Today was my last day of shows at the Tarragon theatre. I’m so glad that I was able to organize my Fringe primarily by venue this year; it’s made it far less stressful and it’s great to explore the surrounding neighbourhoods of the theatres. I saw a total of four shows, two for Intermission and two for me!

Tonight! A Clown Who Wanted To Be Loved?

Clowning is having a huge moment at the Toronto Fringe this year, and part of that exciting lineup is Andrea Barello’s Tonight! A Clown Who Wanted To Be Loved? A delightful solo show with a Mr. Bean-esque quality to it, Tonight! uses plenty of audience participation to tell the story of an Italian clown, who’s also a doctor, looking for love. Though a man of very few words, Barello had me in stitches…and at one point my tongue in between some tongs.

After a romp through the audience, diagnosing our various maladies and entrapping us within a web of tape measure, Barello then begins the main story of Tonight! This lovely man is lonely, and looking for love. We watch as his best friend comes over to help him work out before his date, boxing his way to Rocky level glory. We watch as the clown goes on not one, but two dates with different women (selected from the audience of course), making things rather complicated for our hero. The story has a delightful farce-like quality to it, and involving the audience adds another level to the chaos.

I really love how uplifting the end of the story is. Barello gives a heartfelt speech at the end about creating this story and the changes it went through, yet he always envisioned the clown ending up on his own. Yet that last ring of the doorbell gives us so much hope, it brought a tear to my eye.

There is no question that you’ll love Tonight! A Clown Who Wanted To Be Loved? Sweet and funny, with jazzy retro music to boot, you’ll fall for this silly Italian clown.

Tonight! a clown who wanted to be loved? | Toronto Fringe Festival (fringetoronto.com)

Death of a Starman – Star Stuff

What’s your sign? I’m a Sagittarius Sun, with Aquarius Moon and Rising. Frankly, I have zero clue what that means, but Sal Solomon sure would! Death of a Starman chronicles the life of famed tri-state area cable star Sal Solomon, Astrologer extraordinaire, and his decline from stardom. This solo show, written by Peter Malloch, Zaid Bustami, and Kay Komizara, sees Bustami playing over twelve different characters throughout the course of the production, a truly impressive feat.

“Lighting the Astrofuze” used to be the biggest astrology show on cable tv…for the tri-state area, anyways. But with his glory days long gone, Sal Solomon has found himself trapped in a Mercury Retrograde of his own making: divorced from another astrologer, owing money to the mob as well as his assistant, Solomon has 48 hours before everything could end. Yet he continues to have faith that the stars will align and his life will get on track. This blind optimism in the stars is shaken by news from his parents about his birthdate, which sets him on a whole other course to self-acceptance.

Bustami gives an enthusiastic performance throughout the production, culminating in a passionate speech which would honestly be concerning if the whole thing wasn’t so tongue-in-cheek. His ability to not only change between the characters so deftly, but to go as far as beating himself up or holding himself at knifepoint is masterful to witness. Funny and charming, Bustami’s performance makes it worth the price of admission.

Come in for a palm reading and stay for your full star chart at Death of a Starman.

Death of a Starman | Toronto Fringe Festival (fringetoronto.com)

Also, once you’ve seen the show, check out their show website. I was cackling when I opened this link: ASTROFUZE (neocities.org)

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