Stage/Toronto Fringe 2024

What: Rosamund: A New Musical
Where: Trinity St-Paul’s United, 427 Bloor St. W.
When: Wed., July 10 at 8:00 pm; Thurs., July 11 at 8:00 pm, Fri., July 12 at 8:00 pm; Sat., July 13 at 8:00 pm; Sun., July 14 at 8:00 pm
Highlight: Broadway worthy performances dazzle
Rating: NNNNN (out of 5)
Why you should go: A new twist on a familiar fairy tale is action-packed and heartfelt

ONCE UPON A TIME … there was a church in the middle of a heatwave hosting a Fringe fairytale.

Rosamund, produced by Chaos & Light, invites the audience to forget everything they know about Sleeping Beauty. Writer-director Andrew Seok crafts a reimagining in which Princess Rosamund has firmly decided that “she is not a flower” but “a thorn and a weed.” She fights epic battles with her sword but, of course, her tongue is sharper. When she is (unwillingly) engaged to Prince Kasem, she decides to embark on a journey to get rid of her curse and take her future into her own hands.

Presented in concert style with a small but mighty band consisting of cello, piano, violin, guitar and percussion, this was an absolute pleasure. At 97 minutes, the audience gets a full new musical with fairies, kingdoms and epic musical numbers.

Vocal and acting performances across the board are nuanced and beautiful. Jeff Irving is a charmingly conceited prince, Gabi Epstein is a wonderfully complicated wicked witch and AJ Bridel is a perfect leading lady with equal parts power and comedic chops. Bridel and Irving’s chemistry is full of beautiful banter, reminding me much of the beloved 2010 Disney flick Tangled.

The writing is gorgeous. The music swells and feels fresh while also very much solidified in musical theatre tradition, reminding me much of Sondheim’s writing, especially in the ensemble numbers. All of the characters are complicated and human, and the twist on the fairytale is a feminist take that feels genuine and not preachy. The whole thing is cohesive and grand in nature and, honestly, just left me wanting to see a fully staged production.

Catch this new work while you can at Fringe, but I suspect this won’t be your last chance to see this musical in Toronto.