In Bare Stage’s production of “The Best Brothers,” two brothers process the unexpected (and somewhat dramatic) death of their mother.
If you think this is a sad play, you’d be wrong. Daniel MacIvor’s play is quite funny and the two actors bring out the best in the script. The show was staged November 22 to 24.
The opening scene shows both brothers in their separate work environments. Younger brother Kyle (Patrick Trotter) is a real estate agent. Older brother Hamilton (Brian Kaulback) is an architect. They each receive the phone call informing them of their mother’s fatal accident, and we see their different reactions. In the following scene, the brothers come together to write their mother’s obituary and to plan her funeral.
In a sense, the brothers are stereotypes. Hamilton is uptight, straightforward, and seemingly always angry. Kyle is the gay younger brother who wants to serve fancy sandwiches at their mother’s visitation and who dithers about every decision. The brother argue about most everything. In between the cleverly scripted scenes of the two arguing, we hear directly from their deceased mother, Bunny. Each brother takes a turn playing Bunny. We learn about her failed marriage, her many lovers, her experience with hallucinogenic medicine ceremonies, her struggle to find herself, and her decision to get a dog. After Bunny’s death, Hamilton is deceived into taking in her beloved Italian greyhound Enzo (who’s as adorable as Satan), which leads to its own set of problems.
Please login or subscribe to view the complete article.