Tom at the Farm

Christine Horne & Jeff Lillico in Tom at the Farm. Photo by Jeremy Mimnagh.

The English language debut of Michel Marc Bouchard’s gripping Tom At The Farm has finally arrived in Toronto, after being pulled from the Factory Theatre’s 2012 lineup. The French play, which was put on film in 2013 by Xavier Dolan, recounts the story of bereaved young urbanite Tom as he visits the backwoods family of his recently deceased boyfriend.

Arriving in the back of beyond for his boyfriend’s funeral, it soon becomes clear to Tom (Jeff Lillico) that his lover’s mother (Rosemary Dunsmore) and brother Francis (Jeff Irving), who somewhat creepily live alone together on a dairy farm, have no idea who he is. The play documents Tom’s experiences as he comes up against two forms of homophobia: the willful denial of his lover’s mother, and the malignant and violent hatred of Francis, who, it turns out, was well aware of his brother’s orientation.

The play’s dark themes of torture, homophobia and sadomasochism are brought into relief by moments of humour provided by Tom’s witty inner monologue throughout the play. An advertising copywriter, his acerbic wit provides a welcome relief from the intensity of Francis, who alternates between flirting with Tom and literally beating him up. The play reaches an absurd comic climax with the arrival of Sara (Christine Horne), a friend of Tom’s from the city who must to pretend she was his boyfriend's girlfriend to please his mother, even though she does not speak French.

The play is highly entertaining, with incredible performances across the board, bringing both the play’s humour and psychological darkness to life in equal measure, and the soundtrack is excellent. Camellia Koo’s sparse jail-like set provides the ideal backdrop, as Tom just cannot seem to get away from the farm. Why he stayed for so long is something I’m still puzzling over.

Tom at the Farm runs until May 10 at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Visit buddiesinbadtimes.com for more information and to buy tickets.