Day 2 was a nice and full 4 show day for me! One of the best parts about Fringe is being able to see so many different styles of shows all in one day, and as you’ll see today was one of those days.
Photo by Marla Minshall
Hoody – Hoody Ink
What would happen if Little Red Riding Hood and The Big Bad Wolf, and some of their other friends from the land of Once Upon a Time, suddenly found themselves locked inside a Toronto apartment? Dawna Wightman’s Hoody explores themes of friendship, acceptance, and the possibility of change through our familiar childhood fairytale characters.
Hoody is able to simultaneously subvert our expectations of some elements of this re-telling while deftly reinforcing others. Wightman plays The Big Bad Wolf, but she’s a fairly petite woman, particularly compared to Graham Knox, who plays Little Red Riding Hood (or Hoody for short). Playing with their height dynamic flips our expectations of who would be playing whom, and creates great sight gags and just overall comedic moments between the characters. However, the fact that the iron window, fire escape, and chains hurt them play on faerie lore, as they are fairytale characters. Not only does this create further barriers which these characters must overcome, it’s a sharp nod to the origins of the story itself.
Wightman’s performance at The Big Bad Wolf, or Lu, is intense and yet endearing, as she struggles with taming her natural instincts to better fit into this new world. Some of her movements actually reminded me of The Cowardly Lion from the original “The Wizard of Oz” film. Knox’s portrayal of Hoody takes all of Little Red’s naivete and presents it in one big, lovable package! Knox is bold in his performance and vividly brings this character to life.
Hoody might not be for the young theatre goer, but it’s certainly for the young-at-heart. This heartwarming story about the most unlikely of friends is sure to delight!
Hoody | Toronto Fringe Festival
Nearly Departed – Cathy Boyd
Cathy Boyd was on TV, and you probably didn’t see her, and she’s okay with that. At least, that’s what she tells you at the top of her show Nearly Departed. She did appear on “Canada’s Got Talent” and Howie Mandel, one of Canada’s sweethearts, was a big supporter of hers! So she’s bringing her stand up to the Tarragon Theatre Solo Room for the Toronto Fringe!
Nothing is safe from Boyd’s observational comedy: age, sex, double standards, marriage, there’s something for everyone in Boyd’s set. Though she’s a touch more laid-back than some of the comics we’re used to seeing on TV, her relaxed demeanor gives the feel that she’s just talking with some friends about life. I found myself laughing aloud quite a bit throughout the show, and many of the jokes really resonated with me.
A traditional stand-up set like this is a fun addition to the Fringe lineup; there’s no plot you’re trying to follow throughout, just listening to the jokes and riding the laughs! It’s a fun break in the day and it’ll put a smile on your face!
Nearly Departed | Toronto Fringe Festival
Photo by Goncalo Costa
Sex Goddess – House + Body
Have you ever had one of those nights that almost felt like it was something out of a movie? Everything that could go wrong does and yet somehow everything turns out okay? Rayna has one of those nights, and she wrote a whole album about it! Riel Reddick-Stevens’ Sex Goddess takes audiences on a journey through one of the most formative nights of her life through storytelling and song. Performed by Reddick-Stevens, Sex Goddess is an empowering and entertaining show you won’t want to miss!
I love the set up that we’re all at a listening party for Rayna’s new album, and so she’s going to talk to us about the inspiration behind each song as we go. It’s the perfect way to do a solo-musical, essentially, as the storytelling element is just as important as the songs she’s going to sing. I also enjoyed that she gave us license right off the top to cheer or boo along with the story; reacting to something out loud doesn’t happen frequently in the theatre, and yet it’s so wonderfully freeing to be in a room of active and participatory listeners like this show asks us to be.
Reddick-Stevens is a powerhouse performer! Her vocals are amazing, she’s got an incredible stage presence and watching her whole physicality change between characters was impressive. You can feel the passion and personality she’s infused into this work; it shines throughout her performance.
There was a lot about Rayna which I deeply connected with, and that made me cheer for her all the more throughout the story. Yet I think we can all relate to Rayna somehow, whether it’s her ambition, her self-doubt, her fears, or her realisation that she’s been a Goddess all along!
SEX GODDESS | Toronto Fringe Festival
Zeitgeist – OFF THE NOSE
A couple meet at an Art Gallery – sounds like the start to a rom-com doesn’t it? And I suppose in a way, it is, but Ben Yoganathan’s Zeitgeist is so much more. Zeitgeist is an exploration of the existential dread facing the youth today. While the characters are in their 20’s, this 30-something found herself nodding along frequently. Told through well-crafted scenes and equally thoughtful film clips, Zeitgeist lives up to its name.
Zeitgeist makes such a great use of the Cine Cycle space; there’s two lines of chairs on either side of the playing space and they even use Cine Cycle’s bar as their kitchen space. With all of the references to film built into the text, having it in a film theatre space makes perfect sense, and the use of the projection alongside the actors gives the feel that you’re watching a movie in real time. I love the use of recognizable coming-of-age films to interact with and juxtapose against the one we’re watching being performed.
The cast of Zeitgeist, Elena Milo, Ethan Zuchkan, Sofia Farahani, Ali Farhadi, Rachel Cucheron, Nicholas Eddie, are absolutely phenomenal. They work so well together and play off of each other as if they’ve been friends their whole lives. They make the dynamics between them so easy to read: you can tell who likes who, who doesn’t like who, and then finding out the reasons why makes your heart ache. Their dance party scene was incredible – the way their bodies moved, both together and apart, was like watching a whole other performance art piece within the play.
Zeitgeist is a play for today. No matter your age, you can’t help but feel for these young characters as they set out on their lives into this very uncertain world.
Zeitgeist | Toronto Fringe Festival
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