Stage/Toronto Fringe 2024

What: Yoga for Billionaires: An Immersive Comedy
Where: Tarragon Theatre Extraspace, 30 Bridgman Ave.
When: Fri., July 5 at 7:45 pm; Sat., July 6 at 5:30 pm; Tue., July 9 at 2:00 pm; Thurs., July 11 at 9:45 pm; Fri., July 12 at 6:00 pm and Sun., July 14 at 12:00 pm
Highlight: Grounded performances keep the show together.
Rating: NNN (out of 5)
Why you should go: The idea of blending a critique of wellness culture with a critique of the ultrarich is in tune with the present moment.

PLAYWRIGHT-PERFORMER Sara Raj’s Yoga for Billionaires: An Immersive Comedy could more accurately be called “yoga for people who want to be billionaires”: the 60-minute two-hander casts the audience as “middle-class peons” looking to manifest wealth through yoga, welcoming spectators on stage in groups of three or four to be bossed around by a yoga guru (Raj) and her disgruntled assistant (Lindita Kulla).

With eat-the-rich satires trendy and wellness a hot topic, Raj’s concept speaks to the moment. The script’s most successful moments marry its two subjects, connecting the poses unfolding on stage with critiques of the ultra-rich — like when our guru tells the volunteer yogis to scoop their hands under their feet as if they’re crushing millions of small businesses.

The show is kept afloat by Raj’s steadfast presence but lacks a solid sense of rhythm: there’s a ton of dead air in this production and only sometimes does it feel intentional. Whenever the play leaves the yoga lesson behind and becomes more fantastical, director Rob Feetham and lighting designer Za Hughes take design swings that pay off. But the lesson itself needs sharpening and perhaps speeding up. While yoga may be slow, a comedy about it doesn’t need to be.