Cake and Dirt

David Storch, Maggie Huculak, Laara Sadiq, Patrick Kwok-Choon, Maria Vacratsis, Bethany Jillard. Photo by Jeremie Warshafsky.

Daniel MacIvor takes a stab at Toronto's entitled class in Cake and Dirt, now playing in the Tarragon Theatre Mainspace.

The story begins the day after a champagne-drenched 50th birthday party for lawyer Jeff (David Storch) hosted by his smug, alcoholic ex-wife Bryn (played by a perfectly dry Maggie Huculak). In the opening scene we meet Riley (Bethany Jillard), Jeff and Bryn's over-confident daughter who is at the centre of MacIvor's mysterious plot. She hangs out across the street from their high-end Rosedale condo in a park that is being developed into a town square. After playing the audience her Foxy Brown ring tone, Riley tells us that has two phones—a detail that becomes important later.

In the next scene we find out that Riley has been missing since the night of the party. Bryn is scouring the internet for clues that might point to her daughter's whereabouts. She confronts Nina (Maria Vacratsis) their long-suffering maid and nanny about a missing pair of earrings and accuses her of hiding something. Nina occasionally speaks to Riley in Greek, a language only the two of them can understand. She also claims to be able to communicate with the dead.

Meanwhile Jeff is nursing a hangover and arguing with his new wife Naline (Laara Sadiq) as the events of the night before come back to haunt them. We learn that Jeff injured his elbow in a drunken confrontation with Jason (Patrick Kwok-Choon,) a municipal politician known as "Councillor Flip-Flop" who arrived unannounced at the party. Jeff resents the young councillor for approving the plan to pave over his beloved park.

MacIvor then takes us back to the night of the party, and we become witness to the ugly truth of what happened. The party scene is the most entertaining of the piece with Storch delivering a hilarious performance as the animated and inebriated Jeff. 

MacIvor's script is cleverly structured to keep you guessing and contains some scorching social commentary. Unfortunately the characters are as shallow as their attitudes. We never get to understand why they behave the way they do which in the end makes Cake and Dirt a bit hard to swallow. 

Cake and Dirt runs until April 15 at Tarragon Theatre. Visit tarragontheatre.com for more information and to buy tickets.