Fringe Review: The Big House

Philip Cairns 

The Big House plays at Factory Theatre Mainspace in the Toronto Fringe Festival. It is written and performed by the magnificent Tracey Erin Smith and directed and co-created by Sarah Garton Stanley. This solo storytelling show is absolutely fabulous!

Smith tells us about volunteering in a prison and her interactions with the inmates. She recreates a family seder, effortlessly playing numerous members of her family. Some big secrets come spewing out. Smith also reveals some painful truths about her father and his time behind bars.

Tracy Erin Smith absolutely glows throughout the whole piece. There is not one false moment. She also sings beautifully with the help of the Univox Choir who stood up in the audience and accompanied her. The scene with her family is particularly impressive because she just makes one swift body movement to suggest each different character. And it works perfectly.

The stories she tells are hilarious and, sometimes, intensely moving. Garton Stanley directs with a clear, sharp, confident hand. There are many sound cues and they add mood and substance to the show thanks to sound designer Christopher Stanton

At the end, the audience rose to their feet in a frenzy of joy. I was trying hard to hold back the tears. Don’t miss this show. It is truly wonderful. I didn’t want it to end. I want to be Tracey Erin Smith when I grow up. What a great actress she is. And the script is dynamite.

Tickets and info to all Toronto Fringe shows can be found at fringetoronto.com

Fringe Review: Checkpoint 300

Philip Cairns 

Checkpoint 300 plays at Factory Theatre Mainspace in this year's Toronto Fringe Festival. The 60 minute drama is written and directed by Michelle Wise based on her experiences in the Israeli Defence Force 20 years ago.

Shiri (Lizette Mynhardt) is a young woman who joins the army and is assigned to a very busy Checkpoint. She’s the only woman at the base and it’s a dangerous job. Her parents (Jorie Morrow and Geoff Mays) are very proud of her but the mother is nervous about her daughter’s safety. Shiri meets a young journalist (Brittany Cope) who wants to tell Shiri’s story. Things get a bit sexual between the lead character and her commanding officer (Ori Black in a lovely characterization). The shit hits the fan, however, when someone is shot at the Checkpoint.
 

The text is very dramatic and holds your attention. The script won this year's Fringe New Play Contest. It did run out of steam before the end, though. The whole cast came on stage, each said a few brief words, and then the play was abruptly over. Did I miss something? Perhaps the playwright was tailoring it specifically for a 60 minute slot.

The cast is strong, particularly the women, everyone playing with passion and complete conviction. Jorie Morrow is a stand-out playing a dual role. Do drag your butt over to Factory to see their excellent work!

Tickets and info for all Toronto Fringe shows can be found at fringetoronto.com

Fringe Review: Old-ish

Philip Cairns 

Old-ish, written and performed by Susan Freedman and directed by her son, Alan Silverman, is currently playing at the Toronto Fringe Festival. Freedman plays herself, telling stories about her childhood but, mostly, about getting old (she’s 77) and the health problems that come with old age. She has a near-death experience in a hospital that changes her attitude about life, for instance. A hole in her heart has to be repaired. She twists her ankle and has to cancel a trip etc., etc.

The small backspace was packed with people over the age of 60 for the afternoon show. Everyone had a smile on their face as they filed out. The young couple beside me left before the show was over. (Since he was man-spreading, I was glad when they departed.) Freedman is a good storyteller. I just didn’t find most of the stories to be all that interesting, despite the fact that I am old myself.
 

Silverman does an okay job of directing. Freedman walks stage right, stops, talks, then walks to centre stage. Then she walks stage left, stops, talks, then returns to centre stage. Pretty pedestrian. However, I have to say, it was great to see an older person doing a solo show. I give her an "A" for effort. I just wish she would have embellished the stories a little bit, just to jazz up the proceedings. It was kind of like eating a cheese sandwich. It tastes good but nothing special.

Freedman has been writing and performing Fringe shows since 1999. The show was amusing but not hilarious. It was like having tea with a talkative aunt. She’s nice, pleasant and sweet but you keep looking at your watch, trying to find a way to leave and meet up with your more exciting friends.

