What: “Where the Blood Mixes”
Where: Belfry Theatre
When: Tuesday-Sunday until Feb. 21
How much: $23-$38

It’s not everyday you get to see a Governor General award-winning play. But, until Feb. 21, you have the opportunity to check out Kevin Loring’s “Where the Blood Mixes,” a dark tale of residential school survivors in the N’Lakap’mux First Nations community of Lytton, B.C.

After its run at the Belfry, “Where the Blood Mixes” will be playing in Vancouver as part of the 2010 Cultural Olympiad.

The play begins with a haunting, energetic live solo performance by guitarist Jason Burnstick, who is a Juno Award nominee and Canadian Aboriginal Music Award winner.Audiences will find themselves hypnotized by his looped stylings, as he drums and jams throughout the show.

Burnstick has a small part in the play, but mostly provides a soundtrack from his perch to the side of the stage.

The story centres around Floyd and Mooch, two aging men who spend a little too much time in their local bar. While Mooch is tormented by his oft-abused wife June, Floyd is haunted by memories of the daughter he lost years ago.

The play starts with a playful crassness, as the men drink and joke with the bartender. The obscenity-riddled script is quick and witty, but drags slightly in the opening 20 minutes. The dialogue, though realistic, is a little too repetitive and does little to forward the plot.

Imaginative sequences involving young Christine, Floyd’s daughter, energize the story and bring an emotional gravitas to the stage. Coupled with production designer Jamie Nesbitt’s gorgeous visual projections and lighting designer Itai Erdal’s ethereal, dream-like ambience, the scenes are powerful and beautiful to watch.

Particularly impressive is a scene where Floyd stands in the oncoming lights of a train, as the grating chug and squeal of the engine washes over the audience. Playgoers are treated to imaginative, abstract scenes involving rain, rivers, ghosts and dream-like flashbacks from Christine’s childhood.

Veteran Cree actor Billy Merasty, who plays Floyd, does a competent job in the lead role, but seems like he hasn’t quite hit his stride yet. While some scenes play out with strength, others fall flat. Merasty is particularly impressive in some of the more emotionally-charged moments of the play, but doesn’t quite have the comedic timing of his co-star, Ben Cardinal, who outshines him throughout.

Cardinal gives Mooch a flamboyant innocence that is never quite over the top, but is still endearing and hilarious. His monologue about fishing (midway through the show) is a case study in monologue delivery. He is a delight to watch on stage.

Later in the show, Cardinal gives us a peek at the violence and despair his character is capable of. In a climactic scene, the audience feels true menace from Mooch as he spirals into depression and threatens the other characters. Cardinal’s performance gives the audience a visceral sense of the tragedy and pain that can plague many First Nations communities.

A heavy play that hits on some very somber notes, “Where the Blood Mixes” mostly succeeds in balancing comedy and tragedy. An overly-long monologue performed by Margo Kane, who plays June, feels a little preachy and meandering near the end. But for the most part, the audience is drawn right into the drama of these characters’ lives.

By the end, Loring’s script grants the audience a shred of hope and a moment for reflection.

“Where the Blood Mixes” is an important Canadian play, especially considering the recent attention being paid to residential schools, and this impressive production deserves the hype. Though it has slight flaws and the script lags at times, it is a show no theatre-lover should miss.