The Darling Family: A Duet For Three
Synopsis:
Made into a feature film directed by Alan Zweig. Nominated for Dora Award for Outstanding New Play, Outstanding Performance by a Female, Nominated for The Governor General's Award. This play has been performed more than all of Griffiths' work, mainly by young companies - London England, New York (three productions), Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, recent Toronto productions. . .
"Subtitled A Duet for Three, the apparently simple theme is about as basic as you can get. Man and Woman meet: three months later she's pregnant. They talk about it. No need or room for frills here. The stage is bare, just an electric heater, and a small dish containing exotic substances. He and She stand, lean on a wall, sit, stretch out, gesture, curl up, squat, kneel and wander slowly about. Yet that is merely the framework for the raw power of Griffiths' writing. They tear themselves apart, examine inch by tormented inch the consequences of their moment of passion. It's riveting and at times their harrowing thoughts are spoken out loud, on occasion simultaneously. It's a device that works and The Darling Family is simply brilliant. "
Geoff Chapman, The Toronto Star
