Always Because: The Adventures of Maggie and Meghan
Created by Maggie May Harder and Meghan Aglaia Burns
Produced by Us <3 (Ottawa, Canada)
Content Notes: Mature Language, Sexual Content, Audience Participation, Nudity
By Sam Woods
You’ve never really partied ‘till you’ve partied with Tina Kentucky.
Always Because: The Adventures of Maggie and Meghan is an intimate look into a relationship on fire, barreling recklessly towards the brink of utter collapse and sheer destruction.
…just kidding. They’re actually very in love, and this snappy, clever, and heartfelt fringe excursion will immediately let you know that they are also (spoiler alert) very gay. Part stand-up comedy show, part therapy session, and part exploration of the hyper-hyper real (a new genre of theatre coined by Meghan), Always Because will have you laughing, aww-ing, and hooting like an owl.
Aside from the flagrant and blatant displays of lesbian activity (of which this reviewer is in full support, mind you), Always Because also has a lot to say about toxic masculinity, systemic oppression, and the age-old debate of when the right time to pop a back pimple is. Self-proclaimed theatre kids (and it shows) Maggie and Meghan are engaging, magnetic, and charismatic performers who do a fantastic job of making the audience feel in good hands. The show feels like you’re in the living room of your two eccentric friends who have decided to bless their dinner guests with an impromptu after-supper play. Always Because crashes through the fourth wall, inviting audiences to not only listen in as they lay bare their most intimate moments and mental breakdowns, but to help them build the world of the scenes. So don’t make the mistake of turning your phone all the way off (like I did), because you may just miss your chance to become a star.
Always Because offers a heartwarming and entertaining hour of theatre helmed by two incredibly smart and capable performers. Between Maggie’s tongue-in-cheek performance style and Meghan’s tongue-in… wait, I probably can’t say that in a review… Meghan’s grounded and engaging character work, Always Because is a must-see at the 2023 Fringe. And if you sit in the front row, just be warned: you’re in the splash zone.
Always Because: The Adventures of Maggie and Meghan is playing at the BYOV-Atelier until June 25, 2023. Visit ottawafringe.com/fringe/ for the schedule and box office info. Read more reviews at https://apt613.ca/category/festival/fringe/.
