The Steve Fisher Files 3
Through his Gracing the Stage newsletter, Steve Fisher is an institution on the Toronto performing arts scene. We’re thrilled to provide Steve’s mini-reviews on this year’s SummerWorks Festival.
(Never Underestimate) The Power: One Reed Theatre's a little more personal and introspective for this piece about three people's recollections and reactions to Toronto's blackout of 2003. Some of this is musical in nature, and Megan Flynn's musical numbers with two onstage (or just off it, anyway) backing players were charming; I also quite enjoyed Frank Cox O'Connell's story of bonding with a U.S. border agent while trying to get his dual citizenship. While engaging, I nonetheless didn't find the play in its entirety to be particularly gripping - the potential tension and stress of the blackout was overlooked in the focus on its slightly self-involved characters - but it was certainly a pleasant way to pass the hour, as all three actors were capable storytellers.
Communist 'til Payday: It'd be an exercise in futility to try to describe Anand Rajaram's collection of scenes and sketches (which will vary performance to performance), so I think the best thing to do is to tell you what you WILL get. By attending, you get to watch a very funny and clever creative talent give a showcase of the breadth and depth of the ideas he's got rattling around in his head. And also, you'll get a homemade noisemaker as a souvenir. It's not likely to be your cup of tea if you're looking for a typical one man show, but if you're willing to check your pre-conceptions at the door, Anand will make sure you get your money's worth (he doesn't offer a money back guarantee, but he does offers discounts for repeat viewers).
A Soldier's Story: You're certainly not slumming it when you choose to produce Igor Stravinsky; the potential downfall of this story is that the stage performance could have come across as incidental in comparison to the music, which is already fairly well known as an example of Stravinsky's work. Thankfully, Flaming Mamie Productions has incorporated some wonderful movement work, and some very good actors, in particular Christopher Sawchyn, whose Devil is swift, sinuous, and sly. The longer mimed pieces occasionally dragged, but then there was always the music to focus on. Definitely worth checking out.
Raising Luke: Claire Calnan's piece has several things going for it, like Jenny Young's rebellious nun, and Maja Ardal's wonderfully vulnerable Martha, who spends most of the pay in flashback reliving her time in a convent. But there's still an awful lot of work to be done on this play; for instance, the title character is never fully explained. Though he's in the piece plenty, Pierre Simpson's Luke never seems to be integrated into the action of the play. It seems like that his history is just one of several puzzle pieces that still needed to be added to this project. But the show is worth seeing for Ardal's performance, and for choice scenes that clearly articulate the monastic life the women lead.
All these shows are part of the 2008 SummerWorks Festival. If you’re curious, you can find out more information including show times by clicking on the word here.