WARNING: SEXUAL ASSAULT
This story contains mention of sexual assault. Those in need of support can call the Ottawa Distress Centre Crisis Line: 613-238-3311 or the Carleton Sexual Assault Support Centre: 613-520-5622.
More than 50 shows took the stage at this year’s Ottawa Fringe Festival, ranging from original musicals, quirky cabarets and stark social commentaries.
There’s so much talent and diversity embedded in Ottawa’s arts scene, and Ottawa Fringe is a great way to support original works with all proceeds going directly to the artists.
Ottawa Fringe recently announced it sold 13,700 tickets this year with 19 sold-out performances, and paid out $140,000 to the participating creatives — one of the highest payouts to date.
I had the pleasure of reviewing four shows at this year’s Fringe Festival, each one with its own unique flair and appeal. Here’s a round-up of the wide talent range that was on display.
‘UNSUNG: The Accidental Villains of History’ is the perfect amount of silly
We have our fair share of infamous villains in history, but what about the people who unknowingly set the stage for some of the world’s biggest mishaps?
The intern who pushed the wrong button and caused the stock market crash. The admissions director who rejected Hitler from arts school. The animal-loving guard who let the Trojan Horse through the gates of Troy.
These are just some of the characters — loosely based on facts — that are hilariously brought to life in the original musical, UNSUNG: The Accidental Villains of History.
Mackenzie Langdon’s script and lyrics are impeccably crafted. Clever word plays such as how Hitler “traded art for artillery” while going from “creator to dictator” are laid on top of a simple-yet-effective piano score.
The four-person cast, composed of Langdon, Dawson Fleming, Meg Barbeau and Adrien Pyke, showed impressive versatility by taking on a different character in each scene. Polished harmonies and hilariously silly physical comedy filled every inch of the otherwise sparse stage.
An impressive array of costumes and props enlivened the comedy of each scene. They ranged from sliced watermelons chopped by the guillotine (what else could the device be other than a fruit slicer?), a spotted jumpsuit costume for the inconspicuous cow that (obviously) caused the Great Chicago Fire, and a large wooden Trojan Horse with head holes for the actors to peek out of.
While it may not be historically accurate, who comes to the theatre for a history lesson, anyway? UNSUNG was sure to have you leaving the theatre with a sore gut from its many giggle-worthy moments.
‘The Kid Was A Spy’ is informative, but lacks in theatrics
Maybe some did come to the theatre for an accurate history lesson. Those who did were surely blown away by Jem Rolls’ The Kid Was A Spy.
But those who came to the theatre for a spectacle might have left this play wanting more. Rolls emerged on stage in a yellow polo shirt to deliver a fast-paced 50-minute solo performance. He tells the true story of 18-year-old Ted Hall, the youngest physicist on Oppenheimer’s atomic bomb project and the moral dilemmas he faces.
But without any props, sets or sound, the performance was delivered more like a history lecture, and less like a piece of theatre.
While sitting down for the 11 p.m. showing I attended, I quickly found myself wishing I came armed with a cup of coffee and a heftier notebook so I could properly follow the nuanced facts being rapidly thrown at me.
There’s no doubt that Rolls was incredibly passionate about the story he was telling. Rather than mindlessly delivering his script, he frequently varied his intonation and sentence length, complemented by lively hand gestures. He added personal anecdotes from his research journey and opinions where the facts were more ambiguous.
But amid the countless names, stats and facts packed into 50 minutes, The Kid Was A Spy was reminiscent of a particularly passionate history lecturer standing in front of a class who was doing all they can just to keep up.
‘Cabaret of Murder’ is hauntingly quirky
Apparently serial killers also have a knack for being in tune with their artsy sides. In twisted, humorous fashion, Cabaret of Murder brings the disturbing artwork of several killers, including John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy and Charles Manson, to the stage.
Performers Isabella Ciccone, Paulina Pino Rubio and Katie Rose-Connors warned the audience the show wouldn’t be comfortable — while bringing humour to these killers’ art, they ensured to acknowledge the terrible crimes that the individuals penning the art committed.
Then, dropping into haunting villainous sneers, the three-person cast jumped from the (often terrible) work of various serial killers, with the script bouncing between mediums such as poetry, screenplays and music.
Each work was accompanied by well-executed farcical physical comedy as the performers made good use of the entire stage and even interacted with the front row. Intonations and demeanours varied as the cast embodied each killer’s persona.
“I should eat at home more,” one performer recited in a slow drawl from the poetry of Jeffrey Dahmer, a killer notorious for eating his victims.
However, an often unfocused script left the details of the authoring killer’s name and crimes until the end of each set, lacking context during the performances themselves to properly connect the work with the crimes. Providing this background information ahead of each set would have instead ensured a clearer emotional linkage between the art and its author.
Cabaret of Murder was nonetheless a hauntingly quirky experience. Delivered by a talented cast who slip into these serial killers’ minds with ease, it’s too easy to laugh at the discomfort of it all.
‘Polygraph’ explores the eerie social underpinnings of misogyny
For femme-presenting public figures, navigating misogyny is an unfortunate, but often accepted, consequence of success.
A charismatic talk show host interviews a young songstress in front of a live audience. A femme-presenting interviewer talks to a famous actor in front of a video camera. Both interviewees are connected to polygraph lie detectors. How does this impact their versions of the truth? Does it matter?
Polygraph was an uncomfortable watch for all the right reasons. A poignant script deftly tackles various manifestations of misogyny, subtle and overt, that femme-presenting individuals endure. This includes everything from comments of performative feminism to eerie scenes of sexual grooming.
Exceptional acting by Sarah Ivanco (who played all the femme-presenting characters) and Jon Dicky (who played all the masc-presenting characters) enlivened the powerful script.
Ivanco aptly captured the frustration of being stuck in a misogynistic world in some scenes, and brought genuine innocence and naivety to others. Dicky embodied slickness and smoothness in his portrayals of men who gain power from reinforcing misogyny: it’s gradual and practiced — you can’t help but shudder.
Particularly powerful were the depictions of post-traumatic stress disorder from sexual assault, which were captured through interpretive dance. As the stage lights turned red and Ivanco exited the scene, her movements were sharp, impactful and discomforting. Without using any words, it’s clear that she feels bound by the misogynistic shackles that trap her and define her career.
Polygraph is a lot to process. I often found myself squirming in my seat as the scenes unfolded. And this is exactly the purpose — it’s an important social commentary of how misogyny is an eerie underpinning of modern society
Featured image provided by Ottawa Fringe.
