Lea McGowan (pronounced Lee, as in, Now Leasing), is a beautiful dancer. Her grace, elegance and commitment are a dynamic display of physical stamina and unimaginable beauty and this show is an hour long marathon of human endurance. So I was quite eager to see what this former prima ballerina would bring to the Fringe.
Enter an oddly engaging though clearly unconvincing old woman, interacting with the audience, talking about movement while distributing water to the crowd. I was intrigued. As she transforms before our eyes from old woman to playful young child, a metaphor begins to emerge. What also begins to crystallise is the fact that Lea, as in leadership, a quote from her father, is not a great actress, but she is a charismatic and engaging entertainer, whose odd mix of somewhat cliché spoken word, gorgeous costumes, quirky and somewhat disjointed storytelling, breath-taking dance and kooky characters swirl into a strangely fascinating, almost obsessive showcase. There are moments which are so charming you can’t but fall in love with this wacky, living-on-the-edge, cockeyed optimist. There are also several moments when I thought, ‘Why is this even here other than to showcase Ms. McGowan’s immense talents as a costumer?’ as they seem to add little to the admittedly surreptitious story she is attempting to tell.
And yet, just as I feared the show had really gone off the rails with a strange piece about unicorn mating, she won me back with her final pièce de résistance, a raw, gripping physical recount of her years of training and real life struggle with body image, pain and new beginnings. Now Leasing harkens back to the days of beatnik clubs and cool, kitsch performance art. Ms. McGowan is a modern day Audrey Hepburn, with a fire in her belly and a strangely off-putting, yet still magnetic charisma. There are some pretty out-there moments but the stunning ones far outweigh the clunkers. If you want an hour of superb, mesmerizing feats of strength and splendour on the ground and in the air head over to Now Leasing. You might not be transformed, you might well be confused. Don’t overthink it and just enjoy the view and the playful charm of this beautiful dancer.
