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Hard enough to figure things out while you’re alive, Brigitte tumbles through the netherworld and takes us with her...

Fresh out of Bondage and into Hell, Elaine Smookler (Vendetta) debuts her one woman show, Brigitte’s Bardo at the Fringe of Toronto Theatre Festival – July 1 – 12th, 2009.
 
With or without a red nose, Elaine Smookler (Bondage, Rosemary’s Barbie) sees the clowny possibilities in life … and death.  Brigitte’s Bardo, a musical comedy based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead, again brings together the directorial talents of Scott Norman, and original music by Josh Bell to embark on a wild journey through six realms of Hell, otherwise known as the Bardos. 

 The Tibetan book of the Dead details the suffering we often experience in daily life and in the Buddhist view, after death. Following death the mind is said to wander, in search of a body, dealing with the consequences of its life’s previous actions (aka Karma). The Bardos are referred to as the gaps or transitions between what has come before and what is yet to come.   So the Bardo experience is actually familiar to all of us.

In life, we all experience periods of great uncertainty, imagined terrors and times when it feels as if life is coming apart  … Welcome to the Bardos.
 
Each Bardo has a pitfall and an opportunity, as Brigitte discovers on her fateful journey. The Bardos illuminate the idea that if you can see how fear and attachment trigger habitual reactions and suffering, you have the choice to respond differently. This freedom is not easy to attain.  The struggle, depending on your perspective, can be hilarious.

Unfortunately, this is all beyond poor Brigitte who starts her day off by dying … and the rest is mystery.  Hard enough to figure things out while you’re alive, Brigitte tumbles through Hell and takes us with her. 
 
Brigitte’s Bardo coming in July to the Toronto Fringe..