One of my simple rules is that when a clever and funny person insists that I go see another clever and funny person, I take the advice. Last night, the recommendation took me to Toronto’s Flying Beaver Pubaret to see Marilla Wex perform “Lost and Found.” I was told to expect a moving and funny piece of solo theatre, and her one-woman show did not disappoint.
Marilla made a point early on to tell the audience that her two great loves were writing and acting, and she weaved her passions into a powerful display of storytelling. Her reminiscences were intimate and personal, and yet so universal that I found myself nodding many times because they echoed some of my own emotional experiences. Her observations about people, including herself, were brutally honest and raw at times, and I felt myself aching with her in empathy, and cringing in recognition of similar mistakes from my past. Likewise, I roared at the sharp, biting humour that made some of her anecdotes less painful.
It is no exaggeration to say that this is a performance that will stay with me for a long time. I wept with laughter one moment, and my eyes welled with tears the next. There was tenderness, bitterness, rage, and joy in this performance, and it resonated with the audience so profoundly because it took great courage for Marilla Wex to put herself out there. In sharing her journey from England to Canada, she reminded us that while we are all flawed as individuals, there can be a happy ending after years of doubt and sorrow. I hope she takes this one-woman show on tour so that others may appreciate just how moving and entertaining it is. If she does, you owe it to yourself to experience it.
You can find out more about Marilla Wex’s work at her website.