Like Shrek, Princess Rescuers dives into the swamp of what it means to be rescued.
Pablo Cordoba // Contributor
I found myself at a crossroad on West 4th Avenue in Kitsilano. There were two busses: one that would lead to the comfort of my apartment and another that would take me to Studio 16 on West 7th Avenue, where Princess Rescuers would be playing as a part of the Fringe Festival.
I had my doubts. A rainy Wednesday night after a long day in class followed by aikido isn’t exactly a mental appetizer. Torrents of conflicting thoughts came to mind as I debated what to do. Admittedly, I had not seen any live theatre since I was ten. But Capilano Acting for Stage and Screen alumni, Aliya Boulanger, offered words that gifted me confidence: “I’m really excited for audiences to come have a good time watching the show,” she said, “and for them to walk away chewing on the idea of what it means to be rescued.”
Despite my own mental and physical exhaustion, the invisible hand of intuition compelled me to get on the bus to Studio 16 and an hour and a half later, I left as a changed man. The fugue of fatigue had all but evaporated. And not only that, I found myself daydreaming of a re-encounter with Merc and Sidekick. Princess Rescuers was a delight to see and experience. From the moment I ambled into Studio 16, the audience teemed with excitement. Director Ben Bilodeau gathered and instructed an exceptional quartet of a team. “The best part of the process was watching the actors take on their roles, creating and filling out these characters, giving me tons of suggestions and changes to make them more layered and real,” Bilodeau quoted on the playbill.“A play is like an ogre, they have layers,” Bilodeau added. And Princess Rescuers is exactly that: a multifaceted experience. It is full of comedy, imagination, creativity, great characters and touching moments. The chemistry between the cast was remarkable. “Princess Rescuers has been an exciting experience. Working on the show with such an amazing cast and creative team made it a fantastic creative process,” echoed actor Chris M. Ward who recently wrapped on Mamma Mia! for Theatre Under the Stars.