I’ve asked Shelly to take a break from the reviewing seeing how this is my brother and all.

The Innocent Eye Test was the fart that Healey needed to release. Actually referring to people’s perchance to build up hate, the “fart” monologue turns out to be the most thoughtful and meaningful moment in this farce. Michael needed to get this play out there as he ventures into different writing genres. A typical Healey play is abundant with well written actrobatic comedy and Eye doesn’t dissapoint. However I’ve always equated “farce” with “Blake Edwards” (the later, forced, unfunny Blake) and this “farce” doesn’t dissapoint me in that way either.

Eye has all you’d expect in a farce: entrances, exits, slamming doors and mistaken identities, deftly handled by Christopher Newton (as an emerging actor, Michael sent Mr Newton a series of letters over a period of a year and later adapted it into a novella called “Dear Mr Newton” making Eye a bit of a cyclic moment for Healey). Eye had typical production woes as well, made evident by the loud mouthed patron behind me, eager to explain to whomever what scenes were re-written from the Winnipeg production, including the ending! Well thank you, you schmuck! Why not pull out your cell phone and do a play-by-play while you’re at it. And yeah, I know Kate Lynch too.

Eye pulls from my family life with low level reconnaisance accuracy (without giving away much of the plot): the gay husband on vacation, the Italian setting – a possible reference to my mother, my brother’s facination for the city of Vegas, vast amounts of drinking, and of course, the signature “lead character’s pants off in the saftey of their room” moment. I’m probably reading too much into all that but it’s easy to see where he’s getting his inspriation. Is my family a farce?

Who’s isn’t, when you take parts of it and put it up on stage?

In all, an excellent evening. I did find some of the Canadian vs American dialogue a bit atypical, almost mirrored from any episode of The Rick Mercer Report, but the majority of the play was brilliantly written, if I do say so myself. I have to mention the excellent work on the set design and lighting. In a farce, characters enter and exit with bravado and to have the cast all pour through Mona Lisa’s eye was a stroke of genius.

I give Innocent Eye Test an unbiased 4 out of 5.