MASHUP PON DI ROAD Premieres in Toronto

Bahia Watson and Liza Paul. Photo by Ariane Laezza.

MASHUP PON DI ROAD, an outdoor bashment circus variety show - all on a big truck - premiered in Toronto on July 19 at Assembly Park and continues tonight in Little Jamaica before closing at The Bentway. Punk in spirit, island in vibe and vaudeville in staging, this joyful rebellion is free to attend, and registration is encouraged at welcometodicircus.com.

Co-directed by Bahia Watson and Liza Paul, MASHUP PON DI ROAD fuses raucous humour with whip-smart cultural critique to poke fun at the constraints of the patriarchy, the expectations of womanhood, and the end of the world as we know it. Through a series of vignettes and songs, two ringmasters and their band of colourful misfits give audiences a funhouse mirror look at the sheer absurdity of this oppressive world.

“All the music and comedy and characters are spun around to create a portal for people to enter our universe and exit feeling freer than when they came, that’s the intention,” said Bahia Watson. “I want them to look out at what was once an ordinary world on the brink of implosion and see another possibility. I want people to leave feeling themselves, and feeling good.”

Following their run in Toronto, Liza and Bahia will take another new iteration from the MASHUP universe (called MASHUP ting!) to New York City as part of Joe’s Pub at The Public Theatre.

The full experience begins at 8pm with a pre-show warmup featuring music and local food and drink vendors. The shows begin at 9pm each night, with post-show cool down until 11 pm. Find the full details here.