Lightning strikes twice for comedy playing at Fringe
Against long odds, playwright wins selection lottery for second year in row
West Island playwright Irene Saharov is feeling lucky. She’s won the lottery two years in a row.
The Montreal Fringe Festival lottery, that is.
The Fringe runs at various venues in Montreal until June 17. More than 800 performances by artists from around the world embrace elements of dance, spoken word, physical theatre, burlesque, cabaret, comedy, circus and more. Tickets are cheap and part of the thrill is discovering festival gems and surviving the bombs.
Artists are chosen through a lottery process. Eight early-bird applications are also offered, but landing one of those requires equal doses of online acumen and luck.
Saharov’s comedy Meditations of Guido Kowalski played at last year’s Fringe at 73 per cent capacity. Not bad for a freshman.
So she thought she’d try her luck with her sophomore creation, Love Potion. Much to her surprise and confusion, she snagged one of the early-bird spots even though she had convinced herself that her online application had missed the mark.
“It’s impossible to win twice,” Saharov said. “I never win anything.”
So she called director Donna Byrne who directed Guido and things picked up where they left off last year. Crazy rehearsals began in Saharov’s basement in Beaconsfield with a cast of fellow West Islanders and community theatre veterans, including Adam Recine who played the philosopher/ bartender Guido at the last Fringe.
This year, Recine is cast as a sketchy entrepreneur named Ricky who plans to take advantage of his shy, single-and-lonely cousin Nestor by trying out an untested love potion. If it works, he’ll be rich, rich, rich. Nestor, played by Dan Wheeler, has set up a blind date while his overbearing mother is away. Ricky manipulates the situation, turning the rendezvous into a double date with him and the blind date’s sister.
Sylvia Mauri plays blind date Louise. Susan Corbett plays her sister Mimi and Linda Sheshko plays the overbearing mother.
Complicating matters is the fact that Ricky is on the run from his sister and her husband — both wrestlers — because he embezzled their money. He needs a get-rich scheme to be up and running before they track him down. First step is to prove the potion works.
Saharov came to writing after retiring from a career as a CEGEP teacher and Russian translator. She’s been working on Love Potion’s narrative for six years, seeking out literary advisers and attending workshops.
“I’m never satisfied,” she said. “I’ll probably rewrite bits af- ter I’ve seen it onstage. Certain things might look good on paper, but don’t work in front of an audience. Writing is such a very lonely business. To actually see your stuff onstage is very rewarding.”
And then it was time to prepare for another basement rehearsal. Last week, she treated the cast to vodka and caviar.
“There’s been a lot of laughter,” she said.
The West Enders present Love Potion at the Mission Santa Cruz, 60 Rachel St. W, June 7 at 7:45 p.m.; June 11 at 6:15 p.m.; June 13 at 9:45 p.m.; June 15 at 6:15 p.m.; June 16 at 8:15 p.m. and June 17 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets cost $12.50 ($10.50 for QDF members).
For Montreal Fringe Festival program details, call 514-849-3378 or visit www.montrealfringe.ca.