Conservatives in Love
Political sex farce - 75 minutes - 2m/2f with doubling
It begins innocently enough: two young women are taking the crammed subway home after a long day's work. The train jerks into a stop and one of the women falls against a handsome fellow traveller. Her lips land on his exposed white shirt and leave a large indelible mark - lipstick on his collar that will be horribly misinterpreted by the man's spouse upon his own arrival home.
Jason Jazrawy and Richard Lee, in Conservatives in Love. Photo by Philip Cygan.
And so it begins: a La Ronde-type stream of sexual confusion and desire that stumbles all over a modern city until it culminates in the reception hall of an Art Gallery. That'd be Art with a capital A and, tonight, it's the site of a meeting of the Young Conservatives. The play's ten characters trip in - some running from each other and others rushing towards each other and not one of them heading towards the person they should actually be heading to, or off. As, at the pass. Though two or three of them are definitely passing for something they're not, and all of them are making unwanted passes at people they want... All of which passes for pretty orgasmic fun, for conservatives.
Because - with one horrifying exception - they are all indeed conservatives, or think they are. And with horrifyingly no exceptions they are all horny and looking for love. Real love. Not just a chance to get their right-wing rocks off. And so begins the public tango of conservatives in love.
Conservatives in Love requires four actors, two male and two female, all in their twenties and thirties and adept at doubling and tripling. It uses a single, flexible set and runs about seventy-five minutes.
Conservatives in Love was workshopped by Pea Green Theatre Group at the Tarragon Theatre in January, 2007, and a public reading was held at the Gladstone Hotel that month. Actors were Marie Beath Badian, Darren Keay, Anne Page and Gray Powell. Sue Miner directed and Mark Brownell was dramaturge. The play premiered at The Fringe of Toronto Theatre Festival, where the entire run sold out and the play was chosen as NOW Magazine critic's choice of Best Play.
It opened on Wednesday, July 4, 2008 at the Toronto JCC, with the following cast and crew:
Jason Jazrawy: Alex McDonald, Ric Stac and Kenny
Richard Lee: Gustavo, Jimson Camper, Edward
Anne Page: Chelsea Pickett, Val Magnasson
Naomi Snieckus: Tiffany Esteves, Annette
Director: Sue Miner
Costumes by Nina Okens
Stage Management: Hilary Unger
Producer: Mark Brownell
Selected Reviews for the Fringe production
"Outstanding New Play", "Outstanding Direction" and "Outstanding Ensemble"
- NOW critics Jon Kaplan and Glenn Sumi
"A hilarious satire of Canadian conservatives performed by an outstanding cast playing multiple roles." Four Stars. Eye Weekly.
"Think of Dave Carley's latest as a wonderfully plotted French farce with a brain. Ten interconnected people find themselves caught up in politics and sexual adventures when they attend a Young Conservatives event at a local art gallery. The result is totally engaging and entertaining, with sharply drawn characters and zingers that skewer left, right and centre." NNNNN. Jon Kaplan, NOW.
"Conservatives in Love: what can I say? Smart, sexy and silly." Glen Sumi, NOW