Can joy coexist with suffering?

The idea of coping is central to Annie Baker's 'Infinite Life'

- JOSHUA CHONG

Nancy Palk, left, and Christine Horne in "Infinite Life" at the Coal Mine Theatre.

In our greatest moments of suffering, is there room for joy to coexist? Yes, suggests Annie Baker in her thought-provoking new play “Infinite Life,” now receiving a note-perfect Canadian premiere at Toronto’s Coal Mine Theatre.

But the American playwright takes it one step further. Not only can joy coexist with pain, she seems to say, but it must. For the temporary residents of the mysterious health retreat in Baker’s drama, finding joy and humour amid their excruciating suffering is key to their survival.

These moments of joy are small and come from unexpected sources: a colouring book, a novel, a live video feed of a cat. To the outside eye, perhaps they’re even imperceptible. Yet they’re enough to help these individuals cope.

This idea of coping — not healing — is central to Baker’s play. And there’s nothing sentimental in the way she depicts this process. “Infinite Life,” in fact, is as antisentimental as they come. But that’s what makes the work such a profoundly honest inquiry: into pain, suffering and self-acceptance.