The Toronto Theatre Review: Best of the Fringe’s Playground
By Ross
As I settled myself in at the Meridian Arts Center in North York, Toronto, I was acutely aware that I was surrounded by kids. Now, I will say two things outright. Kids, of the very young kind, are not my favourite theatre companions. This statement, as unpopular as it might be, does NOT include my good friend’s child, Hazel, who has been featured here in my blog numerous times; from the time she saw her first Broadway musical, Cinderella (or was it Tuck Everlasting), to when she was my plus one for Broadway’s Frozen. She will always be one of my favorite plus-one companions to the theatre.
The other is to fully state that this TO Live‘s Best of the Toronto Fringe show, Playground, has that very audience firmly in its sights, and, to be completely honest, does them the best of services, most honorable and lovingly. They state, quite clearly, that this joyful and inventive musical, based on the songs of four-time Juno Award-winning children’s singer-songwriter Jack Grunsky (“Live In Your Imagination“), is suitable for children 4-12. As well as their parents and grandparents. And, as it turns out, it is very suitable for me. Surprisingly.
Playground, the playful and extremely catchy musical, written by Amanda Freedman, immediately engages, singing and hoofing, featuring a very charming cast that includes: Misha Sharivker, Yunike Soedarmasto, Lizzie Song, Zoe Deanna Virola, Ian Kowalski, Meredith Shedden, Cayne Kitagawa, Joe Matheson, and Olivia Daniels, into another great day. This is all via a wonderful song and a solid, clear-minded connection with its audience. Lovingly directed with lightness and care by Olivia Daniels (Shifting Ground’s 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee) and choreographed with joy and expertise by Sarah Schryburt, Playground rewinds, as asked to start from the beginning, and it’s a very good place to start, as it turns out.
The musical follows the young, relatable Eliot (Sharivker), the new kid in school who has a vivid, mapped-out imagination and a hungry appetite for adventure and connection. He looks around the new classroom, searching the other kids’ faces for friendship and acceptance at his new school, and we can’t help ourselves. We totally lean in with him to his desire, feeling it in our bones and our young child spirit that still resides inside us all, regardless of age. Eliot, as he is named in big print across his backpack, tells his newfound classmates about a game he used to play back in Michigan, and to further his cause, he creates a crayon map for his game so that he may lead his new friends through a world of make-believe, even if only within the confines of their school playground. They are hesitant at first, but one by one, to the Principal’s (Matheson) amazement, they jump into his world, trusting him with closed eyes and a deep breath.
It’s no wonder Playground was chosen as one of TO Live‘s Best of Fringe. It solidly and inventively explores the ideas around friendship, fitting in, and feeling lost, through a variety of well-tuned in musical genres, “integrating sounds and rhythms from a colourful palette of global musical instruments“. I was completely hooked into the emotional honesty that was being delivered by this wonderful cast, as they encourage us all to close our eyes, take a deep breath, and leap into the unknown, trusting in ourselves, in our connections, and the beauty of our imagination. If this show returns or comes your way, don’t hesitate, and jump into this Playground, regardless of your age and your preconceived notions.
