Peter Phoa

The first time I saw Bruce Dow perform,Stratford was mounting Guys and Dolls during the years where Cynthia Dale was the default female lead, and despite what she did, Bruce’s “Sit Down Your Rocking the Boat” stole the whole show. It was phenomenal. Well, that’s how it’s done, I still think to myself. A few years later, he was Herod in their outstanding production of Jesus Christ Superstar, that eventually went to Broadway. Herod has such a famous number, and I can only imagine he slayed it as much on the Great White Way as he did at Stratford.

It was with great interest that I saw he was mounting the premiere of his work The Wounds of Love and Other Gifts at the Toronto Fringe Festival. Bruce is an outstanding artist, and an expressive singer and I was curious about this different avenue of creative output.

“How long have you been working on this piece?” I asked him after the show.

“Over thirty years.” He said. And I can only imagine the work has had quite a journey from his heart to the stage. The opportunity for him to experience his own work must have deep meaning. “This is the first half of a larger work,” he explained. A piece he is still working through.

I was excited to discover that story was based on Oscar Wilde’s The Happy Prince. One of my favourite fairytales, it is a story with which I am extremely familiar. Five performers tell the story, with a dancer physicalizing the swallow, while a singer delivered the vocal lines. I was delighted to see that Bruce had composed it for legitimate voices - there was no belting to be had! The strongest performances came from Priya Khatri, whose warm, expressive soprano proved most compelling, as well as Braeden Soltys, who had an excellent presence and acting was most moving. I know that these young performers get next to nothing for their work, and their cut likely wouldn’t even pay for a tank to gas. Kudos to all.

Bravo, Bruce.