Memorial

GRID RATING: 8/10

Starring Mark Crawford. Written by Steven Gallagher. Directed by D. Jeremy Smith. Factory Theatre Studio, to Jan. 13.

Dylan, the terminally ill protagonist of Steven Gallagher’s Memorial, isn’t going gently into that good night—he’s bitching all the way. A high-maintenance control freak, he tests the devotion of the two people closest to him, his husband-to-be, Trevor (Pierre Simpson) and older sister, Ruth (Mary Francis Moore). Gallagher addresses the complicated feelings of the patient and his loved ones with bracing honesty and humour. Mark Crawford as Dylan evolves from a funny pain in the ass to a sympathetic man dealing with death the only way he knows how. Expect to exit with a lump in your throat.