Swoon! might not make you fall in love, but it will certainly keep you entertained for an hour.
The show is a collective creation from artists like Alisa Palmer, Jason Maghanoy and Haley McGee that examines swooning, that moment when our heart gives itself over to someone for the first time. I was a bit worried that I would be in for 60 minutes of adorable “meet-cutes” but Swoon! does delve a bit deeper than that, giving us a peek at not just the first swoon but what happens afterward too.
There are about 12 vignettes in the hour-long show, so it keeps moving along at a good pace. With so many scenes and a fairly large cast, it’s hard to single any out, though I did enjoy the sharply written story of a couple who meet during an apartment building’s late-night fire alarm.
The young cast were all energetic (In fact, I hate to be a jerk here, but people past the age of 25 swoon too). I liked the physicality and direction given to the actors, who acted like a silent chorus when they weren’t in the spotlight.
If you’ve ever been in love or thought about love (and really, who hasn’t?), you’ll probably identify with at least one of the moments in Swoon!
Details:
Swoon! is playing at Factory Theatre, 125 Bathurst Street, Toronto.
Showtime: 60 min.
Warning: Sexual content, mature language
Thu, July 7 10:30 PM 1206
Sat, July 9 1:45 PM 1214
Sun, July 10 7:00 PM 1223
Tue, July 12 4:45 PM 1234
Thu, July 14 9:15 PM 1250
Fri, July 15 2:15 PM 1253
Sat, July 16 9:45 PM 1264
-Individual Fringe tickets are available at the door for $10 ($5 for FringeKids), cash only.
– Latecomers will not be permitted.
– Tickets are also available online at fringetoronto.com, by phone at 416-966-1062 or in person at The Fringe Tent (behind Honest Ed’s). Advance tickets are $11 – $10 + $1 convenience fee.
– Money saving passes are available if you plan to see at least 5 shows.
Photo: (L to R) Jajube Mandiela is part of the 10-person cast of Swoon!
I really don’t feel this review captures what an extremely, extremely special show this is.
It’s super honest, really funny, and moving. There’s all the stuff about being in love: how exciting it is, how sily it is, how heartbreaking it is.
I had such a strong reaction to this piece! I really recommend it!
Also, yes, the cast is young, maybe late twenties, early thirties at most, but it’s about young love. So what? This was the group that got together to do the show, and there is a monologue that talks about marriage and being older and not finding passion in the relationship, so…..I really think that’s a terrible thing to comment on. This was a diverse cast with some new actors against some really really amazing talent, and everyone’s working so hard, and you’re disappointed that they aren’t older?