Open Wardrobes

My final show of the afternoon yesterday (before prepping for my own two-performance marathon) was Allegra Lingo's new one-woman show Crescendo. I'd heard of Allegra from past Fringes, but had never made it to one of her shows before, an oversight I decided to correct especially after meeting her several times in the course of all the Fringe previews. She's one of those down-to-earth, personable individuals who is a pleasure to speak with, and just so happens to be an incredible artist to boot.

I was captured from the very beginning, as we sat in darkness listening to Allegra call the show into existence in a moment of creation, Aaron Copeland's music in the background. She weaves together two main threads: a retelling of the Greek myth of Icarus and her own process as an artist struggling with the act of creation. As a writer/actor myself I can definitely relate to the internal struggle and moments of self-doubt that accompany the process of putting words down on the page, let alone before an audience. The retelling of Icarus too was beautiful. It stayed true to the essence of the myth while not being bound by it, giving a glimpse of what may have happened next. The parallel between Icarus' flight too close to the sun and the artist's act of creation was nicely drawn. And like any good soundtrack, the music of Copeland added to the mood without distracting from the performance. Lastly, the stories about James the dog were delightful. All in all an amazing piece and one well worth catching. I am only sorry that it took me so many Fringes to finally see this talented performer in action. 5 out of 5 stars