Performances will play Revival Bar in Little Italy in Toronto. Artistic producer Mitchell Marcus told Playbill.com he's worked out a special arrangement with Actors' Equity for a schedule of two performances a week, to help create the feel of a special event. He called it grassroots "cocktail theatre," in a casual setting where patrons — twenty- to thirty-somethings, in particular — can listen to the songs and have glass of beer or wine.
Edges, seen in university, pub and regional theatre settings in the U.S., is billed as "a fresh and hilarious rock song cycle about the trials and tribulations of moving into adulthood and the search for love, commitment and meaning. Edges explores contemporary life from first jobs, to first loves, to first Facebook friends. It's funny, poignant, and deliciously honest with an irresistible contemporary rock/pop score by the winners of the 2007 Jonathan Larson Award for songwriting."
The writers are currently writing for Disney Channel's "Johnny and the Sprites" and have a number of projects for stage and screen in development.
Edges will feature Jordan Bell (Stratford Festival), Eric Craig (Stage West's Beauty and the Beast), Gabi Epstein (National Ballet's West Side Story suite) and Sara Farb (Mirvish's Jane Eyre). Evan Tsitsias directs and Reza Jacobs musical directs.
Edges had a three-performance concert in Toronto in 2007 and, due to popular demand, Acting Up Stage picked it up with additional material for a full production, reviving the "licensed cabaret theatre" genre that was ubiquitous in the 1970s in Toronto, according to the producer. Leading up to the show's run, the cast will be featured in five YouTube webisodes entitled "Edgy Questions," keeping track of the rehearsal process on their Facebook pages, and offering an "Edgeheads Rewards Program," allowing "for a theatre experience that extends beyond the usual boundaries of a venue."
Acting Up Stage Theatre Company is a theatre company in Toronto "dedicated to producing intimate musical theatre productions, while cultivating a new generation of audiences through thought-provoking, contemporary works." The company previously produced the Canadian premiere of Jonathan Larson's tick, tick…BOOM! in 2005, the Toronto premiere of john & jen in 2006, and the critically acclaimed Dora-nominated productions of Elegies: A Song Cycle and A Man of No Importance.
Performances play Sunday at 7 PM and Monday at 8 PM. Tickets are $25, $15 for students and artswokers.
Revival Bar is located at 783 College Street in Toronto, Ontario. For more information visit www.edgestoronto.com or www.youtube.com/actingupstage.
