Alli Harris Photo by Shawn MacDonell of Creativision
After spending a day resting and writing a mountain of reviews, I was back at it, seeing 3 more shows. A special thanks to Chloë Whitehorn (playwright of Mourning After the Night Before) for saving my butt because I had the wrong time in my calendar for one of them!
On to the shows:
High School High
This show played Ottawa fringe last year and I heard about it everywhere. Partially because Alli is part of the Lauren and Amanda late show team but also because it was constantly selling out. It walked away with a bunch of awards. I wasn't able to see it in Ottawa so I was thrilled it was coming here.
Boy did it live up to the hype. Alli sings through almost the entire show, playing a variety of characters in a high school. We are introduced to a new girl and she is our tour guide through this zany trip in the halls. She also has an overbearing mother who just can't seem to stay away.
This kind of show is tricky to pull off and she does it. The songs are good, the staging is fantastic, the characters all interesting and well drawn, even if we only get a couple of minutes with them.
This show was directed by Al Connors, who so impressed me with his solo show two years ago. He also did the lighting design which helps us clearly have a sense of who is talking.
I've seen a lot of great stuff but this currently is my favourite. This show deserves to sell out. If you love musicals or love great storytelling, you need to get yourself there.
Allegra and Serena Present: Twinsations
Real life twins present the saga of a pair of twins born in the 90s with big show biz dreams, only to find themselves blocked by those most famous of twins, the Olsens. What follows is 50 minutes of hilarity as we're told about their attempts to make it. The show is a wonderful mix of storytelling and music, with the brilliant touch of incorporating their accompanist in a delightful way which I don't want to tip off. They have wonderful presence and play off each other so well.
If you're looking for a show that is straight up fun, you want to catch this one!
Above and Beyond
This show is for those people who have found themselves in a job with uninspiring or annoying coworkers, ineffective or overbearing bosses, and at a horrific Christmas office party. A lot of the audience were having a great time, recognize themselves in the characters onstage and laugh at the situations they find themselves in.
Having not been in that situation for a very long time, I found the show to have pacing problems, the acting uneven, and not a lot of resonance. The friendship that is the core of the piece, the element on which everything hangs, didn't feel real. I didn't feel the deep connection they tell each other they have throughout the piece. Without that in place, I felt removed from it all. It feels like a series of sketches mashed together. The show didn't have anything new to say to me.
What I did enjoy was seeing the scenes set in the competition's office. They offset our main setting beautifully and with it, the strong ending. I wish the rest had been just as strong.
Also want to point out that this was one of the best land acknowledgements I have heard, with the company including links to informational resources about Indigenous issues and theatre companies in their program. I commend them for taking this time and attention.
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