The Fringe Toronto’s Theatre Festival had plenty to offer this year. I had limited time but I managed to see a few of the shows over the past week.
These are the shows included in my Fringe Tour:
word! sound! powah!: a biomyth monodrama
By d’bi.young
Summary: first there was ‘blood.claat,’ then ‘benu,’ and now ‘word! sound! powah!’ d’bi.young’s biomyth mondodrama trilogy, charting the life of three generations of jamaican womben, is now complete. the plays explore cycles of identity, love, abuse, abandonment, and reconciliation. in wsp!, benu returns to the blue mountains where her grandmother mudgu, teaches her the ancient art of magick and revolution.
My thoughts: Even if you had not seen the first two plays in young’s trilogy, you still would enjoy and appreciate this play. I happen to see the show on the day part of downtown Toronto had a blackout. young (seen in picture above) then decided to take the play outdoors to the park near the theatre. This new “venue” made the show even more outstanding for me. young not only plays all characters in the play with great fluidity and energy but also knows how to engage the audience and utilise the space around her. I would say it was a Fringe favourite for me. You can catch an updated version of the show at this year’s Summerworks Theatre Festival.
Kissing Swinburne
By Mark Huisman and Clare Frances Muir
Summary: Puppets, live action, masks and multimedia transport you into the imagined, sadomasochistic world of Victorian poet Algernon Swinburne and his love-struck companion Theodore Watts. To win Swinburne’s love, Theo must compete with a lusty first cousin, the school mistress – who paddles with enthusiasm, a preacher who wants a nibble, and an array of lascivious puppets!
My thoughts: A hoot! I first heard about this play on CIUT’s The More the Merrier show. Whenever I hear of a play using puppets as part of their cast, I am always curious. I didn’t know much about Algernon Swinburne before seeing this show and it didn’t matter. The cast did a great job of setting up the story for us and the puppets provided great supporting characters. Amidst naughty and funny bits, there were some parts where Swinburne’s pain of long lost love comes forth. Very enjoyable!
Eternal Eclipse
Choreography by Kendra Hughes
Summary: Eternal Eclipse explores the legends of the Greek Gods and Goddesses that inspired the names of the planets orbiting our solar system. Tales of forbidden love, scandal and irresistible power are expressed through the visual narratives of contemporary dance.
My thoughts: My least favourite… I think at first I was being way too nice in describing this piece. I was trying to find some meaning in each of the dances but frankly, they did not flow. The dancers could certainly use a bit more rehearsing and some were not always able to stay in unison. I wanted it to work but it just did not.
Fairy Tale Ending
Music & Lyrics by Kieren MacMillan and Jeremy Hutton
Book by Jeremy Hutton
Summary: Join Jill as a “line up” of characters is questioned about the sudden changes occurring in their fairy tales. A topsy-turvy yet touching tale of a young girl coming to grips with loss and the reality.
My thoughts: Absolutely fun! Both kids and grown-ups enjoyed this musical play. It’s always a good sign when you hear the play has sold out. It’s even better when you see it with the kids and see how much they are engaged by what’s going on on-stage. The songs were “catchy;” the stories were entertaining and quite creative and the cast just worked great together. Hilarious!
By Jason John Whitehead
Summary: Making his debut on Canadian soil, originally from Nova Scotia and winner of the prestigious BBC comedy award at the Edinburgh festival. Jason John Whitehead’s comedy has taken him around the world and now he can’t wait to entertain a home crowd. Here is his story so far….
My thoughts: A good effort; especially for a one-man show. Whitehead worked really hard to engage the audience at the show I attended. Each night the order of material may change and he really does his best to keep the show upbeat. I commend him for that as some of the people sitting in the theatre with me were not the warmest audience. Some of us got the jokes and laughed but the rest really made him work for it. That is what doing comedy is about after all; I admire that.
Even if I did not manage to see as many shows as I’d hope, the ones I did see gave me a taste of all the types of shows one can see at the Fringe. The Best of the Fringe Uptown is still showing some of the favourites for those who did not make it downtown for the festival. Use this link for more details. See you at next year’s festival.
Photo credit: Heidy M.
Play/Show info: Fringe Festival.
