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Fringe 2008 Reviews (76)
Mythellaneous
Messenger Theatre Company
Sweet ECA
***
All great stories have much in common; great writers have borrowed
from the Ancients, and each other. Most stories are pretty straightforward
and similar. Love stories have the boy-meet-girl theme with the requisite
obstacles thrown into the works to make for dramatic tension. All the
greats have used this. Many of Shakespeare’s romances have more
than one of this boy-meets-girl scenario.
Emily Davis and Jerry Richardson, with the assistance of Messenger
Theatre Company out of New York, have set out to analyse the "hero"
aspect of stories. And, although Jerry Richardson makes for a handsome
if self-involved hero, it is Emily Davis who wins our hearts and souls.
All of us who have been on the outside, longing to get in, can empathize
with this hero, and without saying much at all. She has one of those
faces, and talents, that say much. We see how she struggles to win the
hero and to be the hero herself.
Mythellanous is well conceived and directed, if a little overworked
and over-written at times. A good dramaturge and $40,000 could make
this into a really fun, small off-Broadway show.
Catherine Lamm
Assassins
By Sephen Sondheim and John Weidman
Through The Window Theatre
C Central
***
Whoever said that there is a subject not appropriate to make into musical
didn't talk to Stephen Sondheim or John Weidman. Together they created
Assassins, a musical about historical characters who, for various
different reasons, felt the need to assassinate the president of their
time, or try. We get a unique take on the motivations of lone gunmen
from John Wilkes Booth to John Hinckley. Assassins is not one
of Sondheim's best or more frequently resurrected, but it too frequently
seems to hold some relevancy. Maybe we should get him to add a character
to this musical every couple of years.
A group of 12 performers from Through The Window Theatre, who have
garnered some attention since their 2005 creation, have brought Assassins
to the Fringe. Sondheim is not an easy or safe choice. Most of the cast
are not great singers or actors but most of the group hold their own,
helped in no small part by a group of solid musicians. Especially noteworthy
is David Mouriquand's tortured attempt to understand the motivation
of Lee Harvey Oswald. And we get an oddly sweet and even sympathetic
John Hinckley from Thomas Chambers; not a safe choice but the right
one. Ed Nightingale and James Clark keep the production nailed to the
ground.
One should note here that playing historical characters is a minefield
of weaknesses and missteps; especially the more contemporary ones who
have been the focus of much television scrutiny. Kennedy's Children
is a perfect example of when it works.
Many an acting teacher has stressed not playing a characteristic but
the actor must justify motivations even if it leads away from what seems
to be known about the celebrity. Squeaky Fromme, for example, wasn't
crazy. We like to think that we send crazy people to institutions, not
to jail. And Squeaky Fromme never thought she was crazy. Quirky, eccentric.
She thought she made a lot of sense, had all the right answers and was
completely justified.
Neil Robinson's direction is mostly clean, utilizing a relatively small
space well. Tom Derham's lighting is serviceable but doesn't nail the
tension and drama that better gunshots and sound from Booth's burning
barn could bring to the production.
But high marks: a special morsel for Sondheim fans.
Catherine Lamm
Edges
A new musical by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
Nimbus Theatre
C Central
*****
The programme illuminates the worthy support across the musical world.
This is another in a long line of musical and plays which examines relationships;
how and why they work...and when they don't. Edges is told exclusely
through songs. Well, almost. There is a pair of videos totalling about
60 seconds (not necessary) and a sweet phone message which works better.
Edges is packed with funny, angry, and sad songs. It is superbly
cast with strong actors with strong voices. Matt Woodgate and Jenny
Bede show the foibles of the typically leading man and woman. Both Jenny
Dawn and Christopher Finn nail the vulnerability and humour of being
in and out of love. They all handle the funny and the sad in their own
way. Jenny Dawn's "Better" shows off her comedic delivery
and Christopher Finn's "I Once Knew" is heartbreaking; a song
very unique in love stories.
A case might be made for developing the book to tie these characters
into each other, a through-line, more of a story for the audience to
sink their teeth in.
Although some of the songs are more universal, there is not a weak
one in the bouquet. This is a show to see and a writing duo to watch.
Catherine Lamm
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