Queer theatre is everywhere, dear readers.
Last night I caught a preview performance of Bash’d, which opens at Theatre Passe Muraille tonight. The gay hip-hopera is set in Edmonton during the same-sex marriage wars, and weaves a hilarious and tragic tale of the impacts of homophobic violence on a young gay couple.
You may have heard of the show already — I first caught it during its 2007 Fringe Festival run. It then went on to play at the Next Stage Festival in 2008 before running Off-Broadway earlier this year. And now it’s opening TPM’s mainstage season. Writer/co-star Chris Craddock has written a number of queer Fringe Festival hits over the years, including PornStar, which I reviewed for Xtra West this summer.
The show has grown a bit since it’s Fringe run, with better production values on the music and lighting design, but it still maintains the smallness and intimacy of that first run. The two lead lovers are sweet and instantly recognizable and the rhymes and music are sharp and fun. The show breezes by at a slender 75 minutes, and if I’ve any complaint it’s only that they left me wanting even more of their delicious beats.
This is one you definitely don’t want to miss.
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