Toronto Fringe Festival – Pheasant Pluckers Mates/Mercenary Dance Theatre/Artists’ Play Dance Theatre

reviewed by Paula Citron
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Pheasant Pluckers Mates – Politically Correct Bedtime Stories (Tarragon Mainspace)
Mercenary Dance Theatre – The Hollow Show (Tarragon Mainspace)
Artists’ Play Dance Theatre – HeartSurge (George Ignatieff Theatre)
The Toronto Fringe Festival runs until Jul. 12
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The Toronto Fringe Festival is upon us and while I’m following dance, I’m also catching theatre. The opening night was everything the Fringe should be – namely the good, the bad and the ugly.

A delightful surprise is Mercenary Dance Theatre’s rich and deep The Hollow Show at Tarragon Mainspace. Young choreographer Lynndsey Larre presents three pieces, all of them gems. She creates thoughtful movement that speaks volumes through its images.

Also at Tarragon Mainspace is Pheasant Pluckers Mates and their Politically Correct Bedtime Stories. All the elements are here to make theatre work – good dialogue, costumes, props and music, but the show disintegrates into juvenile antics.

Artists’ Play Dance Theatre at the George Ignatieff is a disappointment. Choreographer Elizabeth Dawn Snell’s HeartSurge, inspired by a real heart attack, is on the simplistic side. It has its moments but is scuppered by two men who can’t dance. The three female dancers are accomplished.

The Toronto Fringe Festival runs until Jul. 12.