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Cross-border relations are tense when an American father calls for his Canadian son in Kelly Rebar's family dramedy Bordertown Cafe, on now at Prairie Theatre Exchange.
Young Jimmy (Jamie Spilchuk) is about to enter Grade 12 in Nowheresville, Alta., when his estranged trucker dad rings up and offers to rescue him -- that very night -- from a drab life at his grandparents' roadside diner and farm, and set him up in the big Wyoming house he shares with his new wife.
Though he's not positive Pops (who is never seen) has ditched his deadbeat ways, Jimmy makes the drastic decision to cross the border -- forcing his waitress mom Marlene (Jillian Fargey), sardonic Canadian grandpa Jim (Paul Stephen) and American-bred grandma Maxine (Janet-Laine Green) to cram a lifetime of opinions into one day shift at the diner.
While hoping Jimmy will stick with the family that raised him, the clan breaks out in a series of feuds and rants -- some more rational than others. Chatty Grandma insists livin' ain't livin' unless it's in America; deadpan Gramps stresses the importance of puffed wheat; while melodramatic Mom panics at the thought of the son she gave birth to at 15 leaving -- yet can't put her concerns into words.
The family's sudden thrust into chaos makes for a lot of -- OK, too much -- yelling in the first half. It's even more intense than the smell of bacon and eggs wafting from the detailed diner set designer Brian Perchaluk decked out with everything from a working grill to Jimmy's old Hot Wheels bedspread.
The viewpoint switches from the kitchen to the seating area for the second act -- a slightly calmer, more focused hour, though none of the characters (or actors) really rest.
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Fargey and Spilchuk never forge the mother-son connection we're looking for, but Stephen commits to his first PTE role as the paternal figure and Green shows them all up with her portrayal of an outrageous southerner who delivers memorable lines ("He is the only kid in the world who has never seen the left side of his father.") for maximum comedic effect.
Penned in 1987, Rebar's script is just as engaging and topical today as it was when PTE first mounted it 22 years ago. And while the over-the-top cast in this remount should switch to decaf, it's still worth the pitstop.