm to attend the funeral of his deceased partner William. Tom then endures William's violent brother Francis (Rory O'Keeffe), who demands that Tom keeps William in the closet and to continue the lie of Natalie, William's so called girlfriend.

William's mother Agatha (Di Adams) grieves her loss and tries to find solace in hearing about her son's life in the city.

Tom must endure the aggressive and heavy-handed approach that Francis inflicts on him when dealing with his brother's life and with the loss of a sibling.

We watch the unusual relationships develop and change as they prepare and attend the funeral and as Tom stays on to help the ailing farm.

To Francis' surprise, Tom invites Sara (Hannah Raven) to convince Agatha of Natalie's existence. This event reveals more truths for all involved. The fallout is profound.

Jevtic's Tom is earnest, tender, introspective and engaging. With finesse he plays the troublesome soul that is bewildered by his partner's family and past life. O'Keeffe is the epitome of the aggressive, demanding and brutal male that expresses his view of the world through violence and agony. Adams beautifully plays the distraught, pained and yearning mother who carefully balances the desire for honesty with a reluctance to seek the truth. Raven's Sara embodies the self-serving city friend with good yet sly intentions.

Set Designer Kate Beere along with Lighting Designers, Kate Baldwin and Alice Stafford have created a clever, sparse, and fitting set that provides dramatic visuals. The combination of the stage and lighting is superb. The choice of a mirrored backdrop metaphorically represents the characters' avoidance while giving the audience opportunities to see the actors faces more often in this double-sided stage set up. This was often required as in some of the scenes the blocking led to half the audience watching actor's backs and profiles. It's a creative choice to give the viewer alternative perspective yet these need to be carefully placed and timed.

Ball has presented a well-rehearsed and dedicated piece. There are some poignant and charged moments. As when Tom has the opportunity to express his deep feelings through the words of the so-called girlfriend's communication, and when Tom experiences the miracle of birth, then when the truth is revealed to the entire family.

Bouchard has commented on his work: "Let me try this phrase: We can all lend an ear to the pain of love, somehow, in some way, every day. Homosexuals learn to lie before they learn to love. We are courageous mythomaniacs."

This production's promo is: "Tom arrives at a failing, isolated dairy farm in rural Ontario. It is the family property of his deceased partner, William, and he has come to attend the funeral. Before long, William's mother, Agatha, and brother, Francis, draw Tom into a tragic, violent and sexually charged game of cat and mouse. Will Tom escape the farm, or will he continue the legacy of violence that has come before him?"

Given that this was a preview performance I felt somewhat that the work didn't quite hit the mark. This was a combination of the book itself and of this production's approach.

The piece portrays family troubled relationships, individuals with secrets and souls striving to survive, yet the work doesn't quite deliver on expectations.

The script includes spoken and inner thoughts which leads to convey more of the story. In this performance there wasn't a clear delineation between the inner and outspoken dialogue which created some confusion.

Tom is subjected to the violence and abuse inflicted by Francis which proposes the question: why doesn't Tom just leave. Maybe his reluctance to run would make sense if the sexual tension between the two men was more apparent. The fear of imminent violence was the tension of the night rather than an exploration into intimacy between the two. Francis's interest in Tom is not quite clear, is he sexually attracted to him or is he using attraction as another form of abuse.

Agatha is the unaware and tentative mother who becomes the assertive demanding patriarch once she learns the truth. This direction is curious as it almost comes across as a character change rather than Agatha's evolution.

There are many themes in the work. A mother's journey to understand her sons and the relationship between them. How one deals with homosexuality, both closeted and self-aware. The violence of masculinity. The things we do and don't do for love.

If the piece is purely a thriller, then it delivers with style. But it feels like it's meant to be more than a titillating yarn. In the ninety minutes it touches on the many themes without being completely clear on any.

Due to the fine work of the cast and crew there are intense, affecting, and emotional moments that are portrayed with powerful imagery. As a complete work, the message is uncertain. But there is food for thought in this provocative piece.

TOM AT THE FARM is currently playing at the KXT in the original Kings Cross venue missing out on being the debut play at the new location for KXT on Broadway.

KXT is COVID safe, masks and vaccination are mandatory.

Content Warning contains homophobia, abuse, coarse language, and depictions of violence and gore.

Photographs courtesy of http://www.kingsxtheatre.com/tom

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