THEATRE REVIEWS: TORONTO FRINGE V
10 Jul'10

JOHN COULBOURN - QMI Agency

It would be easy to think that the entire Fringe Festival is nothing but fun and games, if one were to look only at the number of musicals, comedies and improv shows on offer — but beware of leaping to such conclusions. If you dismiss it all as lighter than air, you risk missing some seriously good times as the 22nd edition of The Fringe: Toronto's Theatre Festival rolls toward its final weekend. Here are a few more shows on offer that are just begging to be taken seriously — and happily, a few of them deserve it.

THE WAVES, at the Factory Theatre Mainspace: While this adaptation of Virginia Woolf's novel does little to convince those
that argue that Woolf's work is better read than staged of any possible error in their ways , adaptor Brenley Charkow and her ensemble nonetheless do an impressive job of staging this story of six young Brits, growing up in England between the years of 1894 and 1940.  While they all work beautifully in concert, there is particularly strong work from Andrew Bunker, Mark Crawford and Ashleigh Hendry. And even though the ensemble seems to get tangled up in a largely pointless array of accents, they put forth an impressive enough effort that one suspects a lot of people are wondering when they will have a chance to catch up with Part II of this mostly promising adaptation.

GEORGIA & LEONA, at the Factory Studio Theatre: One can't help but wonder who or what inspired these conjoined monologues
from playwright Misha Bower, who performs the role of Leona opposite director Lara Mrkoci's performance as Georgia. Joined only in time, these two damaged women talk about their lives and the things that have led them to an evening of quiet contemplation as fireworks chase away the gathering darkness of  a quiet Canada Day's evening — their memories, their hopes, their dreams and their demons all come into play and, though their ruminations apparently lead nowhere in particular, one is left  with more than just a ray of hope for their future. Ultimately, it's a  a thought-provoking interlude, time well spent with characters who don't realize how much they have to say.

LUCKY 9, at the Helen Gardiner Phelan Theatre: Fest regular TJ Dawe comes back to the Toronto Fringe for what feels oddly
like a valedictory sail-past of sorts and once again, he offers up some unique and delightful insights . But this time, there's a more serious serious edge to it all and as Dawe free falls through a wide range of topics — the Olympics, The Wire, the family and other relationships, the work and works of Dr. Gabor Mate and something called the Enneagram, which, while fascinating, is far to complex to be explained here — one senses an new life slowly coming into focus, as a Fringe nomad slowly puts down roots. And frankly, after all the enjoyment he's given Fringe-goers over the years, it would be churlish not to wish him well, even while we wish he'd just keep on Fringe-ing forever.

PUBLIC SPEAKING, at the Helen Gardiner Phalen Theatre: Chris Craddock, one half of the dynamic duo who brought us BASH'd!, is back in the Fringe mode, with a new solo multi-character show, in which he plays everything from a dodgy new-age motivational speaker to an oddly gentle giant with a heroin problem he supports by playing an enforcer, to a jaded cop, all under the tight direction of Bradley Moss. It's all a bit of a shaggy dog story that, tells the tale of a kidnapping gone awry, incorporating sound and music from Dave Clark. And for Craddock's fans, the good news is, it all plays out in a leisurely fashion, giving a very talented performer a chance to demonstrate his skill at creating a wide range of characters — all of them perhaps just a little too over-amplified.