In League with Legends
Fringe luminary Tymisha Harris returns with a personal jukebox of hits and high-stakes
Tymisha Harris lists off Fringe Artists she admires like a kid counting stars in the sky.
“Chase Padgett is one of my favorite Artists to watch and learn from. Then we have staples like Martin Dockery,” she starts, “and the two rats from Rat Academy. That show was a brilliant, brilliant inspiration from homies. Edmonton hometown, homegrown!” she says, nodding with a grin. “Brilliant.”
The Orlando-based Harris is undeniably a star herself, with hits like Josephine and Josie & Grace garnering dozens of Best of Fest and Critics Choice nods across the Fringe circuit and off-Broadway. Sure, there was her time choreographing for NSYNC and touring with Pilobolus, but what gets Harris keyed up now is the camaraderie and evolution of creative minds along the international Fringe highway.
“I think why I love to continue to tour with the Fringe is because I can see these Artists’ new work. Amica Hunter. Paul Strickland is always out there doing the things. Vavianna Vardot.” We could go on.
A well-seasoned traveller, she’s quick to acknowledge Edmonton’s vibe, too. Not only the main Festival Grounds, but also the audiences, the neighbourhoods, the whole shebang.
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“The Festival’s footprint really amazes me. Edmonton’s found a way to make it work in different hubs of the city, but still work together. I love that you can have the La Cité side of things or The Grindstone or the main hub and audiences are still interested. They still want to go to all of it.”
“I really enjoy how that works for this Festival; you get to see so much of the city when you do different venues. You can spend a whole day at one venue and then go to another venue and it’s all different. It’s all beautiful and it’s all a great energy. I’ve been to Edinburgh and that’s a month-long of non-stop, in-your-face all the time. Edmonton is manageable,” she sighs, relaxing almost just thinking about it.
Harris returns to Edmonton Fringe this summer with a new rendition of A Cabaret of Legends, in which she sings and swings through generations and genres of iconic performers, along with personal stories of their impact on her own journey. Having first performed it last summer in the French Quarter, this time Harris is in the heart of Old Strathcona.
“Last year we were just kind of putting songs together and testing it out, it worked really well.” she says. “I had been having a lot of people say ‘we want to know more about you and your experiences.’ And that’s kind of nerve-wracking for an Artist. You want me to talk about myself? Gross,” she laughs.
“So putting it together was thinking about who are these legends? What do they mean to me? How are these stories connecting? And bringing them to folks who hadn’t heard some of these Artists or realized where the songs came from. I’m not trying to give a full history lesson, but I want to give them a little touches so that they can do their own research, maybe be inspired to hear more of these beautiful Artists.”
A Cabaret of Legends includes songs and stories of first-name-only giants like Billie, Tina, Whitney, Beyoncé. Perhaps it’s just a matter of time before generations of admirers of simply “Tymisha” are mounting Fringe shows of their own.
A Cabaret of Legends runs throughout Festival at Venue 1: ATB Westbury Theatre.
The Edmonton International Fringe Festival has 223 indoor shows to choose from! All theatre tickets are $20 or less. See a show!
