Fringe 2009: Speaking Candidly About Candida

Photo courtesy of Burning Passions Theatre.

Candida is, without question, one of the hits at this year's Fringe. The show had picked up some buzz before it even opened, and the raves have been rolling in ever since. And, more or less, we agree.

The more: Candida is a classic play classically executed, and performed with an extremely high degree of polish. The overall tenor of the show is closer to what one would find at a traditional theatre company than to the more cutting-edge works one typically encounters at Fringe, and the change of pace from the other fare is a refreshing and welcome addition to the mix. If you've a hankering for some good old-fashioned narrative storytelling, this is a great choice.

The less: Because Candida is given a classical treatment, Burning Passions Theatre is positioning itself to be compared against other classical troupes rather than the Fringe-y independent companies from which we expect more experimental but sometimes less polished works. And measured against those standards, it falls a little short. A line got flubbed here and there and, far more significantly, a couple of the leads didn't yet seem entirely comfortable in their roles. Jeffrey Aarles was at home playing the Reverend James Morell, but Christopher Ryan, as Morell's romantic rival Eugene Marchbanks, overplayed his first few scenes and took a while to warm up (though he eventually did). And while Katie Lawson gave a perfectly pleasant performance in the titular role, her Candida failed to compel quite as much as it should have: Candida seemed a lovely woman, but her ability to inspire such passion among so many men remained a plot device rather than a fully believable reaction to her undeniable charms.

Like our favourite high-school teachers, we are being harsh because we see so much promise. These are nits we are picking, but Burning Passions has done so well with the essentials that we think they can take it, and that they can take their performance just a little bit further. If they do, they have the potential to emerge as a classical troupe we make a point of seeing all year round.

The next performance is today at 7:15 p.m. at the Innis Town Hall.

The Fringe runs until July 12 at various locations around the city. Check back for Torontoist's daily Fringe coverage throughout the festival.