Queen Street News Toronto

Theatre: A Madhouse Dramedy 2012 Toronto Fringe Festival
The evening heat is sweltering as I
take my seat at the Vladimir
Institute at 620 Spadina for the
23rd annual fringe festival . Happy
for the air conditioning and stirred
to curiosity by the gentle piano
music and the two actors on stage
each casually reading the
newspaper, the mood is set as I
appreciatively take a seat.
Suddenly a phone rings. The
actors look up. The curtains close.
Laughter from the audience
follows and the mood is set, and
so begins “A Madhouse Dramedy”,
a bizarre play that is humorously
cryptic and about a whole lot of
nothing and everything. A quirky,
fast paced dramatic comedy it is
about three people whose lives are
intertwined in more ways than
one, and also their psychiatrist,
whom is lying dead on the floor.
Dorian, the “Alpha Male”, played
by Alexander Offord, is sexually
frustrated and in a forced
marriage with Joanna, played by
Nicole Wilson. Then there is
Taylor, played by the Ichabod
Crane esque Graeme Black
Robinson.
Taylor is the afterthought of
Dorian and Joanna, living with
them because he is Dorians
brother and seemingly his
responsibility. It was starting to
become clear as to why it is called
A Madhouse Dramedy.
These three seriously need the
help of a therapist. Hence Mildred,
the dead psychiatrist played by
Genevieve Trottier. Her role is not
only that of a corpse, but also has
the bearer of wisdom as she
delves into the psyche of each
character, allowing the audience
an insight as to why these three
became her clients in the first
place.
A Madhouse Dramedy is the type
of play that requires
concentration. It is written in a
sort of double speak and on top of
that, the play unravels backwards,
from the actual event of the
psychiatrist ending up dead to
what led these characters to be in
group therapy and what caused
the events that followed. Once one
gets past the jargon it is actually
quite an interesting concept, and
deeper than what I originally
anticipated. The fact that the
audience has to follow closely to
get what each character means is
sort of refreshing in the 21st
century, a time where everything
is instantaneous and information
is always at our fingertips. The
fact that the audience was
required to stay focused enough to
catch the point of all of it is right
up my alley.
Not entirely a laugh-out-loud type
of funny but witty and intelligent,
A Madhouse Dramedy is not only
eccentric but has a real message
about seizing the day and living
your life for you and to the fullest.
torontotheater-reviews.com is printed in five local papers. : Jen Allard
cabbagetownnews.com - stclairmagazine.com - bloornews.com - collegestreetnews.com - danforthmagazine.com - queenstreetnews.com Page 28