Lullaby
Presented by Dark Horse Theatre
Directed by Jennifer H. Capraru
Written by Thelon Oeming
Runs November 3-18, 2007 at Simone Interiors in Parkdale
By Kerry Freek
Posted November 6th, 2007.
Hey, remember when somebody spray-painted DRAKE YOU HO THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT (and then DRAKE YOU PIMP THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT) on the side of the (then) new Starbucks on the corner of Queen and Dovercourt? It doesn't matter who did it — a whiny art kid, a human rights activist, a longtime resident of Parkdale, whoever, whatever. But it definitely gave folks a visual, verbal expression of what was (and is) happening to Parkdale, with its condos and Starbucks and skyrocketing property value.
The debut production of Dark Horse Theatre, Lullaby is the result of five years of observation and residency in Parkdale. Writer Thelon Oeming uses gentrification as a backdrop for interaction between his characters, and, more importantly, statements on morality and humanity.
Looch (Dusan Dukic) and Leandra (Amy Rutherford) are a young couple with a new investment in an old house in Parkdale. Backed financially by Looch's father, they've started renovating the house with no idea of its history as a cramped boarding house — until they meet Kenny (played impeccably by David Ferry).
Fresh out of Kingston Pen and in his mid-fifties, Kenny has returned to Parkdale. He rents out Looch and Leandra's unfinished basement in an attempt to find the sense of home he once knew. But the area is changing — wealthier people, fancy shops, condo construction. Save for a couple of bars, none of what Kenny remembers is the same.
Looch and Leandra develop a surface relationship with Kenny, caught between befriending and despising the guy — accepting his gifts and, at the same time, blaming him for their problems. But as Leandra learns to see past Kenny's unrefined exterior, the two become each other's confidantes, and Looch's jealousy escalates into a personal conflict that becomes violent.
Performed in the back of Simone Interiors (ironically, an interior design shop on Queen West), Lullaby's set is stark, mostly white, and evokes a house under renovation. In Looch and Leandra's part of the house, details like Ikea lamps, a futon, and some raw silk pillows convey their yuppie lifestyle, while Kenny's basement apartment is outfitted with a card table, an old couch, and the smell of stale smoke.
While Dukic and Rutherford make a believable couple, their interaction filled with nuances like upside-down kisses and strokes on the cheek, it's Ferry who carries the show, reminding us that we've definitely met Kenny before. Ferry’s mastered the right balance between likeable and not-so-savoury characteristics: he's a sentimental, generous guy with some internal damage: an anger problem, uncouth language, and a slight know-it-all complex (especially when it comes to construction). Right — and the fact that he's an ex-con. But his heart is in the right place, and we see it in his efforts to please Looch and Leandra.
A hot topic in the Toronto media over the last few years, Parkdale's gentrification provides a reason to defend the symptomatic displacement of what Lullaby's director calls "marginalized" people. But Lullaby takes it one step further, exploring the reasons that we avoid involvement with strangers, and at what cost we do so. As Parkdale becomes a hot spot for affluent art collectors, out move the people that we pass every day on Queen West — people who require affordable housing, a sense of community, and some respect and compassion — just like everyone else.