One of the highlights of last year's Fringe Fest was the unique musical love story, Poly Queer Love Ballad - a "slam poetry musical" that explored polyamory and queerness, as Nina (Anais West), a polyamorous bisexual poet, meets Gabbie (Sara Vickruck), a monogamous lesbian songwriter at Cafe Deux Soleils.
With two microphones, a loop pedal, and an array of instruments, they struggle to reconcile their fierce mutual attraction with their opposing perspectives on love, in a show that is engaging, funny and affecting.
The show aims to create a new representation of intimacy that isn’t confined by genre, medium or societal obligations.
Though the workshop presentation at the Fringe received rave reviews, West and Vickruck, the show's creators, wanted to keep developing the material. Says West: “Under the guidance of composer and sound design mentor Mishelle Cuttler, Sara has been adding nuance and complexities to the sound design of the show, layering in more transitions. We’ve also been deepening the characters’ relationship in the text through our Fringe New Play Prize dramaturg."
I for one am very much looking forward to seeing how the show has developed.
"The complicated intimacy between old-fashioned romantic Gaby ...and polyamorous Nina... is beautifully mapped in Vickruck’s songs and West’s passionate poems" —The Georgia Straight
“...the tenderness and rapture of this story made me weep big, nostalgic tears.” —Colin Thomas, colinthomas.ca
“...paints a compelling and convincing portrait of a couple attempting to live beyond conventional boundaries..." —Vancouvermusicals.com