It was another fun-filled and inspiring day at the Toronto Fringe! I saw three shows, all very different, and yet all of them spoke to me in one way or another. This year’s Fringe is shaping up to be an unforgettable one!
Temple of Desire – Karma Dance Inc.
“Transgender is transcendent.” This line from the poem which opens Temple of Desire rings through my mind as I watch the performance: “transgender is transcendent.” It shows itself in Temple of Desire’s central figure, the God they’ve come to worship, as well as its central theme of change and metamorphosis. Directed by Govind Pillai, Temple of Desire brings the classical Indian form of Bharatanātyam to Toronto’s stage starring an international group of dancers.
Karma Dance Inc has brought together an ensemble of dancers partially hailing from Australia, with the rest composed of dancers from here in Toronto. The hard work and dedication of both groups of dancers is easy to see as they seamlessly perform this beautiful and intricate choreography. It’s a joy getting to experience different cultures from people from other countries via The Fringe; it’s a unique opportunity and one that I think everyone should experience for themselves.
Temple of Desire’s ensemble is comprised of: Adisri Preeti Devaraj, Anisha Manyal, Ashmita Roy, Divya Shreejit Kumar, Govind Pillai, Megha Subramanian, Neptune Henriksen, Pooja Murali, Prathyusha Dwibhashi, Rachana Joshi, Ramya Raghavan, Sangeeta Sathyanath, Sanskruti Marathe, Shivani Joshi, Veena Kadayaprath, Vrunda Upadhyay. Bringing their culture, expertise, and joy to the stage, this incredible cast looks as if they’ve been performing together for years.
I’m glad I was able to see Temple of Desire: to see a group of queer folks using their ancestral dances to bring their stories to life. It’s a clear reminder that for many pre-colonized cultures, queerness was a part of their lives, a part of their history, and to witness the reclamation of that divine energy is profoundly beautiful.
Temple of Desire | Toronto Fringe Festival
At the End of Kaliyuga – Cold Open Productions
Do you ever get the feeling like we’re living in the darkest timeline? According to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, we absolutely are. We’re in the 4th cycle, called Kaliyuga, one of ignorance and darkness…but what comes next? Sanskruti Marathe’s At the End of Kaliyuga asks just that. This wonderful play for young theatre-goers asks the tough questions, but reframes them in a way that’s totally accessible and inspiring for your little ones.
At the End of Kaliyuga uses three Hindu Gods to talk about an issue which seems ever more prescient: the end of the world. Shiva, the destroyer, wants to tear everything down and start again to create a perfect world. Vishnu, the protector, wants to save the beautiful creatures they’ve made. Brahma has to try and settle the score between the two, but not before they hear what the audience has to say about it! Marathe is able to blend Bharatanatyam dance and movement with her adorable clown character to portray all three Gods, and our narrator, to guide us through the show.
A moment which stood out to me was towards the end of the show: Vishnu asked us to name 10 things we loved about life on Earth to preserve, and after that, Shiva asked us 10 things we hate about life to destroy. Yet along with those 10 things, Shiva says they can also destroy all of the bad thoughts in our heads and the bad feelings we get like anger or jealousy. That spoke straight to my heart, and honestly, made me feel lighter once he had taken them away.
At the End of Kaliyuga empowers the viewer to create the world they want to live in – not through fixing the mistakes of the previous generations, but through the creation of entirely new and exciting things.
At the End of Kaliyuga. | Toronto Fringe Festival
Screamin’ in the Rain – Pasic Productions
Prepare to have your childhood destroyed by Eli Pasic’s witty lyrics and clever observations in his new show Screamin’ in the Rain. Part storytelling, part musical, and all uproariously hilarious, Screamin’ in the Rain is another fabulously funny feather in Eli Pasic’s hat.
Having seen The Exorcist: An Operetta at the 2023 Fringe, I had high hopes for Singin’ in the Rain and it exceeds those expectations tenfold. Pasic takes us on a little journey through some of life’s greatest disappointments with cheery little ditties about suicide, John Wayne Gacey, Nazi’s, and a four-song tribute to Rogers and Hammerstien which has absolutely ruined those songs forever in my brain. Pasic’s unique ability to take these taboo topics, set them to perky show-tune style melodies, and then deliver them all with a smile is such a talent I feel like it’s difficult to describe. Not to mention that his songs all rhyme, making his turns of phrase that much more impressive and at times delivering the surprises that will make you belly laugh.
Interspersed between the musical numbers, Pasic regales the audience with various stories about his life, including disputes with his landlord and his interesting colleagues from jazz bars. His sense of humour is undeniably amusing, with a little twist of the profane to keep us all on our toes.
Screamin’ in the Rain is perfectly irreverent and brings a level of comedy and relief we all need. Just seeing Eli Pasic’s name on a show already has me through the door, and hopefully you’ll come to love this Fringe favourite performer as much as I do.
Screamin’ In The Rain | Toronto Fringe Festival
Thank you to my Patrons:
N. Bushnik, S. Fisher, B. Kinnon, D. Moyes, E. O’Brien
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Angelica and Paul, Anonymous, Adrianna, Caitlin, Jonathan, and Jada
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