Cendrillon (LastName FirstName Productions & Common Descent) 2011 Toronto Fringe Review

My last show of this year’s Fringe was Cendrillon; a modern re-telling of Perrault’s popular fairy tale.

This piece caught me completely by surprise in the best way possible. There is very little dialogue; in fact, Cendrillon only says two words through the entire show. However, there are a lot of booming sound effects and purely acoustic musical pieces that are a mix of punchy pop and classical opera.  All of these sounds create the perfect mood for the show.

The entire story is conveyed through movement and dance; combining fluid ballet moves and intense modern dance styles.

The physicality of this piece is phenomenal. All three actors, Cendrillon and the two step-sisters, are marvellous. They play their parts with great drama, passion and conviction.

This is not the traditional fairy tale. There is a Bar Mitzvah instead of a ball, a cute teenage boy instead of a prince and the step-sisters are mean valley girls who say, “like” a whole lot.

In case you couldn’t tell, I loved this show. It was very different from everything else I have seen and a lovely way for me to end the festival. If you’re looking to see something with stunning dance movements, you have to go see this show.

Details:

Cendrillon plays at Tarragon Theatre.

Performances:

Sat, July 16 6:15 PM

Photo credit to Ingrid Forster. In photo: Patricia Allison (Cendrillon)

Tickets:

-All individual Fringe tickets are $10 at the door (cash only). Tickets are available online at http://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.