F*cking Perfect (produced by Chocolatekiss Collective) is a stunning physical theatre piece that explores the female spirit. The cast dives deep into their greatest insecurities and lays them all out for the audience, without a second of hesitation.
Now, before I continue with this review, I just wanna say that I don’t usually go for “experimental” theatre. I would go to a commercial-style musical over an underground, edgy, avant-garde theatre piece any day.
However, F*cking Perfect changed my mind, maybe I should think twice about buying Phantom tickets…
The show takes an interesting approach to dialogue and utilizes found text from the backlogs of the four actresses lives. Facebook messages, journal entries and iPhone notes abound. These raw bits of text were then strung together into a seamless presentation of theatre featuring some highly creative bodywork, gut-wrenching monologues and picture-perfect tableaus.
The cast is comprised of four fearless female actresses in Jeysa Caridad, Jessica Bowmer, Iliana Spirakis and Adriana Moraes-Mendoza. These four women are hard at work the second the curtain goes up. Their chemistry together is highly palpable. When they move as a group, it’s as if they’re moving as one body and when they speak it’s like they’re speaking with one voice.
There was one very cool visual that I can’t seem to get out of my mind where a game of hopscotch is played as Spirakis spryly announces her affection for the butterflies in her stomach.
Every few minutes or so, they would take a break and take an “ice cold shower, thanks to the stunning lighting and sound effects designed by Akane Minagawa and Sakiko Nagai. The stage would turn a cool blue and the four women would wash off their “shell identity” and reveal their true self.
I left the theatre with a spring in my step, feeling just so inspired by these women. They were like superheroes to me. Totally fearless in their quest to be themselves. They tackled that script with no apologies. Like a squad of bad-ass goddesses.
You probably already knew this was coming but F*cking Perfect is, in my opinion; perfect. Check it out at the Toronto Fringe Festival, and prepare to meet four incredibly inspiring women.
Details
- F*cking Perfect plays at the Factory Theatre Mainspace. (125 Bathurst St.)
- Tickets are $13, including a $2 service charge. The festival also offers a range of money-saving passes and discounts for serious Fringers.
- Tickets can be purchased online, by telephone (416-966-1062), from the Festival Box Office at Scadding Court (707 Dundas St. W.), and — if any remain — from the venue’s box office starting one hour before curtain.
- Content Warnings: Sexual content; Mature language.
- This venue is wheelchair-accessible through a secondary route.
- Be aware that Fringe performances always start exactly on time, and that latecomers are never admitted.
Performances
- Friday July 6th, 5:00 pm
- Saturday July 7th, 9:15 pm
- Monday July 9th, 6:45 pm
- Tuesday July 10th, 3:00 pm
- Wednesday July 11th, 12:00 pm
- Friday July 13th, 11:00 pm
- Saturday July 14th, 7:30 pm
Photo of Jessica Bowmer, Iliana Spirakis, Adriana Moraes- Mendoza and Jeysa Carded by Jaimee Hall.