With 155 plays spread out over 11 days beginning July 4, the Toronto Fringe Festival can be a tough place for individual shows to stand out. As always, the best way to figure out what’s hot is to hang around the beer tent and listen to word of mouth. In the meantime, here are three shows with titles that got my attention.
EAT, POO, LOVE: While he was being treated for colon cancer, piano tuner Paul Clement kept a journal chronicling his “journey of a thousand flushes.” Now, with the help of his friends Dan and Evan Mackay, he’s turned his story into a comedy that will be performed on a set that consists of a piano and a toilet. Don’t worry, though: Eat, Poo, Love promises only to feature “live piano playing and tuning.” (Handout)
SO WE THOUGHT WE COULD ACT: Definitely my favourite title this year. Creators Rena Hundert and Helen Prandekas get bonus points for not gilding the lily by adding “The Musical” to the title, despite the fact that their show is a musical. Previously performed at the Montreal Fringe, this show concerns Beatrice and Delores, two actresses who strike a deal with the fellow down below to make it on Broadway. It promises both a “talking Tony Award” and a “time vortex.” (Handout)
WITH LOVE AND A MAJOR ORGAN: And which major organ is that precisely? To find out, you’ll have to see Julia Lederer’s quirky romantic comedy about a woman who gives her heart to a stranger on the subway. Lederer has rising cred in Toronto’s indie scene, while co-star Martha Ross is a long-time local fixture. This show also marks director Andrew Lamb’s first time back at the Fringe since he helmed the 2009 breakout hit My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding. (Handout)
to get it and come back to see the ad in front of this gallery.
