CHARISMA FURS
Factory Theatre Rehearsal Hall (125 Bathurst)
Rating: NNN
Aug 8 at 7:45 pm, Aug 9 at 3:30 and 8 pm, Aug 12 at 8:30 pm, Aug 13 at 8:45 pm, Aug 14 at 10:30 pm, Aug 15 at 3:30 and 8:30 pm, Aug 16 at 3:15 and 8 pm. 1-888-328-8384, summerworks.ca.
One person can live so many lives. That’s the takeaway from Charisma Furs, Katie Sly’s elliptical solo show (written with Jonathan Seinen) that’s performed in the intimate Factory Rehearsal Hall.
In a series of seemingly disconnected scenes, the elfin, watchable performer slyly metamorphoses one moment she’s a sensual woman twerking on the dance floor the next she’s a scrappy kid learning about power dynamics on the baseball diamond of her Montreal high school the next she’s a naive young woman exploring a BDSM dungeon in Manhattan.
Underlying the scenes seems to be a narrative about identity and confidence, but the text needs sharpening, and Sly could dig deeper into her persona’s history. But director Seinen gives the piece a nice fluidity, and Sly has an eerily effective presence that at times makes the show feel like a waking dream.
