Toronto Fringe Review: Bondage

BONDAGE
reviewed by El Gato!

Whoa. I love comedy. And clown, and stuff like that. And I went into this show thinking a bunch of things. First, it had gotten a ton of great press. Second, a bunch of people I’ve talked to did not enjoy it as much as the reviewers. Third, I was scared. I’m a gentle soul. Sexy Fringe scares me a little .

Despite all this, I found myself at Bondage, front row centre… I’ve been trying to have a more open mind. And yeah; I actually kinda dug it.

I found the clownery of performers Patricia Rockman and Elaine Smookler fantastic. I don’t know if clownery is a word, but it should be. They owned their audience — hell, I had to love ‘em. Vendetta (Smookler) kept winking, waving, and trying to pick me up during the show. It was awesome.

The show is a series of five clown scenes exploring some of the obligations and obsessions that restrict us in life. And that really works. It’s not the sexy bondage — well, that is kinda in there, a little — it’s the kind of bondage that we all carry with us. I really
loved the show thematically. That being said, I did find it occasionally uneven — there were moments through the the middle three that just lost me. I’m not even sure there was any specific thing that caused me to feel a little lost. Just… Not as captivated as I was
during the opener and closer. Just a few little drops in pace…

I was totally in by the end. Actually? I LOVED the closer: a wonderful little bit about death, that capped the piece off perfectly. I laughed AND got incredibly depressed. Oh Fringe…

One little note. I think that looking at the audience was incredibly interesting. The general make up was significantly older than I would have expected with a title like Bondage. The show was not really as sexed up as I would have expected from the title and the look. It’s so weird when you catch these differences between Montreal Fringe and Toronto Fringe… I just KNOW how much creepier/raunchier this show would have been in the no-holds-barred Montreal Party Fest atmosphere… That being said, my dirty little homefest would guarantee smuttyness, but not necessarily improvement on an already strong piece.

Ok. That’s a more personal note. Has little to do with this performance.

FOUR OUT OF FIVE! They sang to me! They deserve it!