Jay & Shilo’s Sibling Revelry by Triplets Theatrical playing at the 2017 Toronto Fringe Festival is a great opportunity to expose your youngest family members to the theatre. Fun, short and sweet, my 5-year-old perpetual motion machine stayed engaged the whole time and was actually a little bit disappointed when the musical comedy ended as soon as it did.
This is not to say that he kept his seat the whole time, because he definitely didn’t, but luckily that’s okay at a Kidzfest show.
Jay and Shilo are a sister-brother dynamic creative duo. Jay writes plays and Shilo is a performer. Together they use their creativity and caring to help their friend Tallulah the fairy overcome her debilitating stage fright.
The show had lots of great messages about supporting your friends and facing your fears. It also had musical numbers that were a bit more innovative than your typical kids show fare, but were still captivating for the littles. We got great triple-threat performances from the entire cast, and the show featured both ballet and theatrical dancing.
As is true for most kids’ shows, physical comedy was a key source of humour. The physical jokes were very well played and I heard many hearty belly laughs from my kid and the other young show goers. Indeed, I chuckled quite a few times myself.
The production also had all the stuff that fills kids with wonder. Brightly coloured props, sparkly costumes and silly props. My son and I were sitting near the stage left wings and he was delighted that he got a few glimpses of the folks backstage. The downside to our seats was that some of the blocking was clearly not designed for people viewing the show from that vantage point, and some of the physical comedy was obscured by other performers.
After the show, I had planned to take my little guy to a nearby splash pad. We never made it though, because he was heartily entertained by the fun activities and crafts available on the lawn of George Ignatieff Theatre.
Jay and Shilo’s Sibling Revelry is suitable for children as young as three, and I wholeheartedly recommend it both as a fun summer family activity, and as a first show for the littlest theatre buffs.
Details
- Jay & Shilo’s Sibling Revelry plays at the George Ignatieff Theatre. (15 Devonshire Pl.)
- Tickets for Kidsfest shows are $5 for kids (age 12 and younger); adults pay $12.
- 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.
- The George Ignatieff Theatre is wheelchair-accessible, and has wide aisles for easy mid-show exits.
- Don’t miss the Kidsfest club located on the lawn adjacent to the venue! Free activities for children (3-12) and caregivers run every day of the festival: see website for details.
- Be aware that Fringe performances always start exactly on time, and that latecomers are never admitted.
Performances
- Thursday July 6th, 02:45 pm
- Saturday July 8th, 03:45 pm
- Monday July 10th, 11:45 am
- Tuesday July 11th, 10:00 am
- Thursday July 13th, 03:00 pm
- Friday July 14th, 10:00 am
- Sunday July 16th, 01:30 pm
Photo of Joseph Zita, Justin Bott, Hailey Lewis, and Jennifer Walls
by Msarookanian Photography