REVIEW: Boy Falls from the Sky is back, and it’s worth the trip to Hamilton
When your emotional support musical is programmed by a theatre only an hour away by bus — a theatre now in the throes of establishing itself as a major player in the world of Canadian musicals — you make the time to pay it a visit.
Boy Falls from the Sky knocked me off my feet when it played at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto last year. Jake Epstein’s solo show about show business checked every square of my “things that make theatre good” checklist. It told a specific, interesting story; it was really, really funny; it clocked in at under 90 minutes; and it used musical theatre tropes to unite (and lightly tease) theatre kids of all ages. The stuff of dreams, Boy Falls from the Sky was for me, this dazzling monologue about growing up onstage.
Time has passed — Epstein’s had a kid! — and the show has continued to tour across Ontario. In the version now playing at Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton, Brandon Kleiman’s set is slight, just three windows suspended centre stage behind the ever-excellent, three-piece band, made up of Abby David on bass, Justin Han on drums, and Daniel Abrahamson on keys. The music is sourced from Broadway shows that are important to Epstein, either because he grew up listening to them as a kid (think The Lion King and Les Miserables) or because he performed in them as an adult (Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical). Epstein and the band navigate disparate genres and styles with grace and good humour — Boy Falls from the Sky might be the only place you’ll hear the works of Green Day, Elton John, and Carole King in one sitting.
TLDR: the show’s still exquisite.
And it’s right at home at Theatre Aquarius, which earlier this year announced its National Centre for New Musicals, an initiative with lofty dreams of transforming the Canadian theatre landscape one new musical at a time.
Time will tell if the centre succeeds, but it seems fitting that in the immediate aftermath of its announcement comes Boy Falls from the Sky, a musical about trying, succeeding, and failing at being in musicals. The resonance between the show’s content and the values of the theatre presenting it is just delicious, and it signals a promising road forward for Aquarius as the final pieces of the National Centre for New Musicals fall into place.
If you’ve not seen Boy Falls from the Sky, do. Theatre Aquarius boasts a lovely space (with ample legroom and pleasant lobby ambiance), and Epstein’s in fine form with his solo show, which, if anything, has only tightened up since its run in Toronto last year. Boy Falls from the Sky is a love letter to musical theatre, one that offers rare proof that sometimes, the job you love can love you right back. I’ll continue holding my breath for studio recordings of Epstein’s original ditty, “Apparently I’m Too Tall,” as well as his cover of the show’s titular ballad, borrowed from the superhero show that, statistically speaking, probably should have killed him.
No, Spiderman didn’t kill Epstein. But it left him with stories that simply have to be heard. Go.
Boy Falls from the Sky runs at Theatre Aquarius until November 4. Tickets are available here.
Intermission reviews are independent and unrelated to Intermission’s partnered content. Learn more about Intermission’s partnership model here.
Aisling Murphy
Aisling is Intermission's former senior editor and the theatre reporter for the Globe and Mail. She likes British playwright Sarah Kane, most songs by Taylor Swift, and her cats, Fig and June. She was a 2024 fellow at the National Critics Institute in Waterford, CT.
LEARN MORE
iPhoto caption: Photo by Aisling Murphy.
In the darkest months of Yukon winter, it’s all about the Sun Room
I’m here for a week in January as a guest of Nakai Theatre, a hub for theatrical experimentation and outside-the-box programming in Canada’s westernmost territory.
Armchairs, tattoos, and an online theatre magazine
When I started at Intermission, my world was limited to the confines of an armchair. Arts journalism was a high it felt dangerously fruitless to chase. The life stretched ahead of me was amorphous and frightening, a chasm filled with hand sanitizer and immigration concerns. It was worth crying over a spilled kombucha and scrubbing at the stain.
iPhoto caption: Liz Appel headshot courtesy of Liz Appel.
Five questions with Wights playwright Liz Appel
Intermission spoke with Appel over email for a brief Q&A about Wights, now playing at Crow’s Theatre until February 9.
Call for applications: Publishing and editorial assistant
Intermission Magazine is seeking a dynamic and collaborative individual to join our team.
iPhoto caption: What Writing Can Do: The 2025 Musical Theatre Critics Lab
Announcing What Writing Can Do: The 2025 Musical Theatre Critics Lab
What Writing Can Do is timed to coincide with the Grand and Theatre Aquarius’ co-production of Waitress, which will serve as a jumping-off point for discussions throughout the Lab.
iPhoto caption: A Christmas Story production still by Dahlia Katz.
REVIEW: A Christmas Story feels fresh at Theatre Aquarius
If you want to catch A Christmas Story before it closes, good luck — the show is close to sold out, and with the talent on that stage, it’s not hard to see why.
Comments