University Players presents romantic thriller ‘Love and Human Remains’

Combining the tenderness of a coming-of-age romance with the intensity of a thriller, the fifth show of University Players’ season turns up the heat in Brad Fraser’s ‘Love and Human Remains.’ Based in Edmonton, the production explores the lives of six romantically frustrated young adults attempting to explore the meaning of love. Front and centre is David, a homosexual waiter who has given up both on love and his acting career until he meets Kane, a young busboy who idolizes him. His roommate Candy, disenchanted with men, attracts the advances of both Jerri, the locker room lesbian, and the secretive and seductive Robert. Rounding out the cast is the chronically belligerent Bernie and the exotic Benita, a psychic dominatrix who doles out advice among other things - to the other characters. While the characters deal with a variety of personal issues relating to romanticism and adulthood, the story carries a violent twist as a serial killer terrorizes the city, leading to a darkly comic, yet resonant play. Director Heather Davies calls the production a “timeless story” and a genre highlight within Canadian theatre that pushes the boundaries of contemporary art. Not only is it wonderful to see inclusive communities represented on the stage, she notes the strong commentary the play provides on adulthood, specifically in how it may start later in life than initially anticipated. “Particularly in our 20s, we can have a lot of uncommitted relationships and are still figuring out what it means to be an adult in a relationship, and that’s a large part of this story,” Davies said. “They think they know each other, but through the course of the play they discover deeply dark and unfortunate secrets about one of the people in the group. There are always possibilities that we’re going to be surprised as we get to know people over a longer period of time.”

Love and Human Remains opens March 2 through March 11 at the Hatch Studio Theatre, located within the Jackman Dramatic Art Centre at the University of Windsor. Wednesday through Saturday performances are at 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m. Tickets are $8 to $22 and can be purchased at www.UniversityPlayers.com or by calling 519-253-3000 ext. 2808.