A struggling actor drawn to the boxing ring. A has-been boxer turned trainer.
As we enter the gym, you can smell the hard work, the fight, the sweat. A lone woman jumps rope in the ring as her trainer catches a cat nap off to the side, classical music blaring over the speakers.
Inspired by her training with three-time world champion, Olympic boxer Mary Spencer, Stephanie Carpanini wrote The Greatest – seven years later, in collaboration with Matthew Gouveia, that one-woman show has been re-imagined as Bout, produced by Sats Theatre and running at Sully’s Boxing Gym (1024 Dupont St., on the north side, a bit west of Dovercourt) during the Toronto Fringe Festival.
Jackie (Carpanini) is a “stumble bum” in auditions, waiting tables to make ends meet in her daily battle to make her mark in the world. Down, but not out, her sense of fight and lifelong fascination with boxing take her to a boxing gym, where she meets “Coach” Manny (Gouveia) and embarks on a journey of hard knocks training and discipline – and the fight of her life.
Incorporating moments from three of the best boxing movies ever made (Raging Bull, Rocky and Million Dollar Baby), Bout tells the story of an everywoman who feels like a nobody, but still strives to be a somebody. Carpanini’s Jackie is full of drive, deep longing and guts. This actor turned boxer is stubborn, determined and unwilling to give up as she pushes herself to be better – an inspiring character that you can’t help but root for. Gouveia’s Manny is a Portuguese Canadian who talks like an Italian; he has a way of cutting through the bullshit and getting to the point – and the heart – of a matter with dead-eye accuracy. He is tough and relentless in his pursuit of excellence, his rough exterior tempered by a big heart and abiding love of the sport.
The site-specific venue, with its accompanying atmosphere and training gear, puts the audience solidly in this world. The fight scene (Chelsea Ferrando as Jackie’s opponent, and Margaret Evraire and Emily Jeffries as the Ring Girls) near the top of the show and the training exercises throughout are intense and evocative of the hard physical, mental and emotional work. And when Jackie’s jumping rope, you can feel the ground vibrating, thumping like a heart pounding blood through veins.
Bout immerses you in the blood, sweat and tears of an underdog full of fight and heart – and features truly beautiful, honest and nuanced performances from Carpanini and Gouveia.
Bout runs every night at Sully’s Gym (except for no show on Mon, July 6) at 10 p.m. – check the show’s Fringe page for more info.
life with more cowbell 