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music, book, lyrics and direction by Ken McNeilly

Phenomenon Theatrix, Toronto Fringe Festival, Randolph Theatre, Toronto

July 2-13, 2014

Ken McNeilly has turned his Ph.D. thesis on effect on children of growing up with same-sex parents into a musical.  Ellie (Julia Gartha) has two dads, while Owen (Ben Chiasson), Christie (Tegan Mcfarlane) and Victoria (Fiona Sauder) have two moms.  One parent of each of the first three teens came out while in a heterosexual marriage.  Victoria was conceived in vitro by her two mothers. 

The show is so keen to be positive, it brushes away too easily whatever difficulties his four representative teens have faced.  The breakup of their biological parents’ marriages or even the split of Victoria’s same-sex parents seems to have no negative effect.  The only complication she mentions is the possibility of soon having four mothers. 

The teens save others from being bullied but apparently are not bullied themselves.  One lovely song sung by Owen to his lesbian mother (Suzanne McKenney) deserves to be a hit, but too often McNeilly’s upbeat folk-pop songs can be heard only when the teens sing as a group since the over-amplified accompaniment drowns out their individual voices.

              

©Christopher Hoile

Note: A version of this review appeared in NOW Magazine 2014-07-10.

Photo: Suzanne McKenney, Ben Chiasson, Fiona Sauder, Julia Gartha, Tegan Mcfarlane and Ken McNeilly.  ©2014 Tessla Stuckey.

For tickets, visit http://fringetoronto.com.