TORONTO STAR - “KICKS FROM THE FRINGE”
A Night at the Moulin Rouge” created by Heidi Rayden & Autumn Fawn, is set inside the raunchy Moulin Rouge, with the audience becoming patrons of the Paris hotspot. “Originally we were going to bring the audience into the show with two special scenes for men and women but we were told the Fringe wouldn’t let us for insurance reasons. We were surprised and sad about that,” says Rayden, who wrote the play with Autumn Fawn and appears as the ingénue Natalie, who comes to Paris in the hopes of becoming a courtesan.
The experience of being right there starts from the moment people buy tickets and are provided with French “fancs” in return – actually photocopies of 1872 paper francs. “They have to have French francs if they want to purchase a courtesan”, Rayden explains.
How much does a courtesan cost in 1872 francs? “The price is set by the Madame.” The air will be filled with incense and French music plays as the “patrons” arrive. “We want to make sure all their senses are touched,” says Rayden.
The courtesans will interact with the patrons at the start of the show, which was inspired both by the period and by the Moulin Rouge movies. “Our point is that people have fun. This is not Shakespeare,” says Rayden.
“It is really amazing to write something and to see people laughing and having a good time. We want to take people away for 45minutes and introduce them to an era they may not know about – our version of it, anyway.”
EYE WEEKLY - “TRENDSPOTTING AT THE FRINGE”
Skin is in and clowns are out, but the Fringe being the Fringe, one-person shows are as plentiful as ever this year. Productions are chosen by a lottery, which naturally yields a mixed bag of genres and a wide range of quality among the record 126 productions. Determining what to see takes some educated guessing and a good sense of your own theatrical turn-ons.
If you like the idea of being playfully seduced by 1890s Parisian floozies; you may want to catch A Night at the Moulin Rouge. The 45-minute show is about a young woman who dreams of becoming a courtesan and promises interactive titillation and a “wicked Madame.”
TORONTO STAR - “T.O.”S FIRST (AND LAST) TRASH GAMES!
With a little help from comedy troupe, Toronto Anti-Boredom Unit(TABU), the first ever Toronto International Garbage Games were officially opened at the Trinity Bellwoods Park, yesterday.
Complete with a fashion show of gas masks and bio-hazard suits, interpretive dancers, and a poetry reading entitled It Stinks, the group spun through mounds of trash with laughs. The group’s official MC Vincent Garbaggio declared the games open at the corner of Queen St. W. and Gore Vale Ave., unfurling the games’ official slogan “Toronto – We’re Trashed” to stares from curious onlookers.
And what would a trash festival would be complete without a vivacious garbage queen (aka Heidi Rayden).
TORONTO STAR – “PICTURE PERFECT VIEW OF TORONTO”
A group of 60 local photographers want to show tourists around the world that Toronto survived the hardships of SARS and is vibrant and stimulating as ever. The project, spearheaded by retired Star photographer Andrew Stawick, was inspired by the Rolling Stones’ decision to perform a SARS benefit concert in Toronto. Stawicki felt he could help boost tourism in the city by documenting “life in Toronto” through the collective lenses of professional photographers.
Stawick hopes to take the show to New York, Hong Kong and other cities as part of a worldwide promotion of Toronto. A Night at the Moulin Rouge is featured as Toronto’s summer nightlife on display at the photo exhibit.
KOREAN DAILY – “GARBAGE FESTIVAL”
