The first weekend of Fringe is in the books! And with cooler weather to make being outside more bearable, it was certainly a great weekend to check out some shows! My fiance and I saw another three shows, including two of the musicals featured in the Alliance for Canadian Musicals line-up at Theatre Passe Muraille.
Braeden Soltys (L-R)
Photo by Sydney Laforme
The Wounds of Love and Other Gifts – AIR Collective
Ever since I was little, I’ve loved being read to; whether it’s fantastical stories being read by my librarian at lunch to the books I knew so well from my parents reading them to me over and over again, I’ve always loved a good story. Bruce Dow’s beautiful new musical, The Wounds of Love and Other Gifts, gives that same feeling of being soothed with a bedtime story. Based on the works of Oscar Wilde, The Wounds of Love and Other Gifts is a magical journey into the art of storytelling.
The first hour of The Wounds of Love and Other Gifts is currently being presented, though it is part of a much larger project. We witness the story of “The Happy Prince”, a story about a swallow who helps the gold-plated, jewel encrusted statue of the city’s former prince to help spread the wealth he never did in his lifetime. Though both of them must sacrifice their lives, they know that they have improved the lives of those who need it most through their gifts. Like all good fairy tales, “The Happy Prince” and by extension The Wounds of Love and Other Gifts, teaches us about generosity and care, and making sure to do so before it’s too late.
Erinn Bekkers gives an athletic performance as The Dancer. She pairs up with Kendra Dyck as The Swallow, and having the two of them play the role together is brilliant. Dyck’s vocal range is impressive, as is Priya Khatri’s. Their soaring voices fill the theatre. Ronan Hayes gives a heartbreaking performance as The Happy Prince, while Braeden Soltys’ Professor is quite amusing. The live band, headed by Ethen Rotenberg is a wonderful addition for this production.
After such an enchanting introduction, I can’t wait to see The Wounds of Love and Other Gifts in its full form!
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/wounds-love-and-other-gifts
Chris Cracknell
Photo by Donald Cudmore
A Non-Canonical Musical Adventure with Pookamhura: Mistress of B-Roll – Pookamhura Alliance Productions
Multiplayer online games like “World of Warcraft” have provided their players with a magical escape, and the ability to become whoever they want to be. But what if that world becomes the only world where you can feel safe to be yourself? And what if that safety is threatened? A Non-Canonical Musical Adventure with Pookamhura: Mistress of B-Roll, directed by Brian Morton, takes audiences on a musical and magical journey into the world of online gaming and how one can find true community, and a more true sense of self, within.
We meet a group of players, ready to take on their next quest after a brutal beat down. The Hunter of the group is fairly new to the game, and they’re looking to find some new friends, but when the Tank of the group begins to share some unfavourable opinions, the team has to decide what’s best to do. Pookamhura: Mistress of B-Roll’s heartfelt story shows the power of true friendship.
One of the elements which impressed me immensely was all of the gameplay footage which is featured throughout the show. It’s there for every musical number and all of the dialogue in between, truly making the audience feel like they’re a part of the game with the cast. My first thought was “that must have taken forever!” to make sure that they got every shot they needed and to edit it all together like that! I was blown away!
Emily Bolyea, Chris Cracknell, Mason Micevski, Francis Wallace give fun and lively performances! I want to shout out Wallace especially for their vulnerable and powerful performance as Robin; there were several times I was ready to cry right along with them. Though the Shakespearean influence is a little more covert in this play, I loved the nod to Puck with Wallace’s character’s chosen name being Robin.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Pookamhura: Mistress of B-Roll, but now I can’t wait for our next adventure!
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/non-canonical-musical-adventure-pookamhura-mistress-b-roll
Beall
Photo Credit: Chelsey Stuyt
Whose Lineage is it Anyway? – The Spontaneous Shakespeare Company
Do you have a fun story that is Shakespeare-level dramatic? Put it to the test with The Spontaneous Shakespeare Company’s Whose Lineage is it Anyway? A fully improvised piece, yet still spoken in iambic pentameter (and yes, I was checking every now and again to see if it scanned), Whose Lineage is it Anyway? is completely different at every performance, and this talented troupe makes it an unforgettable experience.
At the performance we attended last night, the story provided by the audience member was basically a Shakespearean tragedy waiting to happen: When their parents got married, their father’s good friend was his best man. They eventually got divorced, and twenty years later, the best man married the audience member’s mother AND had her ex-husband as his best man! Though they took other suggestions, I knew they had to do this one – it was just too perfect. The cast then creates a brand new History style play based around this suggestion.
The result was hilariously funny, with name mix-ups, accidental deaths, and characters in disguise. It has everything I look forward to from one of the Bard’s works! It’s also wildly fun to watch them try to make the occasional rhyming couplet and stick to the meter for the piece, yet it was also quite noticeable how the Fool stuck to the traditional meter structure and only spoke in iambic pentameter when he had something profound to say.
Brent Hirose, Delaney Gilmour, Evan Brow, Martina Vos, and Zach Wolfman expertly work together to create this fun and unique performance. You can see the trust they have in one another, but also the fun they’re having creating these works on stage. If you’re in for a good laugh, you have to see Whose Lineage is it Anyway?
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/whose-lineage-it-anyway-improvised-shakespearean-history
Cover Photos: Erinn Bekkers, Braeden Soltys, Ronan Hayes, Kendra Dyck and Priya Khatri. Photo by Sydney Laforme. Brian Morton and Chris Cracknell. Photo by Donald Cudmore. (Left to right) Nikolai Witshl, Abdullah Wasfi, Martina Vos. Photo by Chelsey Stuyt.
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