a profoundly affectionate, passionate devotion to someone (-noun) – REVIEW OF 2025 PRODUCTION AT TARRAGON THEATRE

Reviewed by James Karas 

a profoundly affectionate, passionate devotion to someone (-noun) is the long and pretentiously uncapitalized title of debbie tucker green’s play now showing at Tarragon Theatre in a coproduction with Obsidian Theatre. It is about domestic squabbles and specifically about three couples that we see separately talking, arguing, quarreling and rarely communicating. All of that struck a chord with many audience members on opening night.

The author is a British playwright with a commendable number of plays, many of which have been produced at the redoubtable Royal Court Theatre in London. a profoundly premiered at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in 2017. This is her first play that I have seen.

The characters are not given names and the first couple is A (Virgilia Griffith) and B (Dwain Murphy). They are arguing and set the standard for bickering and lack of communication that we will see many times during the 90-minute performance. Each person attempts to say something and is interrupted with a reply or a retort in midsentence, sometimes within several words. The second speaker’s reply is cut short by the first speaker and all we get is that these two people may have a point to make but interruptions and counter-interruptions are what we hear.

Initially the woman seems to have the upper hand but the stakes are equalized and we cannot choose a side except to scream SHUT UP to both of them and allow each other to finish a sentence and engage in a meaningful quarrel. Their squabbling goes through a number of scenes as the years of their marriage or cohabitation pass. They have a daughter and their discussion takes a calmer tone as they look at their child and try to figure out whom she resembles. In the end, they reach an impasse and we want to believe that they have found peace and may be able to speak in full sentences and may express full thoughts. The problem is we did not understand what they were bickering about except generalities. We need firmer ground and information to understand these people and not cardboard arguers.

Dwain Murphy and Virgilia Griffith. Photo: Jae Yang

The second couple consists of a middle-aged Woman (Warona Setshwaelo) and a Man (Andrew Moodie). She has motormouth without brakes as she launches her tirade against him. He tries to say something but has few chances to say anything. The scene with the two of them ends in an impasse that we would like think it will lead to peace. Again, we do not get the fundamental grounds for the squabble except the paper-thin exchanges.  

The last couple consists of a Young Woman (Jasmine Case) and a much older Man played by Andew Moody again. We see A walk across the stage and assume that the Young Woman is the daughter of A and B. The Man, played by the same actor as the Man of the second couple may be the same person, many years later, in a relationship with a much younger woman. In this May-December relationship, the Man is old enough to be the Young Woman’s father. They have the same problem with communication because neither allows the other to complete a sentence, let alone a thought. The same routine of you don’t listen, you don’t understand, and on and on and on and on.

The title, a profoundly affectionate, passionate devotion to someone may be a dictionary definition of love and the author may want us to believe that these couples’ relationships fall within that description. We hope that is true and their quarrels are realistic but, in the theatre, we want some more information about what gives substance to their love. Do they reach a revelation or a development in their relationship and see that they love each other or are they just exhausted and call a truce only to resume that fight later? It is not clear and the plot development is unsatisfactory.

Director Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu runs a tight ship and has disciplined the five actors in carrying on under tight rules. They do very well at it and deserve a great deal of credit.

Jawon Kang has designed an unrealistic set consisting of large triangular ramps and some small boxes, all in grey. Lighting Designer Raha Javanfar indicates the scene changes by subtle light changes. 
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a profoundly affectionate, passionate devotion to someone (-noun) by debbie tucker green, a Tarragon Theatre and Obsidian Theatre Company co-production,  continues until December 7, 2015, at the Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman Ave. Toronto, Ontario.  www.tarragontheatre.com

James Karas is the Senior Editor, Culture, of The Greek Press, Toronto.