ERIKA: Fringe Edition brings the audience a 50-minute satirical show with elements of a romantic comedy. The show stars Trini Nish as Erika, a First Nations woman who receives a piece of paper that could change the course of her life. While juggling a growing relationship with her lover, she must take action in order to keep her home—all because of that very piece of paper.
Without giving too much of the plot away, this satirical show spotlights issues of land rights and governance that face far too many members of Indigenous communities. This show, like many of Hollywood’s rom-com movies, sheds light on a serious issue that is addressed but not fully resolved. This can be due to the nature of the matter—substantial environmental or social issues cannot be easily solved by the end of a 90 minute movie. The format of the play gives you the usual “will they or won’t they?” element of a rom-com mixed with some hijinks you would expect from a whistleblower movie.
The cast played into rom-com tropes. The headstrong female lead, the comic relief boyfriend, his suspicious best friend. The cast lacked a bit of chemistry and some looked like they forgot a line here or there during some scenes, but perhaps they were all playing into the satirical nature of the show.
All that being said, the show still managed to pull off a gut wrenching ending as the harsh reality became clear. Delivered like a true satire.
For more details on this show and to purchase tickets, click here.
Upcoming shows at the Crow’s Theatre include:
July 14 at 9:15PM
July 16 at 2:45PM
July 17 at 8:00PM
