Yay! It’s Fringe. Time for my first show. (in)decision by Tamlynn Bryson and Kyle Kimmerly, playing at the Randolph Theatre as part of the 2016 Fringe Festival. It’s a one person show starring Bryson as Tess, a woman who has to decide how to respond to an unexpected proposal from her boyfriend Steve. Will she or won’t she marry him?
She calls a meeting with what I would call her inner voices – she called them ego, superego, and a couple of other things I missed – so they can decide. The audience plays the part of the meeting attendees.
It’s an interesting premise for a show. Tess talks about how ‘we’ have made good decisions this way in the past. She starts by making a list with Yes and No as the headings. As she progresses some things move from the yes side to the no side and some from the no side to the yes side and some back to their original sides.
No definitive result so she consults the audience. At this point I should tell you that the Randolph is a big theatre and I doubt that there were two dozen people in the audience. It must be a performer’s nightmare.
We were all on her side but there’s a limit to how much energy 24 (or fewer) people can project. We yelled out answers, we held up our hands, a couple of people explained their reasons for their yes or no show of hands and two wonderful men went on stage to play Steve (not at the same time) and they were great.
My favourite part of the show was Tess describing how she was less than perfect and drawing on her body with chalk to highlight the imperfections. It was brilliant.
The show is funny and there are a few surprisingly poignant moments. Bryson’s performance was a tad frantic for my taste but that could well be the lack of audience. It would have made me frantic.
Overall I enjoyed it and it certainly deserves to be seen by more than two dozen people at a time.
Details:
- (in)decision plays at the Randolph Theatre. (736 Bathurst St)
- Tickets are $12 at the door and in advance, and can be bought online, by telephone (416-966-1062), from the Fringe Club at Honest Ed’s Alley, and — if any remain — from the venue’s box office starting one hour before curtain. The festival also offers a range of money-saving passes for serious Fringers.
- Be aware that Fringe performances always start exactly on time, and that latecomers are never admitted.
- Content Warnings: Strobe Light, Sexual Content, Mature Language, Audience Participation.
- This venue is wheelchair-accessible through a ramp at the building’s northwest corner. Please arrive early and ask to speak with the House Manager.
Performances
- Saturday July 2nd, 12:00 pm
- Sunday July 3rd, 05:15 pm
- Tuesday July 5th, 10:15 pm
- Wednesday July 6th, 07:30 pm
- Friday July 8th, 09:15 pm
- Sunday July 10th, 12:00 pm
Photo of Tamlynn Bryson in (in)decision by Alice
Lundy