Brad's Reviews > Problem Child

The cracks in our society are wide. Our self-appointed do-gooders often do no good at all. And our have-nots are often tossed aside or trampled on as society "cares" for the vulnerable. George F. Walker must have seen this somewhere in his life, for his play Problem Child hits the dirty windows that cover up these social shortcomings with a high-pressure wash.

He doesn't seem to be saying that there is no place for assistance, or for those in power to protect the vulnerable, but he is definitely saying that many of those who take on the jobs of protection (much like high school bullies who become police officers) are not suitable to the jobs they have adopted. Like the aforementioned cops, many of them take on their jobs for the power and control it gives them, then they go onto abuse that power.

Problem Child tells this tale with humour -- often quite dark humour -- mixed with a healthy serving of unflinching reality. All of its four characters are deeply flawed, but the three at the mercy of the one are doing the best they can in a world stacked against them. That "best they can" is a long way from "good" but it is real, and it allows us to feel their pain and pull for them against the man.

Another dark slice of Canadiana, Problem Child is a play I need to see staged.