Life is full of “what if”s: what if I don’t go to school and become a musician? What if the store I work at closes? What if the guy from across the street wants to do more than flirt? What if my husband gets diagnosed with a terminal disease? Jill Daum’s Forget About Tomorrow, beautifully directed by Peter Pasyk, looks at some of life’s most daunting “what if”s and explores them through the life of a family. Though full of amusing moments, Forget About Tomorrow asks hard questions about illness and how it ripples through the loved ones around you.

Jane is about to become an empty-nester, which is delightfully ironic as she works at a store called The Nest. Jane’s daughter Wynn is at university in Toronto and her son, Aaron, is about to move to Montreal. Her husband Tom is a therapist with a great group of friends and an avid social life. Jane’s boss Lori seems to be getting herself into all kinds of intriguing mischief, including taking on a lover despite being married. Jane’s already feeling funny about it just being her and Tom in the house, when suddenly Tom gets an unexpected diagnosis: he has early onset Alzheimer’s. This throws the life of the entire family into a tizzy, as Tom’s condition becomes ever more apparent. Then Wayne walks into Jane’s store, and her life, and nothing will ever be the same.

Peter Pasyk is using the full capacity of Here For Now Theatre’s new space with this production. Jung A Im’s beautiful set, featuring hexagonal floating shelves (which my fiancé loved) and a baby-pink counter space (which I loved), Jane can seamlessly transition between work and home. The shelves actually lit up differently for when Jane was at home versus when she was at work, which is greatly appreciated as all of the set pieces stay on stage throughout. Another element which is cleverly done is the way the video calls are represented: the two parties stand a few feet apart, looking towards the audience, while the rest of the stage goes dark except for two spotlights on the performers. It totally gives the illusion of a video call without having to use projection and I was quite impressed.

Throughout the piece, Tom, Aaron, and Wynn could often be found sitting along the side of the stage, watching what’s occurring. I thought the dynamic was interesting as intimate things were happening with Jane that the other characters then don’t know about when she tells them, yet technically they’ve witnessed it all from the sidelines. However, those spaces were also used for the performers to play music during scene transitions which, like the lighting, were helpful to understand the passage of time and change of location.

While this play is listed as a Dramatic Comedy, I have to admit it’s far more heavy on the drama than the comedy, especially compared to their last offering Stick Around. There are several funny moments and Lori gives some of the best comedic lines (Beeavge is definitely making it into my regular vocabulary), Forget About Tomorrow is heart wrenching. For myself, a diagnosis of something like Alzheimer’s or Dementia is essentially my worst nightmare, and these characters are only about ten years older than I am; it made it feel very real, and very scary. Yet Tom’s medical issues aren’t the only ones discussed in the play: in one of the video calls, Wynn is having extreme stomach pains and has to go to the hospital. However we don’t get any resolution as to what’s happened to Wynn or what the source of the stomach issues was, we just know that she eventually comes back home to stay with her parents. While it’s a minor detail, it was something I was still curious about after the show was done.

Raquel Duffy stars as Jane and she gives an emotionally charged performance. Duffy brings her soul to this role and it shows throughout the play. Geoffrey Pounsett’s Tom is sweet and fun, making his decline all the more tragic. Pounsett’s musicality and vivacity are ever-present in his portrayal. Pamela Sinha is the perfect comedic relief as Lori; every time she comes on stage we’re dying to know what shenanigans Lori’s gotten up to next. Sinha’s natural comedic timing and bubbly personality shine. Kevin Bundy’s Wayne is pure charisma; it’s absolutely no wonder that Jane falls for him. Bundy’s chemistry with Duffy is undeniable and he’s an interesting foil to Pounsett’s Tom. Annie Lockerbie Newton and Sam Snyders play Wynn and Aaron. They’re both able to hold their own amongst a seasoned cast and they’re certainly names I’ll be keeping my eye out for in future.

Forget About Tomorrow is a moving and, most importantly, thought-provoking piece of theatre. No one wants to think about what would happen if they received a diagnosis like this, and yet it opens the door for discussion and maybe even making plans. Truly showing the ups and downs of life, Forget About Tomorrow leaves you pondering what tomorrow may bring.

Forget About Tomorrow has just been extended until July 6! For more information and tickets, visit: https://www.herefornowtheatre.com/forgetabouttomorrow

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Cover Photo: Raquel Duffy and Geoffrey Pounsett. Photo by Ann Baggley.

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