London Free Press Review
Reunions aren't always what you expect as Reunited Shorts reveals
Reunions can be anything, from joyous to awkward, angry to confusing.
Reunions can be anything, from joyous to awkward, angry to confusing.
London-area playwright Len Cuthbert touches all those bases and more in his Reunited Shorts on at the TAP Centre for Creativity during London Fringe, presented by his Fridge Door Theatre Company based in Mount Brydges.
The show is comprised of scenes from six outstanding short plays about reunion, including the 2012 London Fringe offering, delilah, The Gift Exchange, Benched, Table for Two Rendezvous, Last Dance and You, Me. Me, You.
It is performed by five talented young actors, including Fynn Cuthbert, Aaron Mayordomo, Naomi Simpson, Emma Vanderkuyl and Kendall Zurowski.
Len Cuthbert’s scripts for each of the six vignettes are taut and clever, especially The Gift Exchange.
In putting them together, Cuthbert is able to tap a wide range of emotions in his audience, supported by some very fine acting, that makes it truly delicious Fringe fare.
Delilah is about the reunion of two young women when one is dying.
The Gift Exchange is about a woman hiring an old friend who is also a new lawyer for being falsely accused of stealing a collector’s edition of Pink Floyd’s The Wall.
Table for Two Rendezvous is about a married couple, an airline pilot and Broadway actress, whose relationship is built around meeting for a brief coffee.
You, Me. Me, You is about a man and woman meeting at a high school reunion but don’t recognize each other -- for good reason.
Benched is about two young people, a former couple, who meet unexpectedly at a park bench and fall into the same troubles that broke them up.
The final vignette, Last Dance, is such a poignant, beautiful surprise, I’ll say no more.
The sets are sparse and quickly arranged by the actors without interrupting the flow of emotion.
There’s nothing terribly quirky about this show, just straight-ahead traditional theatre. But it is excellent entertainment and I strongly recommend it be included on the lists of Fringe goers.
There are two shows remaining on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m.
jbelanger@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/JoeBatLFPress
https://lfpress.com/entertainment/theatre/reunions-arent-always-what-you-expect-as-reunited-shorts-reveals |
PATRON REVIEWS POSTED AT TheatreInLondon.ca
June 2, 2019 at 10:55 pm (Jawon Mapp)
Such a thrilling theatre experience! From the many laughs to the very heartfelt moments, all around Reunited Shorts is a spectacular collection of short plays and makes for a "short" but fun time. I highly recommend you get out to see this show while you can!
June 2, 2019 at 11:24 pm (Nancy French)
Congratulations to Len and the cast and crew of "Reunited Shorts". Such a great production! A wonderful emotional journey, for sure! You had us laughing and crying! See it while you can!
June 3, 2019 at 8:13 am (James Nuttall)
I'm so glad I came to see this show! It has a great balance of light hearted humour and more serious content. The cast perfectly brings to life the characters from these short plays. Be sure to see this one, you'll be glad you did!
June 3, 2019 at 8:43 am (Natalie Hleba)
Reunited Shorts is a must see at the Fringe! Each short play takes you on a journey into the lives of two people and their reunion. The writing in this show is so wonderful tht, within each brief encounter, there is cause for laughter, surprise, nostalgia and reflection. Well done!
June 3, 2019 at 9:45 am (Cathy Kriz)
Put Reunited Shorts on your must see list at London Fringe! A spectacular little collection of short stories performed by a wonderfully talented cast touching on real life situations. I laughed and cried. Bravo!
June 3, 2019 at 9:52 am (Laurie Bursch - Reviewer)
If you're new to Fringe festivals, Reunited Shorts could be your entry into this wonnderful and occasionally weird, weird world. In 60 minutes, writer and director Len Cuthbert shares six short stories. You get four romantic comedies, and two dramas, all less than 10 minutes long - perforect for our Internet-shortened attention spans. It's a fun assortment of theatrical bonbons.
June 3, 2019 at 3:53 pm (Melissa Page)
Len Cuthbert's work is consistently outstanding and Reunited Shorts is a great example of this - as a window into Len's deeply thoughtful, poignant and also quite humorous script writing. In this series of six short pieces, the audience is taken on a journey into experiences of grief and sadness, joy and humour. He isn't afraid to tackle topics that are often, sadly, still challenging within our society and does so with care and dignity.
Bravo to Len and the fabulous troupe of actors in his Reunited Shorts!
June 5, 2019 at 10:28 am (Tammy Vink)
Reunited Shorts was a great experience! Every story had a different feel, twist or take away. I particularly loved You, Me. Me, You. It was performed so perfectly!
Congrats to the cast and crew! You all did so well!! Thanks for continuing to write meaningful scripts, Len. :) Don't miss Reuited Shorts!!
June 5, 2019 at 10:49 am (Anita Lee)
You've got to check out Reunited Shorts! This group of talented actors delivered each witty and heartwarming script with excellence! The 60 minutes flew by way too quickly leaving me wanting to see more. Len Cuthbert's creative script writing continues to amaze me! Don't miss out! This is definitely a Fringe must see!
June 5, 2019 at 11:21 am (Ryanne Kap)
Reunited Shorts is a lovely showcase of Len Cuthbert's witty, poignant, and versatile scripts. Each 10-minute short explores a timely, true-to-life theme that'll leave you thinking long after the show is over. Although it's a small cast, the variety of the stories they tell and the emotions they convey will certainly impress. Don't miss this show before it closes!
June 5, 2019 at 2:11 pm (Alexandrea Kennedy)
Writer and Director Len Cuthbert once again displays his clever wit with "Reunited Shorts". A writing style that is incredibly unique, moving, and ceretainly not to be missed. A wonderful display of diversity from the cast playing polar opposite characters from scene to scene. A fringe-must-see!
June 5, 2019 at 9:20 pm (Tanya)
Reunited Shorts was AMAZING! Len Showed off his excellent and diverse writing skills and the cast delivered wonderful, heartfelt performances. Humorous, thoughtful and moving, it is a definite must see!
June 5, 2019 at 9:22 pm (Trina Brooks)
A little bit of every emotion in these stories. Tight writing and actors with amazing timming and natural performances.
June 6, 2019 at 11:41 am (Diane Vanden Hoven)
A great show full of entertaining vignettes about the human experience. Funny, touching, relevant, nicely realised with a talented cast of young performers. All told in a witty way that is uniquely Len Cuthbert.
June 6, 2019 at 11:44 am (David)
Another wonderful show by Len Cuthbert and his cast. Len continues to write shows to make his audience laugh and cry at the same time. The actors execute such diverse characters with precision from scene to scene. An excellent display from many talented people and a definite must see show in this years Fringe Festival. Don't miss Reunited Shorts!
June 6, 2019 at 1:08 pm (Rachel)
The plays were incredible, well written and the cast did an amazing job at playing each role1 I was very impressed! It made me laugh and feel so many amazing emotions! I will definelty watch it again!
June 6, 2019 at 6:09 pm (Rachel)
An amazing show filled with clever lines that make you laugh out loud and moving moments that will bring you to tears!
June 7, 2019 at 2:08 pm (Sarah From)
This show is full of vibrant characters ready to take you on six different journies. Each story is fully captivating, and getting to experience little surprises throughout the show was truly amazing. |
