Ok, not day one of the Fringe, but my first day. Six shows to sum up.
I started the day with a bit of disappointment. I had been looking forward to Get Happy! because I knew the male dancer in the piece. Also, because I love Lindy Hop. It's a dance that's tremendous to learn and do, and the male dancer in the piece, Phil Bourassa, is someone I know from the local dance scene and whom I enjoy watching on the dance floor.
Sadly, this piece was not a vehicle in which he, nor anyone else, shone, or even particularly performed. An unfortunate highlight occured when a young child in the 1st row exclaimed (at about the 35 minute mark) "Why is this so long?"
My answer after the fact is that the director didn't seem to have a sense of pacing, and the performers seemed to have lost any sense of connection with the audience, or even each other. It's a bit more painful when you know that the dancers are capable of much much more.
Add to this melange painful reading of poetic filler by Nicholas Power and we are left with an hour that pretty much amounted to 60 minutes in a dark room.
My recommendation if you want to get a real feeling for swing dance is to skip this show and take in some live dancing at one of the many swing dance events in the city.
So, my second show of the evening was ab intra, a dance piece that left I and my companions bothered and bewildered, but in no way bewitched. While I do not deny the sheer physical talent of the performers, the choreography itself left me struggling to understand the point of 3 women -- in three separate pieces -- crawling on the floor of a drawing room.. Anything I have to say beyond this would just be catty without being constructive, so I will leave it there.
Finally, things began to look up with Chaotica, in which a woman finds herself trapped ina board game. This is no Jumanji however, this is a board game in which she is forced to explore and experience a concentrated version of the possibilities and reaities of her life.
If it sounds deep, don't let that scare you. This show had much that was light hearted, and even touching in it. The pacing dropped a bit midway, and I felt the end could use some tightening, but overall, I do recommend you see it. My guess from the sold out performance I attended, many people will take that advice.
My fourth show of the day was, unfortunately, not what I had hoped. Ostensibly about a 100 year-old Dorothy Parker who had failed in every attempt to kill herself, this show offered nothing to live up to my expectations. This old lady is more Edith Prickly than Dorothy Parker, but without vivacity of the former or depth of the latter. The show lacks focus; one note jokes tire quickly; the performance never connects.
Thankfully, things took a tremendous turn for the better with my 5th show of the day: Headscarf and the Angry Bitch, starring Zehra Fazal. In a series of "outreach lectures" Zed Headscarf , a woman who's dream is to make it big with her brand of Muslim Folk Rock, teaches us about Islam, being the child of Pakistani immigrants, and covers discussions of faith, family, dating, and love.
This show is a must see! From the opening moment through to the final Lady Gaga-inspired musical number, the smile did NOT leave my face, and the laughter flowed freely. This show really resonates with anyone who if from a diaspora, had to negotiate religeon in a moden context, or, frankly, ever had parents. Pure joy! See it!
The day was rounded out by a strong offering in the form of Living with Henry, a musical drama exploring "the fear, complications, and realities of living with HIV/AIDS." This is a 90-minute production, rare for a Fringe show, and it does manage to fill the time well. Some excellent voices on display in this show, and some very true moments. The show is a bit uneven, with a very real 1st act, but a strange descent into camp at the beginning of act two, from which, thankfully, the show recovers. The lyrics need a bit of tightening, and the show as a whole still needs some additional shape to it, but I can easily see this show making a reappearance in the near future. One issue that I did have in the show is the presentation of the character of Henry, the personification of HIV. My problem is not with having this character, which is actually a brilliant turn, but in presenting him consistently as a sort of aggressive punk. To really bring this show home, I'd offer up that Henry should shift costume and temperment through the show to reflect Michael's (the protagonist's) understanding of, and relationship to him. Still, all in all, this is a piece worth seeing.
Ok. Off to bed. Tomorrow I've got a lighter day... only 4 shows. :)
Cheers!
I started the day with a bit of disappointment. I had been looking forward to Get Happy! because I knew the male dancer in the piece. Also, because I love Lindy Hop. It's a dance that's tremendous to learn and do, and the male dancer in the piece, Phil Bourassa, is someone I know from the local dance scene and whom I enjoy watching on the dance floor.
Sadly, this piece was not a vehicle in which he, nor anyone else, shone, or even particularly performed. An unfortunate highlight occured when a young child in the 1st row exclaimed (at about the 35 minute mark) "Why is this so long?"
My answer after the fact is that the director didn't seem to have a sense of pacing, and the performers seemed to have lost any sense of connection with the audience, or even each other. It's a bit more painful when you know that the dancers are capable of much much more.
Add to this melange painful reading of poetic filler by Nicholas Power and we are left with an hour that pretty much amounted to 60 minutes in a dark room.
My recommendation if you want to get a real feeling for swing dance is to skip this show and take in some live dancing at one of the many swing dance events in the city.
So, my second show of the evening was ab intra, a dance piece that left I and my companions bothered and bewildered, but in no way bewitched. While I do not deny the sheer physical talent of the performers, the choreography itself left me struggling to understand the point of 3 women -- in three separate pieces -- crawling on the floor of a drawing room.. Anything I have to say beyond this would just be catty without being constructive, so I will leave it there.
Finally, things began to look up with Chaotica, in which a woman finds herself trapped ina board game. This is no Jumanji however, this is a board game in which she is forced to explore and experience a concentrated version of the possibilities and reaities of her life.
If it sounds deep, don't let that scare you. This show had much that was light hearted, and even touching in it. The pacing dropped a bit midway, and I felt the end could use some tightening, but overall, I do recommend you see it. My guess from the sold out performance I attended, many people will take that advice.
My fourth show of the day was, unfortunately, not what I had hoped. Ostensibly about a 100 year-old Dorothy Parker who had failed in every attempt to kill herself, this show offered nothing to live up to my expectations. This old lady is more Edith Prickly than Dorothy Parker, but without vivacity of the former or depth of the latter. The show lacks focus; one note jokes tire quickly; the performance never connects.
Thankfully, things took a tremendous turn for the better with my 5th show of the day: Headscarf and the Angry Bitch, starring Zehra Fazal. In a series of "outreach lectures" Zed Headscarf , a woman who's dream is to make it big with her brand of Muslim Folk Rock, teaches us about Islam, being the child of Pakistani immigrants, and covers discussions of faith, family, dating, and love.
This show is a must see! From the opening moment through to the final Lady Gaga-inspired musical number, the smile did NOT leave my face, and the laughter flowed freely. This show really resonates with anyone who if from a diaspora, had to negotiate religeon in a moden context, or, frankly, ever had parents. Pure joy! See it!
The day was rounded out by a strong offering in the form of Living with Henry, a musical drama exploring "the fear, complications, and realities of living with HIV/AIDS." This is a 90-minute production, rare for a Fringe show, and it does manage to fill the time well. Some excellent voices on display in this show, and some very true moments. The show is a bit uneven, with a very real 1st act, but a strange descent into camp at the beginning of act two, from which, thankfully, the show recovers. The lyrics need a bit of tightening, and the show as a whole still needs some additional shape to it, but I can easily see this show making a reappearance in the near future. One issue that I did have in the show is the presentation of the character of Henry, the personification of HIV. My problem is not with having this character, which is actually a brilliant turn, but in presenting him consistently as a sort of aggressive punk. To really bring this show home, I'd offer up that Henry should shift costume and temperment through the show to reflect Michael's (the protagonist's) understanding of, and relationship to him. Still, all in all, this is a piece worth seeing.
Ok. Off to bed. Tomorrow I've got a lighter day... only 4 shows. :)
Cheers!