What I liked
Crystal Keith (writer, producer, and plays Penny) delivers an inventive, engaging, and fast-paced thriller. A forensics investigator and professor happens through a rip in time and finds himself in 1888 Whitechapel, the site of the Jack The Ripper killings. Along with his assistant they chase every lead they can using modern techniques to try to solve the mystery of who Jack really was and stop him before he can finish his work.
Keith plays Penny, an alcoholic sex worker surviving her way in the world. Her Irish dialect is crisp and unforced and her performance, ranging from bedraggled and drunk to clear eyed and hopeful, is remarkably strong.
Jacob Sidney (director and plays Charles Cross) likewise comes through with a smooth, understated, and calculating performance. The quiet danger that lurks behind his eyes is apparent every moment that he’s on the stage. And it would be wrong of me not to mention that one of the friends who saw it with me was genuinely shocked to learn that his English dialect wasn’t native.
Thomas Fiscella and Natalie Dressel play our forensics team. There are a lot of traps one could fall into navigating exposition, time travel, some technical concepts, and the pathos of two people invested in stopping these 136-year-old murders, but Fiscella and Dressel come through with impressive grounding and clarity.
Guy Picot, a Fringe veteran and favorite, fills a handful of roles and fills them spectacularly. His comic timing and understated incredulity were absolutely delightful.
And of course, Casey McKinnon. McKinnon dances effortlessly from role to role with remarkable specificity. Her dialect work is immaculate and her characterizations of each role are phenomenal.
Chris Hutchings’ projection design is a character in its own right. Simple and not distracting, but evocative and effective, the projections take us from the classroom to Whitechapel and back again with impressive ease, particularly considering the technical challenges and limitations that come with the Fringe format.
And finally, the intimacy and violence coordination and choreography by Celina Surniak are masterful. Keith’s intention to tell the gruesome story without adding yet one more depiction of graphic and gratuitous sexual violence to the world was brilliantly achieved. Though stylized and more representational than realistic, the violence was still disturbing and shocking without falling into any traditional traps. So often choreography of violence is overlooked or staged so unsafely that an audience, perhaps unconsciously but still, find themselves taken out of the world of the play and put in the position of worrying for the safety of the performers. But Surniak’s choreography was safe, evocative, and so effective that more than once the audience collectively gasped.
What I didn't like
The only thing that would have heightened this piece even further would have been time. Again, due to the logistical constraints of Fringe, squeezing this much story into an hour flat left some elements of the story simply wanting more time. I’d have loved to spend longer in a handful of particularly powerful moments. But that aside, this truly is a spectacular show.
Absolutely do yourself a favor and see In For A Penny.
My overall impression
Incredibly strong show. On all fronts – writing, direction, choreography, performances, and tech – this one absolutely and impressively exceeds what most Fringe shows are able to deliver within the confines and inherent limitations of the Fringe schedule and format. Absolutely see this if you can!
