The Tale Of Two Musicals
Toronto Fringe Festival Plays Host To Two New Canadian Musicals
With any Fringe show you see, there are those you walk away from delighted to have seen, and others that you wish that you could get those precious minutes back.
The 2007 Toronto Fringe Festival is chalk full of new musicals, and two in particular caught this reviewers eye. Those shows were: Le Spa: The Musical and Like, Ohmigawd!. Both shows were part of this critics Toronto Fringe Festival pre-picks, and so here is a mini-review for each.
Le Spa: The Musical
Skimming through the Fringe program, this show seemed to have an intriguing concept. Three rival spas (one from France, one from Turkey and one from the U.S.) are competing against one another in the International Spa Grand Prix, and this show follows the exploits of all three countries as they compete for global supremacy.
Sitting here staring at the computer screen I have been left to ponder what exactly went so horribly wrong with this show, and there is only one simple answer. Everything went wrong. The performances are universally bad, the script is boring and the music is simply terrible. This show was so poor that as I looked at my watch, I noticed they were teetering periously close to the 90 minute mark, and that the lights would soon be turned on, the performance stopped and that the audience (including myself) would be saved from it. From the 3rd row in the Tarragon, it was next to impossible to hear the singers sing over the small 3 piece band, and the biggest disappointment of the evening (besides the music and the script) was that the actors spoke in ridiculous, over-the-top accents, and then when it came time to sing, all of a sudden they spoke perfect english with not an accent in sight.
It's a shame that director/writer Rob Ciccotelli let this monstrosity of a musical on stage under the banner of his theatre company, Theatre Anon, who produced The Fine Art Of Bocce at the Fringe in 2005 to rave reviews and packed audiences. This show will certainly tarnish the reputation of Theatre Anon, but there is good news - this show will never, ever been seen again after this Fringe Festival closes - at least, lets hope it is never seen again.
Le Spa: The Musical
Tarragon Theatre Main Space
Now playing until July 14th. For ticket and show information, click here.
* (out of five)
Like, Ohmigawd!
This production was intriguing due to the fact that it had a powerhouse lineup of theatre folk involved in the show. Derrick Chua (Producer of Boygroove and Top Gun! The Musical) produced the show, it was directed by Michael Rawley (Scar in The Lion King, U.S. Tour), written and composed by Jason Murray (Canadian cast of Mamma Mia!) and it features some of Toronto's finest musical theatre talent on stage, including Laura Caswell and Christine Rossi. That should be a recipe for a sure-fire hit, and from the size of the audience, it's clear that word has spread about the show.
The year is 1985, when leg warmers and teased hair was the height of fashion, and Madonna, Prince, and Huey Lewis & The News had hits on the charts. This production though is only act one of the musical, and it focuses on Madison (Caswell) who has just moved the big city from a small town aptly called, "Small Town", who encounters some trouble as she tries to fit in. A dance contest is fast approaching, and Madison decides to enter to compete against Ms. Popularity, Sheila. Sound familiar? It should. It's quite similar to the movie/musical/movie musical Hairspray. Set it in the 60's, add in a plus-sized female rather than the new girl in town, and voila. Same show.
How does it end? I'm sure you can figure it out. The thing is, if you go to see the show at the Fringe, you won't know for sure, as only act one of this musical is presented. It seems like an odd way of showcasing your show, but there is talk of the full production being mounted sometime in 2008.
With some work, the show could really be something special. The fact that it's a Hairspray for the 1980's isn't that disappointing - but the book and music need a lot of work. The script is cheesy with too many one-liners, and the music starts to sound all the same after a while. There are too many fast songs in comparison to ballads, and there was a big problem with the balance between the recorded music and the actors singing. Most of the lyrics were lost amongst the music, and it seemed like the music was set too high in the register for some of the performers, and it came across as screaming.
Having said all that, this first act is fun, and there are some great moments from Laura Caswell and Christine Rossi. They are polar opposites - Caswell's performance is understated, sweet and genuine, while Rossi plays the mean girl with such wonderful stage presence and power. Both of these fine young actresses command the attention of their audience and deliver with great performances.
The choreography is executed with energy and passion, and Michael Rawley's direction is as slick as ever. There is no set to mention, but the costumes are bang on - the legwarmers, the plastic bracelets, everything.
Like, Ohmigawd! may not be the best musical to come out of the Fringe, but it's worth checking out.
*** (out of five)
