Fringe Review: A Canadian Explains Eurovision to Other Canadians
A Canadian Explains Eurovision to Other Canadians
4 stars out of 5
Stage 16 — Campus St. Jean (8406 Rue Marie-Anne Gaboury)
On the surface, this one-man show is exactly what the name implies: a Canadian man stood on stage and, with the help of mostly co-operative visual aids, gave a brief oral history of the world's most popular singing competition.
But under that surface, creator Matti McLean shares witty and earnest life stories broken up by renditions of famous Eurovision songs — after warning the audience that he's 'not a singer.'
The playbill describes this show as 'part stand-up, part TED Talk, part glitter-fuelled existential crisis.' I found it to be so much more, a sincere and brutally vulnerable performance. Despite being a straight cis man with no previous knowledge of Eurovision, McLean's experiences as the gay son of a pastor who was actively discouraged by his parents and peers from sharing his voice, his truth, were incredibly relatable.
While there are certainly many fun facts about Eurovision, this is more a tale of personal perseverance. McLean didn't let some minor, unfortunate technical errors stop him, gracefully pivoting to conversing with his audience until the issue was worked out.
Will I remember the songs he sang, or the historical Eurovision facts I learned? Probably not. But will remember McLean's passion for song, for dance, and for finding a place to belong.
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