There is nothing more Godly than to visit a foreign country and serve someone or a community in need. Mother Theresa did it and quite frankly, she made it look easy. Based on true events, the SummerWorks festival’s The Good Story features a young Alex who believes that God has sent her to an orphanage in India to help. Even though her cause is noble, Alex finds herself in way over her head as she discovers that ‘helping’ someone may not be all that it’s cut out to be.
A heart-wrenching story written by Playwright Alexa Gilker, The Good Story takes us through a journey that makes you question goodness in society. As someone who is very familiar with the caste system and the oppression of women (especially women who are considered of ‘lower’ caste), I sadly wasn’t surprised by all the atrocities that were done by Rajini (owner of the orphanage).
If I speak to anyone in India, the one thing that they would consistently say is that there is a lot of corruption in India. Alexa touched on this by addressing what could go wrong even when intentions are good. She challenged our perceptions and attitudes by bringing up the fact that bad things can also happen right here at home and by people we seemingly know the best.
All the actors committed to their roles but I particularly loved Rajini’s (performed by Sehar Bhojani) performance. She had great stage presence and excellent comedic timing. The little inserts of humour was definitely a nice touch in this good vs evil storyline.
The cast was diverse and brought a lot to the stage. As a very minor detail, it would have been great to have a go-to place where we could access more information about the cast and crew. As an audience member, I love being able to read a bio or directors notes after a play — especially to learn more about them or the play.
The Good Story is a beautifully told story that as we learn while watching the show, isn’t always ‘good’. There were moments where I laughed and times when I was sad. I love a show that takes me to different parts of the world where can I immerse myself into other cultures. If that is something that you also enjoy, then you don’t want to miss The Good Story.
Details
The Good Story plays at The Theatre Centre Mainspace (1115 Queen Street West)
Show times:
Thursday August 7, 5:00pm
Saturday August 9, 5:30pm
Sunday August 10, 9:30pm *Talkback After*
Tuesday August 12, 5:00pm
Thursday August 14, 10:00pm
Saturday August 16, 7:00pm
Sunday August 17, 4:30pm
All individual SummerWorks tickets are $15 at the door (cash only).
Tickets are available online at http://summerworks.ca
By phone by calling the Ticketwise Call Centre at 416-907-0468, in person at the SummerWorks Info Booth – located at The Theatre Centre (1115 Queen Street West) August 7th-17th from 10AM – 7PM (Advance tickets are $15 + service fee)