Review: A LINE IN THE SAND is Intense, Intimate and Heartbreaking

The next piece in Factory Theatre's Naked Season is Guillermo Verdecchia and Marcus Youssef's acclaimed play, A LINE IN THE SAND. Nigel Shawn Williams directs this stripped down and intimate production about a tense and unconventional relationship between a Canadian soldier and a young Palestinian teenager during the Iraq War. Morgan David Jones stars as Canadian solider Mercer and newcomer Danny Ghantous as the young Sadiq. Dora Award-winner John Cleland rounds out the cast as the intimidating Colonel.

The play centres around brief encounters between Mercer and Sadiq, in a forbidden friendship that almost crosses the line. Sadiq sells Mercer photos of women to satisfy his desires while he is at war and away from his girlfriend back home. Throughout the entire first act, intense sexual tension and desire draw the characters closer together. The chemistry between Jones and Ghantous is undeniable - their innocent banter, playful interactions and witty remarks are beautifully painful as their friendship steers towards a forbidden edge. Audiences are left tension-filled as their relationship grows stronger and stronger in each scene in the first act.

The second act puts the entire issue into perspective and highlights the dangers and fragility of war. How does friendship lead to murder and torture? What forces led to this brutal and abrupt end of a young life? What part, if any did Mercer play in his friend's death? A LINE IN THE SAND leaves audiences on edge as it pieces together a painfully honest and real narrative that hits close to home. The resulting consequences of their friendship force the audience to take a closer look at Canada's role in the war.

Morgan David Jones is no stranger to theatre, starring opposite Cate Blanchett in the Sydney Theatre Company's production of A Streetcar Named Desire in his native Australia. Jones captivates the stages, seamlessly interweaving between a strong and confident solider, and a heartbreakingly confused and innocent man. His emotional arc throughout the journey takes a distinct shift in the second act and his strong command of the stage and material carries the production. Jones' very different interactions between Ghantous in the lighter first act, and Cleland in the heavier second act showcases his diverse range of talent.

Ryerson Theatre School student Danny Ghantous is ambitious in his first major role. Ghantous brings a strong sense of innocence to the role and in his encounters with Jones on stage. John Cleland anchors the show in its intense second act, solidifying this piece as one of the strongest in Factory's Naked Season.

Director Nigel Shawn Williams' take on Factory's naked vision centers around an sandbox stage at the heart of the Studio Space. This central staging creates an intimacy and realness to the production. Factory Theatre's season has been a remarkable showcase of diverse Canadian talent telling even more diverse Canadian stories and A LINE IN THE SAND is no exception. It's an intense, intimate and heartbreaking production that deserves to be seen.

A LINE IN THE SAND is presented as part of Factory Theatre's Naked Season. On stage until March 27, 2016. More information at www.factorytheatre.ca.