Fringed! Edmund

I didn't Fringe a lot this year, but I Fringed well. Capping off my four-play fest was Edmund, written by my (Gemini-nominated!) friend, Matt Alden.

This was a great show: funny, beautiful, sad, Tetris-y!

The protagonist is Edmund (Jamie Cavanagh), an unflashy accountant with mental and emotional problems and a complex relationship with pills. Pills make him feel better, but pills they're also scapegoats. He blames them for problems he has when he's taking them, he blames them for problems he has when he's not taking them.

Either way, pills don't resolve Edmund's core issues. This might be due to Edmund's inability or refusal to really examine his situation, but regardless their effect, he decides to toss away the pills. This leaves the warring sides of his brain unchecked and going to extremes. The left side of his brain (Joshua Dalledonne) scolds him to buckle down and be a good, obedient employee, co-worker and fiance. The right side (Adam Cope) wants him to rebel, stand up for himself and generally be less of a wuss. However, Edmund is overwhelmed by the constant battles inside, outside -- and between inside and outside -- of his head, and he becomes suicidal.

Humour is a very useful tool for talking about some really difficult things. It may be a measure of how few punches Matt pulls that he lands so many quotable lines. One that really stood out for me was this exchange: "Is this a real story?" "No, this is just real."

I also loved the set and sound design, which were inspired by Edmund's favourite computer game, Tetris. Tetris is an important image in the script, conveying the idea of the irresistibly simple and sensical rightness of geometric shapes falling into place. Blue, yellow and red blocks made up the set. Blue, yellow and red comprised the colour palette for the costumes. And the music for the show? Tetris classics!

Edmund was a hit at the Fringe, but unfortunately, it is not held over. If you have any means to cajole Matt & co. to restage it, or if you feel like sponsoring 45 minutes of whip-smart, cathartic theatre -- please do it! I want to see it again!

(cross-posted to Facebook)

Music: O Death

The new promo for Supernatural's fifth season slays me -- especially the music, a version of "O Death" by Jen Titus. If anyone knows anything about her, please point the way! ETA (4 Sep 2009): She's a CW promo staffer!

Titus's version is based on the traditional song made famous by Ralph Stanley in the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" She gives it the kind of spooky, gothy, industrial sound that bluegrass musician Greg Garing played with on his 1997 album, "Alone". (I'm still waiting for a follow-up!)

(ETA: PJ Harvey has explored this territory as well. The 90s are coming back to me!)

Titus's song is a free, legal download from the Supernatural website. It's already in high rotation on my iPod!

Note: When you open the window, the promo starts to play. If you want to stay totally spoiler-free, turn off your speakers before you click on the link, then scroll down to the bottom of the page. That's where the music download link is.

Counter-note: The promo gives impressions, but no real specific spoilers and it is GORGEOUS, particularly with the music. So you should see it AND hear it!