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Romeo and Juliet, Part 1 – Shakespeare: Say It! (A)
Meticulously crafted and thoughtfully designed, this interactive Romeo & Juliet takes the audience through the play up to the end of 2.2 (the balcony scene, so just the nice parts). Assigning a few solo lines, taking on some of the tougher dialogue herself, and leading the rest in choral form, Dana Schindel sets a safe and accessible tone for her audience to have a great time approaching something that often intimidates people. At the performance I attended, the audience was Into It- laughing, dancing, performing with gusto. With the exception of me (I am famously zero fun), every single person participated, and that is not a light commitment at this interaction level. A very stressful time for me, a great achievement for Schindel, and a fantastic time for everyone else.
Grey Spaces (A-)
Brittany Miranda (Book, Lyrics) & Fynn Cuthbert (Music, Lyrics)’s songs for this ambitious new musical are the best I’ve heard all festival. Beautiful, complex, and story-driven, they are a head above most new works. The three-person cast is also one of the Fringe’s best with only a few strained notes in the whole difficult show and an incredible amount of vocal power between them. As so often is the case, the book is the show’s weak point but it’s not too far off the mark. A little bit draggy, a little bit muddled in its complicated lore, the storytelling here has very lofty goals that are hard to reach with the necessary clarity when dealing in shifting genres but further development could certainly get it there.
The Vine That Withers (B)
A straightforward drama about the immigrant experience in Canada, The Vine that Withers features a compelling cast and a few standout moments of theatricality (one, involving some light audience participation, leaves a particularly strong impact). The acting is somewhat inconsistent but there’s inspiring complexity at the centre of the story that refuses to treat its characters as simple heroes even as they face victimization. A heartbreaking but subtle ending adds a final punch.
2076: A Sketch Comedy Show (B)
The time travel premise of this sketch show allows for lots of creativity and Solo Act come up with some great premises within that framework. The consequences of facilitating dog speech and the resulting commodification of their skills is a standout recurring sketch and the flagship idea of a hot dog eating contest that spirals out of control makes for some pointed societal commentary within the silliest of settings. The performers aren’t the most nuanced of character actors but they’re strong writers who’ve constructed a solid show.
Book of Ooka: The Immaculate Misconception (C+)
This tonally muddled dramedy set partially in The West Bank is, for the baffling lack of another word, kooky. It’s sort of a musical, sort of a clown show, sort of an Abbott & Costello routine. Anand Rajaram is, as always, brilliant. I suppose your mileage may vary but this show was a little too all over the place for me.