Sibling Rivalry and Sudden Grief
Born on a Raft Theatre makes their company debut with a production of Daniel MacIvor’s The Best Brothers at White Wall Studio. Under Trevor Barrette's direction, actors Sam Beaton and Thom Niles anchor the stage as two opposite brothers navigating the raw edges of sudden grief and sibling rivalry. The minimalist, functional staging maximizes its bare framework with intense construction lighting and a powerful live score by Violette Kay. The Best Brothers is a beautifully executed exercise in independent theatre that delivers exactly the kind of raw, intentional work Montreal’s Anglo and Queer theatre scenes need right now.
The thunderstorm during the afternoon on Friday was welcome as I stood working in my studio with the balcony door open. This appreciation disappeared quickly, though, as evening hit and I headed out into the rain. I couldn’t be more centrally located, so the walk was brief, but by the time I reached White Wall Studio I was drenched.
Tucked at the end of Laval, just above Mont Royal, White Wall Studio, while around since 2019, is one of the community’s newest theatre venues. This cavernous, industrial white-walled (obviously) space with impossibly high ceilings and hardwood floors is hiding behind a door at the end of an alleyway, a quintessential Montreal venue. And, as Montreal venues go, White Wall Studio also suffers the unfortunate architecture of an inaccessible city, with the space up a flight of stairs.
Walking into the studio, I’m seated in the third row, the back corner, my favorite spot. The actors are already on the set while the audience mingles, taking their seats. I pull out my notebook, my hair literally dripping onto the pages as I scribble my first notes.
Daniel MacIvor is a Queer Canadian creative powerhouse, writing plays like Monster, and Never Swim Alone. He’s a legendary member of Toronto’s Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, and starred in the cult comedy Twitch. The Best Brothers, premiering at Stratford in 2012, tells the story of two brothers with very opposite personalities who navigate their rivalries and grief while arranging the funeral of their mother, who was (hilariously) killed at a Gay Day Parade, leaving behind unanswered questions, and an awful dog.
The set is minimal, two metal folding chairs, a large box with a black cloth draped over it, and two tall black plastic shelving units dotted with plants and black boxes. The set design is clever, with the shelving and the large box on wheels, allowing for the actors to make simple, but highly stylized scene transitions themselves.
There is a utilitarian motif that is complemented by the two powerful construction lights on yellow tripods serving as the primary stage lighting. Bright. These are very fucking bright. But a subtle shift between cold white and warm yellow throughout the piece proves their effectiveness. The lighting serves to expose the characters with the brightest light in some of their darkest moments.
The sound design of The Best Brothers was just… so fucking good. The single sound effect throughout the piece was the ring of a call bell. That’s it. However, behind us, behind the audience, sat a solo musician on a small square stage. Violette Kay, with a violin in hand, and an array of pedals at her feet, played the moving live soundtrack for the piece, providing us with a rare live theatre experience outside a musical. Refreshing, for a Montreal anglo production.
Sam Beaton and Thom Niles play the titular Best Brothers. The play opens with a dueling scene where we’re introduced to the brothers, Hamilton and Kyle, respectively. Typical of MacIvor, this scene is staccato, with a driving rhythm, which director Trevor Barrette ensures the actors maintain. Setting the stage for their careers and vivid differences, the scene's climax kicks off the action as each brother separately learns that their mother, Bunny Best, has died.
Thom Niles has a do-no-wrong face, do you know? The face of an angel. And he uses it playing Kyle Best. He’s the gay brother, the softer one, the real estate agent dating a sex worker, whose life seems a bit chaotic. He talks too much, tries too hard, cares too much, and every word out of Niles’ mouth is earnest, genuine. Despite Kyle’s irritating faults, you’re rooting for him, and that’s not just good writing, that’s good acting.
Sam Beaton, Hamilton Best, is less likeable. I mean, I’m sure Sam himself is quite likeable, but Hamilton isn’t winning any popularity contests anytime soon. He’s constantly annoyed, frustrated by his brother, raising his voice often. His wife doesn’t like him. The dog doesn’t like him. Kyle likes him, though. Because of that, the audience doesn’t turn away, we just look harder, and when we do, we find Beaton’s strong emotional performance. While both brothers are struggling, it’s Beaton’s Hamilton whose grief is so close to the surface, it looks like it physically hurts him. It hurts him, and it hurts us, and we care.
Trevor Barrette’s direction of Beaton and Niles in this story highlights their differences to accentuate the point of the story: their differences bind them. Both characters portray their mother in different scenes, wearing an orange fur-rimmed hat and orange fur-lined gloves, each displaying distinct characteristics. While the brothers navigate the question of “Who did she love more?”, it becomes evident that each of them holds different aspects of their mother, as siblings do. This leads them to the understanding that their mother loved each of them differently, as mothers do, and upon her death, their differences bring them closer together.
Ultimately, The Best Brothers is an excellent example of minimalist, independent theatre done right. Hiding at the end of the Montreal alleyway, White Wall Studio is a massive blank canvas that the creative team utilizes to perfection. Trevor Barrette’s direction keeps the rhythm tight and driving, letting the simple and functional technical design by Natalie Demmon, and the beautiful live score do exactly what they need to do. It helps, of course, that it is hard to ever go wrong with a Daniel MacIvor script, his sharp dialogue is a gift. But it takes real talent to breathe such vivid life into it, and the chemistry between Sam Beaton and Thom Niles is spectacular. They navigate the sharp edges of grief and sibling rivalry with a balance of irritating faults and deep, aching vulnerability that keeps you rooting for them even when it hurts. Born on a Raft Theatre has offered, with their premiere production, exactly the kind of raw, intentional work our local scene needs. Queer Theatre is important. Anglo Theatre, in Montreal especially, is important. And boy, is it struggling. It’s important to support both, and undoubtedly the best way to start is by catching one of the last two performances of The Best Brothers at White Wall Studio.
For more on Born on a Raft Theatre, check out this personal essay by founder Thom Niles on the challenges facing local Queer artists and his motivation for creating the company.
WHAT: Born on a Raft Theatre’s The Best Brothers
WHERE: White Wall Studio, 4532 Av. Laval, Montréal, QC H2T 2C4
WHEN: May 28 - 31, 2026 @ 8PM
METRO: Mont Royal (Orange)
DETAILS: ThePointofSale
