Toronto Fringe Festival: "A Freudian Slip of the Jung"

When Carl Jung meets his idol Sigmund Freud, the result is not just a battle of great minds, but an intermingling of strange bedfellows as well.

Based on real events occurring at the turn of the 20^th century, writer and producer Sean Fischer brings what he calls a bedroom farce to the Toronto Fringe in A Freudian Slip of the Jung.

The play begins with Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung (David Frisch) addressing the audience (inexplicably filled almost entirely with senior citizens) as a precursor to the events that soon unfold. He refers to us as the collective unconscious, continuing periodically throughout the production to do so, much to the confusion of the other characters.

Jung is invited to attend a dinner chez Sigmund Freud (Sean Fischer) and becomes entangled in what is already a rather elaborate affair between Freud, his wife (Moira Dunphy) and his sister-in-law (Denise Mader).

Freud, known for his sometimes-outlandish philosophies on sex and the unconscious, is portrayed in an equally outlandish manner as, perhaps, are the rest of the characters. In fact, the acting was really quite over-the-top, at times bordering on obnoxious, which may have overshadowed the actual production.

Visually, however, the play was well executed, right down to the set design, centred around a couch (of course), with giant, empty picture frames suspended in the background.

The costumes were perfectly Victorian, but it must be said that the characters they clothed were really at their best when moving silently as freeze-frame images between scenes.

A Freudian Slip of the Jungis an intriguing title, and perhaps what might draw you to the show in the first place (along with the poster of the two men tongue-wrestling), though at the end of it all, you may find yourself wishing the past hour was nothing more than a strange dream.

For more information about the Toronto Fringe Festival, visit www.fringetoronto.com.