True

Ingrid Doucet, Shannon Taylor, Layne Coleman, Sabrina Grdevich and Scott McCord in True.

Fringe 2014’s most critically acclaimed play, Rosa Labordé’s True, has returned with its outstanding original ensemble to the Citizenry Café at 982 Queen St. until September 13.

Set in a café just like the one the audience is sitting in, this intimate, site-specific play provides an of-the-moment glance into the lives of three very different sisters as they collectively deal with their estranged father’s unexpected return with dementia. Remaining vague so as not to give anything away, I will simply assert that the opening scene of the play effortlessly blurs the line between fiction and reality, and in doing so establishes the play’s central question: Where is the line between fiction and reality, and can either exist without memory?

You are not in for a light evening; however, Labordé’s slice-of-life script is as touching and funny as its theme is daunting. Inventively weaving together aspects of contemporary cognitive theory from brain plasticity, to addiction, to the connection between music and memory, the script is both profound and entertaining. The powerhouse cast is in top form as they catapult the audience through time and space into memories and imagined realities, while never leaving the Citizenry Café (except when the characters literally do go outside to smoke, or to start the barbeque for a dinner that never quite materializes).

Veteran Layne Coleman is utterly convincing as Roy, an alcoholic afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease, whose erratic and violent past behaviour has left his daughters wary of him, to say the least. As the three sisters, Ingrid Rae Doucet (Cece), Sabrina Grdevich (Marie) and Shannon Taylor (Anita) each give outstanding performances, and together capture the sibling dynamic with pitch perfection. Scott McCord is equally excellent, bringing some levity to the situation as Franco, Marie’s somewhat bewildered husband, a former drug addicted musician with an enthusiasm for sharing eccentric new-age wellness rituals with the room.

Don’t miss the opportunity to play a fly on the wall at the Citizenry Café for True. Click here for more information and to buy tickets.