What could be more Fringe than a cockroach woman? Turns out, not much. Winning a reputation as the “fringiest” and “most daring” show in the Canadian circuit, Little Lady brings a wacky and dark metamorphosis to this year’s Victoria Fringe lineup.
The show was created in three weeks as a self-portrait by Sandrine Lafond, former Cirque Du Soleil performer and Celine Dion dancer. Lafond turned the loss of a job last year into the ammo she needed to create her first play and take “herself” on tour to show the world.
“All my life, I’ve worked with companies that have wanted something from me — the strong lines of my body, the way I move — but I’ve always thought people have not asked enough of me,” says Lafond. “Everyone has a side they don’t want to see, or are scared to show the public, but these are the most interesting sides to see.”
Lafond used her peculiar flexibility to create a character that frames society’s modern obsession with image through a grotesque fable that juxtaposes her exquisite movement skills with the world of distortion and manipulation the character faces.
“My dream is that people will come away from this performance entertained, but with questions — questions that challenge how we think about bodies and what we value,” she says.
While Lafond is now in her 40s, she says the character has taught her a lot about herself. With no funding to carry Little Lady to the stage, she was thrilled to skitter on board the Fringe circuit, and will have performed the play 67 times by the time the Fringe concludes. Luckily, her time with Cirque Du Soleil and other companies trained her to be flexible enough to crunch into a fresh performance every time.
Little Lady
Physical Theatre
45 minutes
All Ages • All Tickets $11
Wood Hall, VCM (907 Pandora)
Tue, Aug 28, 6:00pm
Wed, Aug 29, 10:00pm
Thu, Aug 30, 7:45pm
Fri, Aug 31, 4:30pm
Sat, Sep 1, 2:15pm
Sun, Sep 2, 8:00pm
More Fringe Previews Here:
Burnt At the Steak (Carolann Valentino Productions, NY, NY)
Hanafuda Denki — A Tale of Playing Cards (Ryuzanki Company, Tokyo, Japan)
The Cockwhisperer (Colette Kendall, Hamilton, ONT)
Beautiful Obedient Wife (The Chicken my Grandmother Gave Me Productions, Victoria, BC)
Redheaded Stepchild — (Nobody's Business Theatre, Toronto, ONT)