Canary, enjoying its world premiere at the Liverpool Playhouse, is thought provoking, moving, and, of course, sprinkled with Jonathan Harvey’s razor sharp wit. Although, be warned, the frivolous TV antics of “Tom and Lindy” in Gimme Gimme Gimme this is not.
The flash of paparazzi bulbs bring with them a story of scandal and intrigue that spans three generations. The characters are bound together by one man’s web of deception, played out by both young and older actors, whose lives move back and forth between 1960s, 1980s and present day, eased by a very slick and simple set design.
We are invited to judge for ourselves how Tom, young and confused in the 1960s, came to see his life spiral through the decades under a cloud of secrecy and shame, imposed by both society and his own crushing fear of facing his feelings.
His wife Ellie, played by the wonderful Paula Wilcox, is revealed as both a wife and mother to gay men. But, ever the middle class stalwart, has learned to bury her feelings to the point of a nervous breakdown. Her anxious traits passed down to her long suffering daughter, who has been kept in the dark about her family’s firmly “closeted” secrets.
The play explores young police officer Tom’s memories, and the heartbreaking betrayal of his lover Billy. A young, vibrant, Irish lad, proud of his sexuality in a time when it was forbidden - illegal. Billy is sent away to have his “illness” cured via electro-shock therapy. The scenes which unfold will leave you sick to the stomach, and deeply ashamed that such a practice was so recently commonplace in Britain.
Next, we meet two young runaways, Russell and Michael, in 1980s London. The thrills of nightclub ‘Heaven’ are later juxtaposed with the Hellish reality of HIV and AIDS. We witness the appalling taboo, and falsehoods which circulated, causing the fear and judgment of homosexuals stirred up in connection with the spread of the disease.
However, Canary is certainly not all doom and gloom. It is political, yes, and even Mary Whitehouse and Margaret Thatcher get a good roasting. But much tongue-in-cheek dialogue helps lift us from the heavy subject matter Harvey forces us to confront. And, personally, I must applaud him for directing a caring assault on the modern “Gaydar.co.uk” generation. Some of whom seem ignorant, and positively blasé, about the fight for gay rights. Somewhat mindless youths today, both gay and straight, seek hedonistic delights without an apparent second thought to the risk of STDs, an issue delicately handled with comedic effect.
In short, this play is a superb exploration of one man’s struggle with sexuality, and the consequences which filter down through generations of his friends and family. At times uncomfortably honest, Canary highlights attitudes past and, sadly, still present in society.
8/10
Canary runs at Liverpool Playhouse until Saturday 15 May 2010. For full details please call 0151 709 4776 or visit www.everymanplayhouse.com to book your tickets.
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