More comedy fun last night at Bad Dog Theatre Company’s Toronto, I Love You – directed by Julie Dumais Osborne and now playing at the Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse during Toronto Fringe.
Live and unscripted, the Bad Dog Repertory Players treat the audience to a night of improv, based on audience input. Last night, we were asked to give them a location in the city – a special, perhaps secret, place that we love and feel good in. From the audience: the bat cave at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) – and it was both funny and surprising that, while most of the audience had been there, a majority of the players had not. From the players: the annual Sorauren Park Pumpkin Parade and actor Jess Bryson’s backyard patio in Parkdale.
Off they went and created a series of interwoven scenes: an earnest young man’s love of the ROM turns critical when he is forced to make a difficult personal choice that would mean saving it from destruction; a woman who is extremely attached to her carved pumpkin finds herself attracted to a friendly neighbour and struggles to love a human being; and a Parkdale neighbourhood feud between ex-in-laws blossoms into attraction between the siblings of the divorced couple.
It was an awesome fun time!
Shouts to the players: Craig Anderson, Jess Bryson, Nick Di Gaetano, Kyle Dooley, Colin Munch (also appearing in Punch Up), Etan Muskat, Paloma Nunez, Evany Rosen, Hannah Spear, Sean Tabares and Anders Yates.
Toronto, I Love You is a big, fun gooey love letter to T.O.
The show continues at the Helen Gardiner until July 13 – check here for exact dates/times. Advance tix or lining up early highly recommended for this one too.
FYI: August 11-16, Bad Dog Theatre Company will be celebrating the opening week of its new space at Bloor/Ossington (875 Bloor St. West, above the post office). Go check these guys out – they do nightly shows, as well as classes.
life with more cowbell 