Created by Agni_Creative
Produced by Agni_Creative, Ottawa, ON
Review by Cristina Paolozzi
55 mins / M /
A multilingual journey through love, relationships and the divine. Divine Masculine: A Rhapsody tells the humorous yet tragic tale of what it means to navigate contentious power dynamics, gender-based violence, and ultimately what it means to be a man.
This show is well-told by a small cast of five performers. From the effortless switch between English, French, and Punjabi, to the dance break in the middle of the show, to the real and raw emotions of heartache and heartbreak, there are some serious acting chops on La Nouvelle Scène’s stage.
And although there are a medley of languages throughout, it blends so well together to create a relatable yet unique story.
Poster from Divine Masculine: A Rhapsody. Photo provided.
While the show definitely tackles very heavy themes and with equally heavy deliveries, there is also a good balance of humour, with the audience responding well to characters’ lovable awkwardness or the varied innuendos throughout.
The performance takes a turn thematically in the second half, introducing a much darker and more serious tone, which caught me off guard initially. The show also incorporates a few time jumps which could be a little hard to follow. However, the chemistry between characters is a strong glue that holds everything together. And with a minimal set, everything is left on stage.
The overall cohesion from the entire cast and crew makes this performance one to see this Fringe.
Divine Masculine: A Rhapsody is playing at La Nouvelle Scène, Studio A from June 12–21. Tickets are $14 plus service fees at the Fringe box office (3rd floor, Arts Court, 2 Daly Avenue), and at the three satellite box offices (LabO in the Ottawa Art Gallery, Fringe Courtyard, 67 Nicholas St and La Nouvelle Scène). Five and ten Show Passes are also available. Visit the Ottawa Fringe Festival’s website for the show’s schedule and check out their online schedule here.
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