The Hurt is Astounding (sum of us collective) – 2010 Toronto Fringe Review

By Amber Landgraff

A description of the sum of us collective states that the entire company is under 21.  For such young performers The Hurt is Astounding covers some weighty material.

The story is centered in a coffee shop.  It offers little vignettes into the love lives of the people in the shop.  Centering the story are the flights of fancy of the young barista, and the quiet musings of a young man about his unrequited love for her.

There are some fabulous moments in the show.  I particularly enjoyed the scene where Tijana Spasic resorts to a magic eightball for responses to the wedding proposal of Owais Lightwala.

Or the scene where Jenny Alexander announces from off-stage to Alexis Comia-Orellano that she’s gotten a letter that Comia-Orellano’s grandmother has been kidnapped and she has to make perfect cups of coffee very quickly in order to save her.  This little scene resulted in my favorite line of the evening, that Alexander would help her except that she has to sit here and play the drum ominously.

My main critique of the show is that I found it a little hard to believe the cast in some of their roles.  I have trouble seeing young people under the age of 21 in roles where I’m expected to believe that they’ve been married for 7 years.

I would like to see the same group perform a show that put them in roles a little more close to their ages.  The company has a lot of energy and a lot of potential.  I look forward to seeing where they go from here.

Details

The Hurt is Astounding Venue 6 The Solo Room

55 min.
Wed, June 30 8:15 PM – 602
Sat, July 3 8:30 PM – 614
Mon, July 5 7:30 PM – 622
Tue, July 6 6:45 PM – 625
Sat, July 10 6:15 PM – 642
Sun, July 11 4:00 PM – 646

– All individual Fringe tickets are $10 ($5 for FringeKids) at the door (cash only). Tickets are available online at www.fringetoronto.com, by Phone at 416-966-1062, in person at The Randolph Centre for the Arts, 736 Bathurst Street (Advance tickets are $11 ($10+$1 convenience fee)

– Several money-saving passes are available if you plan to see at least 5 shows