What I liked
I met the cast of this show at the Fringe Opening party the night before I saw it and I’m glad I did, otherwise I might have overlooked it in the sea of 385 shows to choose from. Annabella Funk is a very talented performer who exposes all her raw emotion on stage through her dance, skilled acting, and ability to portray different characters. The musicians, Heather Grove, Annette Dunklin, Elias Alexander are amazing and the music alone is simply beautiful – it really draws you into the narrative. This was an emotional story told in a very unique way – almost performance art but not quite. It had more structure than that. It was certainly different in a very good way and I’m glad I got to experience it.
What I didn't like
The stage was much too small for this show with musicians, instruments, a dancer and set pieces crammed into a tiny space. I felt Annabella’s dancing was constrained by this and would love to have seen her on a bigger stage where she could really let loose. The show was short and ended rather abruptly for my taste. I was slightly confused at the end because I wasn’t sure exactly what happened to her. I thought it was her true story and therefore the seeming ending didn’t make sense to me, since Annabella is obviously still with us. But it’s possible I missed something in the narrative. I still really enjoyed the show though and would love to see more – both physical space-wise and story-wise.
My overall impression
A sad life story told in a beautiful and unique way through dance, movement, music and engaging acting. An emotionally moving show with extremely talented musicians and a vulnerable lead performer.
