Today ended up being a lighter day for me and I was only able to take in one show this evening, but what a show it was! Joan & Olivia: A Hollywood Ghost Story is a delightful, witty story based on the lives, and feuds, of Joan Fontaine and Olivia De Havilland. Passing on their sisterly feuds to a new generation of young women from beyond the grave, Joan & Olivia is a veritable “Snake Pit” of witty one-liners and jokes, and yet is a hard look at how animosity and jealousy can be imparted from one generation to the next. Directed by Matt Eger, Joan & Olivia is a must-see!

Joan & Olivia has an outstanding cast comprised of Georgia Findlay (who also wrote the play), Nicole Moller, Mackenzie Kelly, and Crystal Casera. Findlay and Moller play the titular Joan and Olivia; both actors exude the grace and elegance of 30’s and 40’s Hollywood, even making a sly joke about their mid-Atlantic accents. Their chemistry is palpable, which certainly makes their venomous comebacks sting all the more. Kelly and Casera play Celeste and Molly who have recently moved into the house Joan and Olivia grew up in. It was fun watching them grow up before our eyes, their performances so clearly indicating the changes in their characters. But they were so loveable that it made their splitting apart all the more heartbreaking. They had this beautiful grounding force in the play, and their revelations at the end were incredibly moving.

            You simply have to check out Joan & Olivia: A Hollywood Ghost Story which is playing at the Factory Theatre Mainspace. Take your sister! Take a friend! For more information and tickets visit: Joan & Olivia: A Hollywood Ghost Story | Toronto Fringe Festival (fringetoronto.com)

            Toronto Fringe Festival just announced that the show with the most tickets sold per venue gets awarded an extra performance! Vote with your feet folks! There are so many amazing things to see, so get out there and see all that you can! I’ve got two two-show-days coming up so look for many more reviews in the coming days.