GREG REESE
Arts Editor

Greystone Theatre’s latest production Reckless was, in fact, reckless, fast-paced and really funny — that’s certain. But it was also confused.

Fortunately, many of the scenes struck the right balance between reality and absurdity thanks to Jenna-Lee Hyde’s brilliant and convincing portrayal of the well-meaning motor mouth, Rachel. Jacob Yaworski also rose to the occasion as the gentle, if quietly disturbed, Lloyd. However, a combination of some weak acting and constant set changes made an otherwise compelling production somewhat jarring and incongruous.

Needless to say, the script controls where and when a given scene ends, and it would be unfortunate to throw out the baby with the bath water — there is some masterfully written dialogue in Reckless — but the stage hands spent nearly as much time in front of the audience as the actors did. And there are tricks to make quick set changes more bearable for an audience — having a few sets on stage at the same time, for one.

Still, the story should appeal to fans of dark comedy. A mix of the sinister and the hilarious, with a backdrop of the rural U.S. in midwinter, made me think of the Cohen brothers’ Fargo and, more recently, Burn After Reading — two films that also walk the line between epic and mundane.

The story of Reckless begins simply: one Christmas, Rachel’s husband Tom takes out a contract out on her life, informing her of her imminent peril only moments before the assassin is set to arrive. She is then shooed out the window and into an unknown world. Her only defence against a series of cruel events is to yammer her way through it all.

The very post-modern dilemmas of uncertainty, identity and the loss of meta-narrative in an unforgiving world are tossed about as Rachel voices seemingly every profound or inane thought in her head.

“Do we ever really know people?” Rachel asks her new friend Lloyd (whose wife has incidentally been faking deafness since they began dating — reiterating a “No, nobody knows anybody, not that well.”)

Rachel’s quest for meaning takes her through a handful of therapists and the opportunity for some genuinely comic moments. The therapist scenes helped balance the second act with the hilarity of the first.

Though the play wasn’t a total success and wasn’t consistent, it was enjoyable and thought provoking. And with a larger audience, the energy of the play would have grown considerably. Unfortunately, the end of the play fizzled in a heartwarming platitude that was at variance with earlier themes. In other words, the play was quite fun but also flawed.

Reckless plays at the Greystone Theatre at 8 p.m. nightly until Nov 28.

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photo: Robby Davis