Toronto Fringe Review: The Sorauren Book Club

Photo by Anthony Riddle and Maria Syrgiannis featuring Tricia Williams, Catherine Sperian, Jasmine Sawant, Maria Syrigannis, and Lisa Randall.

The Sorauren Book Club centres around, as the title suggests, a women’s book club. Consisting of women over the age of 50 of various ethnic and cultural backgrounds, this club has been meeting for ten years so it goes without saying that these women have known each other for quite some time. As with any long standing club, the main purpose of meeting often gets side tracked with the ins and outs of everyday life.

The book they’ve chosen for this meeting is one ripe for discussion and controversy. The Testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín is told from the perspective of Mary, mother of Jesus, as she reflects on raising Jesus in her old age. This stirs up heated feelings on religion, motherhood, and the telling of women’s stories by men amongst the ladies, which is just the beginning of the tension set to overtake this meeting. Soon, a previously ostracized member returns thus stirring up even more conflict.

I went through stages while watching this performance, asking myself not only if this is a show I enjoy but is this a show I can relate to. To be honest, I’m still on the fence about it. Despite identifying as a woman, I’ve never felt myself drawn to women-centred spaces like this particular club so their experiences, though genuine, felt foreign and out of reach for me. It also took some time for me to warm up to their performances. At the beginning, the delivery felt rehearsed, and some lines were stumbled on, but it seemed the cast gradually felt more at ease with their characters and their delivery. 

I can’t say I disliked this show but just that it didn’t speak to me. There is plenty of material here that is sure to be relatable for many and it does open the room for honest dialogue to be had. I just don’t feel that I’m part of that audience. 

The Sorauren Book Club is on now until July 16 as part of the 2022 Toronto Fringe Festival.
Find show times and tickets here.