Life Records 2: Side B, currently playing at the Toronto Fringe Festival, is a one-woman show featuring Rhiannon Archer and produced by Beefman Jones Productions. Archer is an award-winning comedian, writer, and storyteller. Life Records 2: Side B is a personal glimpse at key moments in her life with each memory triggered by a song.
The show is a sequel to Archer’s hit from the 2015 Fringe, Life Records. In that show, she revealed she was pregnant with her first child. She kicks this performance off with a hysterical account of giving birth to that child. Her portrayal of being strapped to the operating table while having a C-section was great physical comedy. The evening continues with vignettes ranging from childhood bullying to on-line dating to the TTC.
I found Archer to be very relatable and honest. The show felt like being at a party with a good friend telling stories. She described situations I could see myself in, although she’s much funnier than I am. The humour is gentle, knowing, and self-deprecating not biting or sarcastic.
Archer begins the show by describing how certain songs have the ability to bring us right back to certain point in our lives. It’s an experience I definitely have had. Yet, for a show supposedly centered around music, I found the music didn’t really play that big a role. At first, I was a little disappointed (maybe because I like a lot of the songs featured), but as I thought about it, I realized, the music was just a cue for what really matters – the stories. And the stories are terrific. I’d definitely like to hear more of them.
Details
- Life Records 2: Side B plays at the Factory Studio. (125 Bathurst St.)
- Tickets are $12. The festival also offers a range of money-saving passes for serious Fringers.
- Tickets can be purchased online, by telephone (416-966-1062), from the Fringe Club at Scadding Court, and — if any remain — from the venue’s box office starting one hour before curtain.
- Be aware that Fringe performances always start exactly on time, and that latecomers are never admitted.
- Content Warning: Mature Language.
- This venue is accessible.
Performances
- Wednesday July 5th, 07:00 pm
- Friday July 7th, 09:15 pm
- Saturday July 8th, 03:45 pm
- Monday July 10th, 05:15 pm
- Wednesday July 12th, 02:00 pm
- Friday July 14th, 11:15 pm
- Sunday July 16th, 12:15 pm
Photo of Rhiannon Archer by Shlomi Amiga