All is not right in the Sutton Family home — starting with the fact that none of them seem to realize their house is sinking.
Ottawa Little Theatre’s 37 Postcards kicks off the summer as a quirky and snappy comedy written by Michael McKeever. Under Riley Stewart’s direction, the play will run until June 28 as the theatre’s fourth show in its 2025 season.
Exploring themes of loss, love and family, the play suggests the best way to cope with life’s difficulties is togetherness.
After eight years in Europe, Avery Sutton (Dawson Fleming) brings his fiancée, Gillian More (Lindsey Keene), home to meet his wealthy Connecticut family, only to discover that everything has gone off the rails. His house is tilted, his parents, Evelyn (Dianna Renee Yorke) and Standard (Lawrence Eenchick) are chronically distracted, his aunt (Andrée Benson) runs a questionable call line, and his late — or so he thought — grandmother (Sarah Hearn) and family dog have returned from the dead, wilder than ever.
Thoughtfully designed, full of humour and dotted with heartfelt moments, Ottawa Little Theatre crafted a fast-paced performance that was visually enchanting and emotionally provocative.
On a technical level, the play was a decadent and cohesive affair.
Skillfully crafted and subtly off-kilter, Gillean Denny Bernier’s expansive living room set effectively mirrored the self-neglect our characters fell into over eight years, while maintaining their eccentricity through bright colours and deco detailing.
Jennifer Barkley’s numerous props were another highlight. Complete with a clutter of family photos, stacks of disordered books and nautical trinkets covering the walls, the props gave the grand set its immersive, lived-in quality.
Peggy Laverty’s tasteful costumes further captured character and tone. From bright, bold linens to curled-toe slippers paired with stylish patterns and textures, costumes transported audiences into the characters’ opulent lives.
In the role of Gillian, Carleton University alumna Lindsay Keene tackled her character’s can-do facade with the humorous ability to convey meaning without saying a word. When introduced to Avery’s vicious grandmother, Keene’s rapid headshakes and wide-eyed expression immediately snapped into false cheer when Nana deigned to notice her, drawing bursts of laughter from audience members.
Sarah Hearn’s portrayal of Nana was delightfully vulgar when dragged on stage by other characters. Through gruffly delivered one-liners, Hearn offered an amusing, consistent presence in the face of Avery’s inner turmoil.
As Gillian becomes increasingly exasperated with the Suttons’ antics, her positive attitude yields to an angry outburst directed at her fiancé. Keene and Dawson Fleming’s dynamic chemistry propelled the scene with their over-the-top choices and back-and-forth exchanges that left audiences in stitches.
Whether met with Gillian’s anger or his family’s peculiar habits, Fleming perfectly balanced Avery’s emotional journey with his extreme bewilderment. His bold physicality, when confronted with commanding personalities, was as exaggerated as it was joyous to witness. Conversely, in introspective monologues, his searching gaze and hesitant voice were illustrative of his impressive range and representative of larger themes of emotional homecoming in the play.
Meanwhile, Andrée Benson strikes a curious figure as Avery’s entrepreneurial aunt. Her sweet disposition contrasted with her salacious phone calls in a hilariously refreshing subplot when tensions ran high around Avery.
However, some jokes fell flat. While out-of-date references lost younger audience members, or jokes about never-ending trust funds felt at times out of touch, the cast quickly recaptured audiences with their deep emotional heart.
The cast’s ability to balance raw emotions like grief under unbelievable circumstances was transfixing. More sombre scenes saw Lawrence Eenchick’s proud Stanford collapsed on the floor, trying to hide his pain, or Dianna Renee Yorke’s pious Evelyn uncharacteristically desperate shout, unable to ignore what’s been haunting her, in one particularly emotionally compelling sequence.
Heartfelt and rife with comedy, 37 Postcards was a charming production that will leave audiences in a better mood than when they entered into the quirky lives — and tilted house — of the Sutton family.
Featured image by Maria Vartanova
