Johnny Legdick, A Rock Opera by Playwright Hero is currently playing at the Randolph Theatre for this year’s Fringe festival. As you can guess from the title Johnny Legdick, A Rock Opera, Playwright Hero’s musical is the perfect mixture of mature and immature. The show has strong language and adult themes, but it treats them with the seriousness of a middle-schooler. To some, this could be unfortunate. For me, it was the cherry on top of the Fringe cake.

Johnny Legdick, A Rock Opera is a musical about a young man who was born with a third leg where his genitals would be. If you’re confused, they explain it well through song. Johnny, played by Colin MacDonald, finds himself working at circus. He is the newest member of the freakshow, along with the Bearded Lady, Elephant man, Triclops Boy,  and a half-man, half-horse named Steve. The freakshow is controlled by the cruel owner Suckadacocka played by Tadzeo Horner-Chbib. Soon after joining the freakshow, Johnny dreams of escaping.

The songs are ridiculous and catchy. Star of the show, Colin MacDonald, has an amazing voice. Even though the content is as silly as can be, the show has more to offer than jokes about genitals. There’s real talent on stage.

The musical would be incomplete without a live band, which includes the group The JEM. The JEM call themselves “the loudest acoustic trio” from Montreal. Along with their energetic playing, they also added to the show by shouting and calling to the characters on stage. I felt like it was an interesting way to encourage audience participation.

I had a great time watching this show. The audience at the viewing broke out into loud cheers and applause at the end. I would highly recommend this to anyone who just wants to sit back and have a fun night. The show is low-brow and a little bit crazy. Most of the plot doesn’t make sense, but as long you understand that it doesn’t have to, you should be just fine. It’s charming, in the weirdest way possible.

Details:

• Johnny Legdick, A Rock Opera is playing until July 10th at the Randolph Theatre (736 Bathurst Street)
• 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 peformance. 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.

Remaining Showtimes:

July 03 at 09:15 PM
July 04 at 03:30 PM
July 05 at 05:15 PM
July 07 at 10:45 PM
July 08 at 03:30 PM
July 10 at 12:00 PM

Warnings: Sexual Content, Mature Language, Audience Participation