Long wait for a disappointing climax
by Surfer She/Her on 2021-10-19Meridian Hall - TorontoRating: 2 out of 5The event was suppose to start at 8pm. We were sent an email at 2pm saying that the event would start at 9pm but I don’t think they were prepared for the time it would take to check covid passports as the event didn’t actually start until 10pm. The performers were delayed at the border due to covid restrictions, however this should have been planned for as we are in a pandemic. Rather than apologizing for the late start, Violet blamed Canadian customs. The costumes were amazing, some of the performances were good as well. There were long breaks between performances where the stage was empty, save for stagehands running back and forth frantically. At one point the curtain went down and stayed down for about 5 minutes when there was a video playing on the stage. The event was poorly planned. As the host, Violet was underwhelming. Most times it was obvious that she was stalling because the next performer wasn’t ready. She lacked material to fill the time and would constantly solicit the audience for cheers without providing anything to cheer for. Because the event started so late, we had to leave the event early to catch the last train out of Toronto, missing the finale.
Overall, this event was overpriced for the amount of effort went into it. I will say that the backup dancers were the stars of the show and whatever they are getting paid, they deserve more.