Review: 'Criminals in Love'

George F. Walker's Criminals in Love tells a tangled tale of a young couple getting involved with disorganized thieves and a philosophical street bum. The play, first seen in 1984, remains a lively light comedy about a bunch of dysfunctional dreamers.

The story deals with Junior Dawson and his girlfriend, Gail trying to carve out a life for themselves despite their social disadvantages. Junior's father is in prison for his part in a botched robbery, but even so he is facilitating a plan to allow his brother to continue the family's organized crime business using Junior's home a base of operations. Junior, who believes in destiny, doesn't have enough spine to refuse and so begins the couple's involvement with petty crimes such as steeling tins of baked beans from the Salvation Army. 

Along the way, Junior and Gail befriend William, a grizzled old man who lives on the street despite having a bank account stuffed with money. William's oddball philosophies provide the first half with many of the laugh lines and Peter Higginson's performance is one of the joys of this production.

Another is Neil Adams' goofy take on Junior.  From the opening scene where he has his head buried underneath his girlfriend's sweater, though a later point which calls for him to spend a good deal of time running around in his underwear, Adams makes Junior a lovable doofus.

Helping endear him to us is the love of his mother-figure girlfriend, Gail. Actress Esther Maloney is given what could be a thankless task, that of the most relatively normal character of the group, but she finds several moments in which to shine, So does Evelyn Wiseman as her kooky hooker girlfriend.

The scene-stealer here is Annemieka Wade playing Junior's kissing bandit aunt. The logic behind her petty thievery aside, she creates a vividly realistic performance as the leader of this motley crew of reluctant burglars.

The one odd-note in the script is the almost too realistic role of Junior's abusive father, Henry, played here with menace by Jon-Paul Khouri. You almost wish Junior would just sever ties with his father, but then there would be no play.

The production is briskly paced with the scene changes covered by some original music created in 80's pastiche style by the band Boyballz. It's another attention to detail that helps make this show so enjoyable.

Criminals in Love continues at Hart House Theatre until January 26. Tickets are $20 and available by calling the box office at 416-978-8849 or visit www.harthousetheatre.ca for more information.

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