BWW Reviews: CAPTAIN AURORA: A SUPERHERO MUSICAL at the Wildside Festival
By: Marilla Steuter-Martin Jan. 17, 2016
Captain Aurora: A Superhero Musical is a jaunty comedy that high-kicks and tap-dances its way through iconic comic book tropes and oft-recycled narrative arcs.
The show originally debuted to much success at the 2015 Montreal Fringe Festival, and was selected for the Centaur's 19th annual Wildside festival.
The story centres around a bank teller by day/superhero by night, Captain Aurora, who yearns for a real challenge. She gets this and more when an evil plot is revealed involving government corruption, alien invasion and a historic organization called the Sky Guard.
Produced by Kaleidoscope Theatre, Captain Aurora's original music is by far the strongest element of the production. The book, music and lyrics were written by Trevor Barrette, who also directed the show.
It's simply structured and staged, proving that you don't need expensive backdrops and effects when you have such a strong base. It's a love letter to classic musical theatre, with jazzy duets, love ballads, action montages and introspective solos. In this case, the music is the cohesive element that holds the show together and sets it apart from the pack.
The choreography is another highlight, with the small cast pulling on swing, tap, and other styles of dance to great effect. What they lack in size, the chorus certainly makes up for in energy.
Eva Petris, who plays the title character of Captain Aurora, has a lovely voice and great presence onstage. She is joined by Zachary Creatchman who plays the Captain's love interest, her sweet and devoted boyfriend Ben. Creatchman ultimately steals the show with his final love song, one of the best numbers in the show.
Other highlights include Jonathan Patterson as Terrence the Terrific Tapper, and Sean Colby as the Green Zinger. Overall the show relies heavily on the makeup of its secondary cast of characters who provide consistent comedic relief and help to advance the action time and again.
Captain Aurora: A Superhero Musical is a great example of an original script and score that plays with pop culture in a fresh way. At 75 minutes, it's just the right amount of fun and fancy... at least until the debut of Captain Aurora II: A New Dawn at the 2016 Fringe Festival.
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