Tickets and info for all Toronto Fringe shows can be found at fringetoronto.com

Fringe Review: Nerves

Nicholas Surges

After the death of her grandfather, 20-something Alex becomes the primary caretaker to her mother Cheryl, a woman living with MS. Her newfound responsibilities soon threaten her relationship with boyfriend Mike and bring the young woman into conflict with her mother, who yearns for independence.

I know what you may be thinking: “This sounds like a heavy drama! Are you sure this is for me?” Absolutely. Despite the heavy subject matter, the action in Nerves never lags: scenes blend seamlessly from one to the next, and the pacing is consistently tight. Moreover, the heavier moments in the show are counterbalanced through jokes, cute little sound “buttons”, and heartwarming moments, making for an emotional rollercoaster of a script that addresses important subject matter without ever veering into the didactic.

Rona Waddington's direction deserves a special shout-out. The script contains several lengthy monologues that could have been “stand and deliver”, but Waddington cleverly uses the other members of the ensemble to illustrate these speeches through stylized movement, providing an extra layer of visual interest and reinforcing the ideas or experiences being related.

The set is simple, yet effective: Alex's apartment is suggested by a red shelf and a matching armchair. Red is a recurring colour motif, used extensively in the props and in Cheryl's costume. It's never explicitly stated, but this audience member got the impression that red was being used thematically to represent MS. As more red set decor is added to the stage, we get the impression that Alex's life is being subsumed by her newfound duties as caretaker to her mother.

The casting is spot-on, with great chemistry between all three performers. Actor/playwright Brianna Love is believable as Alex, who loves her mother but is exhausted by the demands of her new duties, especially as Cheryl lashes out at her during moments of frustration. René Escobar Jr. is charming and likeable as boyfriend Mike, whose attempts to involve himself in Alex's life after her mother moves in could, under another performer, come off as selfish or unsympathetic. And Trish O'Reilly Brennan is brilliant as Cheryl, oscillating between her two cornerstones: nurturing mother who wants her daughter to be happy, and self-pitying, resentful victim of her disease.

Tightly-directed, complex, and beautifully performed, Nerves is playing at the Streetcar Crowsnest Scotiabank Studio Theatre.

Tickets and info for all Toronto Fringe shows can be found at fringetoronto.com

Fringe Review: Fuckboys: The Musical

Nicholas Surges

Part-musical, part-cautionary lecture, and part-sitcom, Generation Productions' Fuckboys: The Musical is a one-act musical that explores the dangers of modern dating (unsolicited dick pics, crude pick-up lines, and ghosting – all hallmarks of that eponymous horror, the fuckboy).

The show is remarkably self-aware for a musical comedy, with a title that belies its depth. At its core, Fuckboys is a story about resilience and the healing power of female friendship: four female friends in their mid-20s meet each week at a karaoke bar “that smells of broken dreams” to drink and commiserate in the difficulty of finding love in a post-Tinder world.

Characterization is one of the show's strong points. Each of the four leads is clearly defined, with unique mannerisms and physicality. Woman 1 (Beth Anne Stripling) is a friendly Everywoman in a seemingly-happy relationship with the bartender (Brandon Munoz-Dominguez); Woman 2 (director/playwright Savannah Cassidy Pederson) is a recently-dumped depressive struggling to move past her breakup; Woman 3 (Nicole Visco) is a tightly-strung workaholic with a penchant for pantsuits; and Woman 4 (Kendall Leamy) is a hilarious trust-fund baby into drugs, partying, and New Age spiritualism. The cast is rounded out by a long-suffering stage manager (Hayley VerValin), a male swing (Justin Cortes), and Man 1 (Joseph Adam Gonzalez), an adorably awkward newcomer from Cincinnati.

While some of the humour is slightly mean-spirited (such as a jab at men who vape: “Definitely fuckboys!”), it's all in good fun and is deconstructed as the show progresses. As we get to know the four female leads, it becomes clear that their jibes are coming from a place of hurt... or are attempts to engage their heartbroken friend and draw her out of her shell. A further subversion comes from the fact that all of the named male characters in the show are presented as empathetic friends and lovers. Even John (Justin Cortes), one of the least-developed characters in the show, has a moment of emotional vulnerability where he wonders whether or not he did something wrong on the date-turned-one-night-stand he had with one of the four leads. 

