The Middle Child
Much truth is said in jest. Or perhaps, much trauma is processed in jest. There should be a meme. I’m sure it exists. SNAFU’s The Middle Child led the audience into some heavy territory — death — and did so without even letting us know we were headed deeper and deeper into unknown territory. The show is a journey and one that left me deeply moved, even though I laughed the whole way.
In premise, the show is a funeral for the loss of the middle child. Basically, with smaller families, the middle child is disappearing. Three characters – the golden older child, the neglected weirdo middle child, and the beloved attention-seeking baby – shoot a film to explore their family dynamics with each other and their parents. The audience is regularly called in to participate, which is part of the seduction. An audition is held for the role of dad. We are told to laugh or whoop during specific scenes. But underneath, this show is a journey through life’s most painful experiences: death, bitter divorce, alcoholism, body shaming, and separation. The three siblings fight (as one expects) and love each other (as one also expects) while still being unique individuals. It is a masterclass in ensemble acting.
With high energy, inversions of expectations, and a hodge-podge of storytelling and dramatic techniques that seem to come out of nowhere, in the hands of lesser actors, this would be chaos. But SNAFU excels at getting to that line of how-far-will-they-go-before-this-makes-no-sense without ever crossing it. Maybe they touch it for a moment, but this bacchanal happens within meaningful parameters. The restraint, endurance, and confidence it takes to sit at that point are borne of experience and a deep commitment to excellence in performing. I’m so glad the team of SNAFU is back with an innovative production that is captivating from beginning to end.
The Runaround: The Journey of Abel the Amish Misfit
Some shows at the Fringe could easily find their best home at improv theatres or stages for stand-up storytelling, sketch comedy, and theatrical productions. But some shows find their true home at the Fringe. For example, an electronic hero’s journey, one-man musical with a full cast of characters played by Stewart Alden Tabler using audio looping, sequencing, and vocal processing.
The Runaround: The Journey of Abel the Amish Misfit is about Abel, an Amish man whose sexuality and “creativity” are at odds with the community he lives in. He acquires a phone and begins making social media posts about his life among cows and barn-raisings, developing a following. His posts attract the attention of a psychotic from the “English” world, who arrives at the community schoolhouse with a gun. While the criminal is forgiven, Abel’s proclivities lead to his shunning, and he must figure out how to survive in yet another world that rejects him.
For such a small show with very restricted movement as Tabler mostly stayed behind his electronics, the show felt enormous. Tabler’s gorgeous voice and emotional range, along with his audio samples create a tapestry of people – a bishop, his mother, his father, commentators on his posts, students. He sings his heart out with passion and sincerity. Abel is a lovable character, slightly naive but earnest. His intent to do good and still be himself is universal.
The lyrics of the songs are especially clever. I kept thinking of William Finn’s In Trousers, a musical about a cis-man married to a woman who comes to terms with his closeted homosexual orientation. Abel has a signature pun on his name that he uses for each of his posts and says things like, “Who says an Amish people can’t be snatched”. All in all, this was a sweet show with a big heart.
One note, like a lot of musical theatre, Amish-ness is more a veneer for Abel’s journey. Yes, Abel looks Amish and the context is an Amish community. There are a mentions of Amish cultural things such as rumspringa. The show draws on the tragic event of the West Nickel Mines School shooting. But, culturally it sits about the depth of an Amish romance novel. I suppose expecting more cultural nuance from a musical is a bit much. No one complains that West Side Story doesn’t reflect the realities of a Puerto Rican gang life in 1950s America accurately.
The Montreal Fringe festival continues until June 21. Tickets for the Middle Child can be found HERE. Tickets for the Runaround can be found HERE. Tickets for all shows can be found HERE. For more Fringe Festival reviews, check out Forget the Box, HERE.
