Forbidden Fruit: Evolution (Limitless Productions) 2011 Toronto Fringe Review

My second show of the day was Forbidden Fruit: Evolution; a musical piece filled with interpretive dance that fuses Classical Indian music and movements with Western Ballet and Modern dance.  There’s even a dance sequence set to Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”.

The show begins with five actors telling us a small snippet of their life-long struggle and how they have defied the norm to get to this point. Each story is unique and personal to their individual characters.

The play deals with common issues in South-Asian culture that affect today’s youth. Themes that are broadly discussed include: Hindu-Muslim relations, homosexuality, gender roles, spousal abuse, community perception, feeling invisible and the restrictions that are placed on following your dreams – all things that are very much taboo in South-Asian culture – even more so if you are a girl.

The dancing was beautiful making the scenes intense and powerful. The stories were kept fairly simple and the ensemble cast played many different characters with ease. I overheard an audience member say on the way out, “I liked that they kept the stories simple and didn’t try to over complicate things. “ I completely agree.

The one thing that every South-Asian youth can relate to is their mother saying, “What will people think if you do that? What will they say?” Whether it’s the clothes you want to wear or the program you want to take in university; the community’s perception is everything to old-school parents. This play helps shed light on these issues and hopefully gives people some strength to follow their dreams.

The show ends of a celebratory note with each character evolving to realize their purpose and coming to terms with who they are and how they define themselves. During the last dance sequence some of the actors come off stage and dance through the audience handing flowers to the spectators. It was an endearing way to end the show.

If you’re looking to see something with beautiful musicality and dance, check out this show. It’s wonderful in its simplicity yet empowering at the same time.

Details:

Forbidden Fruit: Evolution

 

 

Choreographer: Ashima Suri
Cast: Mandeep Bhalru, Justine Cargo, Abid Ali Changezi, Emily Hussein, Shafik Kamani, Imran Mohammed, Sarah Paul, Sid Sawant, Ashima Suri, MyAnh Tran
Genre: Dance
Warning: Mature Language
Venue 12 Factory Theatre Mainspace

Photo credit  to Limitless Productions.

Performances:

Wed, July 13 11:00pm
Thu, July 14 5:45pm
Sat, July 16 5:45pm
Sun, July 17 1:45pm

Tickets:

– 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