Article content WROL (Without Rule of Law) Stage 1, Westbury Theatre, Fringe Theatre Arts Barns, 10330 84 Ave. 4 stars out of 5 Opening on the recording of a video for her survivalist social media channel, we meet Jo, a teenage prepper and member of a group of Girl Guide “defectors.” Across town, her comrade Maureen, is the first to arrive at a semi-abandoned bunker the teens are investigating.
Accompanied by a cautious and skeptical boy named Robbie, Maureen picks through empty beefaroni tins and piles of mysterious bones, looking for signs of life and answers to a decades-old mystery: the sudden disappearance of a local commune in the 1980s. Interspersed throughout the show are Jo’s social media recordings, a class presentation on the aforementioned disappearances, and Maureen’s “sorry not sorry” apology for the group’s impromptu emergency drill at the school’s fall fair. There is something timeless about WROL — despite being firmly set in modern day, the costumes, the kids and the adventure feel reminiscent of The Goonies or Stand by Me.
Like any adolescent story worth its salt, WROL takes its young characters seriously, delving into their struggles and raising the big questions on their minds. There is a certain universality to these stories. When Maureen says, “All the people I love are sad and tired all the time,” I bet that hits home for a lot of people in the room.
The performances are some of the best I’ve seen this year, and the show’s end is much like its characters: brave and authentic. Find your Fringe! You can read all of our reviews here. Have you been Finding your Fringe? What shows have you seen? Do you have any favourites? Let us know! We’d love to include your comments online.
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