Here at Mooney on Theatre we’re big believers in beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. It’s one of the reasons we don’t do starred reviews. I may love something that you would hate, and vice versa.
Well, the Fringe is an excellent place to see this effect in action. Take Charlie’s Having a Baby for instance. It didn’t fare so well by the EYE reviewer, but then received 5 positive comments, and 7 ‘agree’ clicks to the comments talking about how enjoyable the show is.
Not having seen it I can’t comment, but from what I’ve read it seems like a fun way to spend an hour. You may not walk away with a lesson, but who needs a lesson anyway?
And… You can see it for FREE! We’re giving away a pair of tickets to the Tuesday, July 6 performance at 3:15 at St. Vladimir’s Theatre (Venue 1).
To enter the draw, all you need to do is leave a comment* sometime before 1:15pm Tuesday.
More detailed information about the show:
Promise Productions Presents
The water has broken! The cast and crew of Promise Productions take the stage at the St. Vladimir Theatre, Wed. July 1st at 10.00 PM to give birth to their charming Toronto Fringe debut Charlie’s Having a Baby. Promise Productions features a high energy cast of multi-taskers in this dynamic comedy that includes Deon Denton (playwright and founder of Promise Productions), Omar Reid (director and associate artist) and Vanessa Burns.
Charlie (Denton) and Toula (Burns) are best friends with little money, living in the big city, and hoping to turn their childhood dreams into reality. Sadly the two are discovering that achieving fame and success is not as easy as it had once seemed. Toula is still waiting for her “big break” as an actress and Charlie is barely holding it together at her dead end job. To make matters worse, Charlie’s grandmother is terminally ill and has decided to make a final visit to her grand-daughter before she dies. She has proclaimed her dying wish to be, “the one thing she desires most in the world”, a great grandchild. Desperate to please dear Nana Harris (Reid), the girls devise an ill-fated scheme to get Charlie married and pregnant before Nana’s arrival. But the plan descends into chaos when Nana Harris turns up earlier than expected and the girls are forced to make hilarious attempts at convincing her that Charlie is, indeed, having a baby.
In 2007, after many successful years on the drama circuit in the church communities of Kingston, Jamaica and the GTA, Deon Denton officially launched Toronto based Promise Productions. The company and its mandate evolved from her desire to introduce a new level of excellence in the dramatic arts within her faith based community. In 2008 Promise Productions expanded its reach to include main stream audiences with a production of Denton’s Pieces of Me. The show, about a restless wife trying to return to her secret past, was a hit with audiences and inspired Denton to wade further into the Toronto theatre scene by bringing her new play, Charlie’s Having a Baby, to the theatre going masses at this year’s Fringe Festival.
Show information for Charlie’s Having a Baby:
Venue: St. Vladimir Theatre, 620 Spadina Avenue (South of Harbord)
Performances: Wed. July 1st at 10.30 PM
Sat. July 4th at 5.45 PM
Sun. July 5th at 1.45 PM
Tues. July 7th at 3.15 PM
Wed. July 8th at 9.45 PM
Fri. July 10th at 8.00 PM
Sat. July 11th at 12.00 PM
Tickets: $10
Tickets can be purchased by phone 416.966.1062, online at www.fringetoronto.com or at the door.
*be sure to include your email address in the email address field so I can reach you – it won’t show up to people coming to the site. If you won’t be near your email, please send me an email at info@mooneyontheatre.com to let me know an alternative way to reach you – please include “Charlie’s Having a Baby Contest” in the subject line.