Join Yaw Attuah in Rhymes With Wow (YX Productions) as he guides you through a journey of the iconic friendships in his life, starting with that time his mother threw a shoe at him because he was fighting with his siblings in the basement (his first friendship) all the way to that time he got unexpectedly burned by a childhood friend.

Rhymes With Wow features some cool visuals, including some very fancy lighting and sound cues, which I was not expecting. It’s weird because I don’t usually mention lighting or sound in a one man show, but the effects (by Ashley Medeiros-Felix) are just so on point. For example, Yaw would walk into a shifting spotlight only to be suddenly lit with bright pink as he thinks about past romances gone by.

When the story called for it, Yaw would take a break to sing a Boyz 2 Men lyric, a verse of Frozen or dance the “Carlton,” which would hype up the monologue a bit. These were easily my favourite moments in the show, and though the story was good, I found myself wanting more of these “show stopping moments” to up the overall energy a bit.

The writing itself is lovely. A great balance of humour and sincerity. There were laughs throughout, but I would describe the show as being more “endearingly funny” than “roll-on-the-floor funny”. The humour was very sweet and cute, which seemed to match Yaw’s personality perfectly.

The only thing that I hope gets solved for the next showing is Yaw’s confidence level with the lines. He’s this close to totally owning the stage. I get that first shows can be nerve-wracking, but I found that the overall flow of the show felt a little bit choppy due to occasional uncertainty of what line came next, as if he was actively trying to remember them. However,  I do understand that it’s inevitable to have first-show jitters. He did a great job delivering the script otherwise.

So besides a bit of unsteadiness in the first showing, Rhymes With Wow is a lovely evening out at the Fringe. Yaw (which rhymes with wow), the man himself, has this instant likability about him that makes you wanna be “part of his world” from the get-go. Check it out at this year’s Toronto Fringe Festival!

Details

• Rhymes With Wow plays at the Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace. (16 Ryerson Ave.)
• 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 Warning: Mature language.
• This venue is wheelchair-accessible. Accessible seating is in the front row.
• Be aware that Fringe performances always start exactly on time, and that latecomers are never admitted.

Performances

• Thursday July 5th, 7:45 pm
• Saturday July 7th, 3:15 pm
• Sunday July 8th, 9:45 pm
• Tuesday July 10th, 1:30 pm
• Wednesday July 11th, 4:45 pm
• Thursday July 12th, 2:45 pm
• Saturday July 14th, 6:15 pm
• Sunday July 15th, 4:00 pm

Photo of Yaw Attuah provided by the company.