The cast had great energy and on-stage chemistry and a number of clever, off-the-cuff character riffs in response to technical hiccups or audience reactions (such as remarking, “This sounds familiar!” when a backing track was cued too soon and had to be replayed). In terms of specific cast shout-outs, this reviewer loved Nicole Visco's performance as Woman 3, which oscillates between hilarious physical comedy and earnest vulnerability.

Also impressive is Savannah Cassidy Pederson (incidentally also the playwright/director), who masks her hurt with sardonic humour and had easily the most relatable (and heartbreaking) ballad in the show: a song in which she reflects on the breakdown of her recent relationship and how she hopes her ex is happy. This is another crux of the show, which Woman 2 expounds upon in a later speech: yes, love can hurt, but we are the sum of our experiences, so it is best to enjoy that love for what it was - even when it falls apart - and then move forward all the stronger for it.

My one critique of the show is a technical one: that the mic levels could benefit from adjusting at points. The backing tracks sometimes washed-out the singers' voices (especially problematic in a new musical with unfamiliar lyrics).

Fuckboys is a delightfully funny and irreverent look at millennial dating culture, problematic male behaviour, and the power of friendship. It plays at the Streetcar Crowsnest Theatre's Guloien Mainstage.

Tickets and info for all Toronto Fringe shows can be found at fringetoronto.com

Fringe Review: Becoming Magic Mike: An Action Adventure Comedy

Philip Cairns


The audience loved Becoming Magic Mike: An Action Adventure Comedy, a laugh-a- minute solo play written and performed by DK Reinemer. In this frenetic, rapid fire, sexy farce, a detective goes undercover in a male strip club to catch a killer. Don’t sit in the front row if you don’t want to be part of the show!

Reinemer plays a slew of characters in this very silly and hugely enjoyable show. A couple of audience members were pulled up onto the stage to become part of the action. They both loved it. One of the audience members played the main character’s shrink. He even got a kiss for his efforts.

Reinemer can improvise with the best of them, throwing out droll one liners in response to the audience. He also shows acres of flesh (but no bare butts or full frontal). He sure looks good in bikini underwear and his comic timing is superb. The audience couldn’t stop clapping throughout the show.

There were lots of eager men and women sitting down front perhaps hoping for more flesh than there actually was on display. I came out feeling wonderful: I laughed a lot, loved the main actor and sort of floated home on a cloud of feel-good bliss.

DK came all the way up from Oregon for this gig. Get your sweaty butt down to the Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse to see him, even if you’re a straight man. You’ll be happy that you did!

Tickets and info for all Toronto Fringe shows can be found at fringetoronto.com

Fringe Review: Off the Island

Nicholas Surges

Written and directed by Brian Gibson, Off the Island is an immigrant coming-out story about Stephen Smith, a young man from the Caribbean who moves to Toronto for school. Once Stephen arrives in the 6ix, he experiences strange new feelings that threaten to tear his world apart.

Carmela Antonio is a joy to watch as Stephen's cousin, Stacey. With her dynamic belt, she is perhaps the strongest vocalist in the show, while her spoken scenes are both lively and believable. In terms of the ensemble, choreographer Autumn-Joy Dames shines in T-O-R-O-N-T-O and the Tribal Dance sequences, and Michael Ruhs' striptease crackles with erotic energy.

The show is incredibly earnest, ending with an announcement about Rainbow Railroad, a Canadian charity that helps LGBTQ people escape violence and persecution in their home countries.

That said, while there are many strong performances from the cast, the script itself could use some work. Much of the writing is clever, but the hour-long time slot means that Stephen's coming out experience feels rushed, and the writing is, at times, uncomfortably on-the-nose. Within a few hours of landing in Toronto, Stephen has his first queer experience, attracts the romantic interest of another man, and is outed (via a photo) to his mother. Even though experiences like this happen to queer people, it struck this audience member as being a narrative that would benefit from giving it time to breathe.

A strong ensemble piece with some catchy tunes and brilliant choreography, Off the Island is playing at the Streetcar Crowsnest Theatre's Guloien Mainstage.

 Tickets and info for all Toronto Fringe shows can be found at fringetoronto.com