In the Wake of Wettlaufer, written by Kelly McIntosh and Gil Garratt, who also directed, is a powerful artistic achievement but, more importantly, it puts a human face and sharp focus on a horrific tragedy that has exposed the weaknesses in a long-term care system in desperate need of repair, writes London Free Press reviewer Joe Belanger.
That this play incorporates the findings of Justice Eileen E. Gillese inquiry is remarkable. But its real achievement is it captures the human toll of Wettlaufer’s actions: killing eight elderly long-term care home residents, shattering families’ and the public’s confidence in the system, he wrote, after watching the Aug. 7 preview.
In The Wake of Wettlaufer is an important piece of Canadian theatre and one can only hope that it will be shared on many other stages to many more audiences, if only so they experience the powerful closing scene that will force them to examine their own truths, their own family relationships and ponder a profoundly disturbing moment in our history, he wrote.
Please visit The Free Press website to read the full review.
Photos: Blyth Festival’s In the Wake of Wettlaufer, co-written by Kelly McIntosh and Gil Garratt runs until Sept. 6. It features Caroline Gillis, Nathan Howe, Jane Spidell, Rachel Jones and Robert King.Creative team is: Gil Garratt, director and set designer; Rebecca Picherack, lighting designer; Lyon Smith, sound designer; and Gemma James-Smith, costume designer. Stage management by Christine Oakey and Daniel Oulton. Photo credit: Terry Manzo.