FRINGE 2015: Shy Shy in SPACE! Is out of this world

It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that cosmic swing!

Shy Shy in SPACE! is science fiction jazz fantasy brought to life by the talented Shy Shy Schullie, Erick Francois and legendary burlesque artist Lady Josephine. Written and directed by Patrick Charron, Shy Shy in Space is a musical of galactic proportions!

In the play, Shy Shy is sent to space by NASA to perform a televised jazz event! This is all done to challenge the Russian government, who sent opera baritone Boris Grosbrasnik into space to perform not too long before them. The story takes Shy Shy across the galaxy and has an unexpected twist as Shy Shy finds herself in a campy, Barbarella-inspired turn of events.

A multimedia spectacle, Shy Shy Schullie mesmerized audience members with her sultry lounge-y take on well-known songs like The Final Countdown, Mister Lonely, Blue Moon and The Age of Aquarius.

The videos of the stars and far away galaxies playing in the background enchanted me and the rest of the audience, immersing us into director Patrick Charron’s atomic 1960’s dream. Benoit McDuff (who was in charge of video and sound) cleverly blended in vintage black and white videos from the 1960s into the show. The cheesy cereal ads and footage of John F. Kennedy were delightful to the eyes and really helped set the show’s retro-futuristic atmosphere in place.

The musical talent was provided by mechanical hepcats Zachary Scholes on keyboard, Dominic Caterina on guitar, Patrick Latreille on bass, Sebastian Balk-Forcione on drums, and Josh Fuhrman who blew us all away with his amazing saxophone solos. All of the musicians performed every piece perfectly and with great expertise.

Because of the way the speakers were placed at the venue, every note they played resonated with me. The show wouldn’t have been the same if it wasn’t for the stellar musical abilities of the “automata quintet” and I think that they deserve nothing but praise for their performance.

Shy Shy Schullie stole the show with her beautiful singing voice. Her voice is capable of being both powerful, yet delicate and she was able to convey subtle emotions into every musical number. When she sang, it felt like she meant every single word that she was singing and the audience was completely captivated by her haunting voice. She also succeeded in portraying an extremely loveable character, who kept a warm and hopeful disposition when facing the cold, mechanical atmosphere of space.

There really isn’t enough that I can say about Shy Shy’s performance. She never broke character and was able to perform with an astounding level of passion and skill that any singer or actor could ever hope to attain. Shy Shy Schullie truly is a star!

Erick Francois (as Boris Grosbrasnik) and Lady Josephine (as Queen Vendella) both had considerably smaller roles than Shy Shy, but were able to shine during their performances. As both of their characters were introduced to the piece, the show loosened up and became a lot sillier.

Lady Josephine remained both sensual and menacing during her performance and danced around Shy Shy like a graceful (but hungry) praying mantis.

Erick Francois dawned a shiny silver spacesuit reminiscent of something from a science fiction b-movie. He played the perfect hero with his bold, macho demeanor and impressed us all with his fantastic singing voice.

If you like science fiction or just want to enjoy a night of amazing music, then Shy Shy in SPACE! Is the one Fringe show you absolutely can’t miss!

Shy Shy in SPACE! is performed at Petit Campus until Sunday, June 21st! You can buy tickets online here, or at the door.

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Patricia Petit Liang is part of CJLO’s Official Fringe Team covering the sights and sounds from the 2015 St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival.

She also hosts Fatal Attraction every Sunday morning from 11am – 12pm, only on 1690AM in Montreal and online at CJLO.com. Follow her show Tumblr, at @fatalattraction1690am