By Megan Mooney
Bridget Gall has a one-woman show in this year’s Toronto Fringe Festival. The name alone made me want to see it. I mean, how can you resist something called Red Wine Teeth?
I made the mistake of kind of expecting it to be mostly a comedy. Although there were funny bits, I think it’s sometime I’d more likely class as a drama. It’s possible that it felt that way because for the most part, I think the ‘serious’ bits worked better than the ‘funny’ bits.
There were, of course, things I didn’t love about the show. My biggest complaint would be that it felt like she was trying really hard to say something, but I’m not sure what it was. I don’t need my shows to have a message, but if it’s so obvious that the playwright wants us to ‘get’ something from it, then I need that something to be clear.
There were also moments that shined for me. At one point the character talks about her nurse and the slight hum of D minor, and then briefly portrays the nurses movements while humming. I have no idea why, but there was something about that moment that was incredibly beautiful for me and really caught me in the back of my throat.
Eggheads (like me) might enjoy the brief lesson in irony, in fact, I found myself wishing that Alanis Morrisette was in the audience, but I suppose that ship has sailed. It wasn’t the only didactic moment in the play, there was also a riff on a ‘Wig of broken dreams”, and some interesting retelling of bible stories which I found interesting.
Really though, this felt like a piece full of moments, rather than an actual cohesive piece. Some of the moments were beautiful and worked wonderfully, and some didn’t work. When she tells us that it’s different to be abandoned by someone else’s addiction than to lose yourself to your own addiction I noticed I was holding my breath. But then, at the end, the seemingly unmotivated moment when she gets up from her chair and walks across the stage left me cold and a bit confused.
I guess it’s fair to say that, for me, this was a hit and miss production, but one with some very beautiful moments, which translates to a piece with a lot of great potential. It’s certainly worth checking out, and I’d be interested to hear the male perspective on this one, since the majority of the audience were women.
Details
Director: Ed Sahely
Cast: Brigitte Gall
Audience: General Audience
Warning: Language
60 min.
Venue: The Fringe Club
Thu July, 2 8:00 PM
Fri July, 3 7:45 PM
Sat July, 4 7:45 PM
Sun July, 5 6:00 PM
Mon July, 6 6:00 PM
Tue July, 7 7:45 PM
Wed July, 8 4:15 PM
Thu July, 9 6:00 PM
Fri July, 10 7:45 PM
Sat July, 11 6:00 PM
Sun July, 12 4:15 PM
– All individual Fringe tickets are $10 at the door (cash only), or with interac and credit at the advance ticket box office at the Fringe Club (292 Brunswick Ave)
– Advance tickets are available by phone (416-966-1062) or at www.fringetoronto.com, there is a $2 service charge for these
– Several money-saving passes are available if you plan to see at least 5 shows