TORONTO -- Mastering a British accent was no trouble for Sara Topham in her latest role: it was the pasta that proved problematic.
In "Skylight," the Victoria-born actress combines her artistic chops with those of the culinary variety while preparing an entire meal of spaghetti and tomato sauce on stage.
Topham is taking on the same role played by Carey Mulligan in the Tony-winning Broadway revival of the play, which also played to sold-out houses in London's West End last year.
"That's a huge challenge because, just literally, the physics of cooking is an uncontrollable element," said Topham, who has featured in Broadway's "The Importance of Being Earnest" and Stratford Festival productions of "Romeo and Juliet" and "The Glass Menagerie."
"I have it down to as much of a science as I possibly can. But every onion is different. None of them peel the same. The carrots are all different shapes and sizes. The amount of water that ends up in the spaghetti pot is contingent upon how long it takes us to get through the section while the tap is running."
She said the connective threads of food and home are figurative to David Hare's play, which sees the reunion -- and potential rekindling -- of two former flames.
Topham stars opposite Lindsay G. Merrithew, who hails from Woodstock, N.B., in the Canadian adaptation of "Skylight," which runs through July 9 at the Berkeley Street Theatre in Toronto.
Set in London, Topham portrays schoolteacher Kyra who receives an unexpected evening visit at her apartment from her older former beau Tom (Merrithew), a self-made restaurateur and hotel tycoon. After a three-year separation, Tom has his sights set on rekindling his relationship with Kyra after the death of his wife.
"They have somewhat opposing views of the world and how they unearth their past, how they rediscover their deep feelings for themselves and, of course, each other but also the differences that they have," said Merrithew, a stage and screen actor whose theatrical credits include the title role in "Macbeth" and Brutus in "Julius Caesar."
"I think that they're great sparring partners and very affectionate with one another. And I think that's what they love about one another.... And, as we know, in love there's shades of light and shades of dark; and sometimes, we can be cruel to the people that mean the most to us."
Topham thinks many theatregoers will be able to relate to what she sees as another key theme explored in "Skylight": loving parts of an individual while wanting them to inhabit the traits of others.
"These two people re-encounter each other after this divide of three years at the end of their love affair. And they both just want the other person to be more like the person they want them to be," she said.
"I think people will recognize that as a very human and common experience."
