Mary’s Wedding is more somber and an actual narrative than most of the other Fringe shows I’ve seen this year. Presented by Brantbury Fair, the World War I love story of Mary and Charlie was in equal parts charming, moving, and sad.
It is the night before Mary’s wedding and the entire sequence is a dream. It’s not just any dream, it’s a recurring dream that Mary has had since losing the love of her life to the Great War.
Memories and fantasy blend together, as Mary’s subconscious combines the actual experiences they shared with secondhand accounts of letters he wrote her. Some experiences in her dream are completely made up. Peter, for his part, sees Mary everywhere and in everything he sees and does.
The set was simple – comprised of some sacks on one side of the stage, with bundles of hay on the others. Mary wears a white gown, her wedding dress, while Charlie was clad in pants, a button down and overalls.
The amount of emotional depth and drama they managed to convey within these simple means is definitely impressive.
There are times that Mary morphs into a different character, and although at the time I felt she might have benefitted from an additional prop to differentiate characters, it just served to drive home the point that this was all a dream and that Charlie truly saw her in everything.
All in all although this was more drama than comedy, it provided a nice balance to some of the lighter shows I saw. In spite of it being a dream, you really find yourself wanting Charlie and Mary to make it.
I guess what made it for me is I found myself caring for Mary and Charlie.
Details
Mary’s Wedding is playing at Factory Theatre Mainspace (125 Bathurst Street)
It is playing at the following times:
Mon, July 11 2:45 PM
Tue, July 12 10:30 PM
Thu, July 14 Noon
Sat, July 16 7:30 PM
– All individual Fringe tickets are $10 ($5 for FringeKids) at the door (cash only). Tickets are available online at www.fringetoronto.com, by phone at 416-966-1062, in person at The Randolph Centre for the Arts, 736 Bathurst Street (Advance tickets are $11 – $10+$1 convenience fee)
– Several money-saving passes are available if you plan to see at least 5 shows