Sloanliness is a one man show presented by the Toronto Fringe, starring Dan Hershfield and produced by Scattered Flurries Productions. In it, Hershfield details the time he met his hero, Chris Murphy of Sloan, and how he handled the pressures of that encounter.

Hershfield recounts a time that he worked as a comedian on a cruise ship. He gets the chance to see his all-time favourite band, Sloan, and to meet his bespectacled hero, Chris Murphy.

He runs into Murphy a few times over the course of his stay on the ship, and has to carefully handle the encounters in order to maintain their blossoming, albeit circumstantial, friendship.

Overall, I enjoyed this show. On a surface level, I thought it was light-hearted and quite humourous. Hershfield has a calm, comfortable presence on stage, and I thought that the text he wrote is quite clever.

While devoting an hour toward a few encounters with someone famous may seem like a lot, the show  also emphasizes what leads up to those moments, and that’s what matters. What I appreciate about it is that it details all of the thoughts and lead-up (the years of fandom) that goes into meeting one’s hero. I know that there are a few celebrity encounters I’ve had that I wish had been as intentionally carried out as Hershfield’s meetings with Chris Murphy.

I’m only a bit curious to know why Hershfield didn’t meet the rest of the band (or didn’t detail those meetings). I brought my partner along, who is a big Sloan fan, and they were also curious about “the conspicuous absence of Jay, Andrew, and Patrick.”

While my partner was slightly disappointed at the lack of Sloan-related trivia in the script, I was relieved by its tactful absence. Hershfield was careful to not alienate the non-Sloan devoted audience members.

The show is not about meeting Sloan per se, but about meeting your heroes, and how one should ignore the adage of never meeting them.

I would definitely recommend this for anyone seeking a few CanCon music-related laughs, and of course, if you happen to be Chris Murphy.

Details

• Sloanliness plays at the Tarragon Solo Room. (30 Bridgman Avenue)
• Tickets are $12 in advance, $10 at the door. The festival also offers a range of money-saving passes for serious Fringers.
• Tickets can be purchased online, by phone (416-966-1062), from the festival box office down Honest Ed’s Alley (581 Bloor West), or from the venue box office starting one hour before the performance. Venue sales are cash-only.
• Be advised that Fringe performances always start exactly on time, and latecomers are never admitted. Set your watch to CBC time, and arrive a few minutes early to avoid disappointment.

Photo of Dan Hershfield provided by company