#Victoria Sepejak

[ladycharles]

New Fringe Pick! Hope you liked the last one, this is another piece that's at the Ottawa Fringe right now 💖

It's Angel, Baby!

In 2019 I visited Athens, Greece and happened on a queer performance festival. Unmoored from North American ballroom standards and US puritanism, the performances were in turns subversive, earnest, vulgar, virtuosic, exhibitionist, and absolutely hilarious. It is rare in my cozy little government town to get the same feeling of witnessing truly subversive, truly mind opening art.

To my absolute luck, Angel, Baby ended up being one of those rare shows that leaves me in awe, and does so in way that is uniquely charming.

Exploring the concept of kissing booths as a vehicle for their audacious comedy, Victoria gives a charismatic and deeply funny performance as the skits turn increasingly bizarre and extreme. Audience members are asked to involve themselves in some desperately uncomfortable situations, and yet never once is the humour mean spirited or the audience members made the butt of a joke. In fact, seldom have I seen crowd involvement done with such care, even when the situations themselves are completely off the wall.

This is a show that does not waste time with exposition, creating a disorienting feel and a dramatic tension that amplifies the humour. Despite this, there is a cohesion and thematic completeness to what’s could otherwise seem like a bunch of random skits if one didn’t pay attention. For one, Victoria's characterisation is strong enough that exposition isn't necessary - we know exactly who Angel, Baby is from their awkward charisma and the earnestness of their delivery. For two, the baffling structure of the show itself is quite an important component of the humour. This is not a show for those who cannot fill in blanks, but for those who can give over their full attention and trust in Victoria's comic instincts, the rewards are bountiful.

There are things here I have never seen an actor attempt, things that could derail the entire show, things that could turn traumatic even, and yet Victoria maintains control with a comic charm and commitment to their character that keeps the unscripted moments compelling. The most fascinating facet to this is that as it unraveled the audience participation moments began to take on a quiet, dramatic beauty - the effect is so immersive that the lines between script and improv may as well not exist.

There is a certain awe to watching such a great actor take big risks with the audience, Iike the theatrical equivalent of juggling fire. Shows like this make Fringe Fringe, they are the lifeblood of artists like myself who crave not just great escapism but to see art destroyed and rebuilt in our images. Victoria has destroyed comedy and rebuilt it in their image, and it is a devastatingly effective transformation. Definitely recommended!