Show: 11
Title: Castrati: A Tale of Two
Category: Comedy / Musical Theater / Original Music / Puppetry / Historical content / Shakespearian elements
By: True Men Productions
Created by: Cali Garzon, Julia Maskin & Eli Maskin
Location: Barker Center
Summary: A musical set in 1400s Rome, about a castrated boy who is rejected by his family and finds identity and confidence in singing.
Highlights: This might be the Fringiest thing at the festival this year. I'm not quite sure what to make of it, and couldn't quite figure out the tone. Are we supposed to laugh at all of the testicle puns? Are we supposed to feel for the characters? It landed somewhere in between. The 13-person (uncredited) cast is talented, particularly the actor playing the castrato (historically, a boy who is castrated before puberty in order to retain a higher vocal range), who has a great voice and creates a lot of empathy for the character, although they have more of an alto voice and I'm not sure why they're dressed as a woman. The characters speak English with no accent, except for a few that have an Italian accent or inexplicably a Cockney or Scottish (?) accent. They're dressed in black, with a few character-specific pieces added for the main characters. The highlight of the show is the 7-piece band, probably the largest of the festival, and the songs are catchy modern pop songs, with some Italian flavor. After being rejected by his family and struggling with doubt, it was nice to see the castrato come into his own at the end, with confidence and self-assurance.
