Toronto Fringe Review: Stiff & Sons

“Dying is easy, comedy is hard,” goes the saying. But what if the comedy you’re attempting is about dying? Extra hard, it turns out. 

Aidan Gouveia’s Stiff & Sons is set in the eponymous funeral home run by the two Stiff brothers. One has a morbid daughter who carries around a little doll; the other is having an affair with his brother’s wife.

Since their father died, business has been faltering. And so they’ve brainstormed some ideas to turn their fortunes around, including murder so they can conveniently provide funeral services – think Sweeney Todd, but instead of selling meat pies they’re selling caskets. 

There’s lots of potential in this premise, but the script doesn’t take its dark idea far enough. And some things don’t make sense. If, as one recurring plot point suggests, the characters want to kill off one of their own, who will do all the embalming for the funerals? 

Under director Daniel Reale, much of the farce works, however, especially when Jonas Trottier amusingly appears as several characters. There’s also some impressive fight choreography, with the fine actor Tim Walker gamely receiving most of the blows.

Stiff & Sons is now on until July 14 at the Toronto Fringe. Show times and tickets.