With its oddly late showtime, opening night of 21 Days: A New Musical found fellow fab contributor Michael Lyons and I walking to the theatre with the quasi-drunken stagger of two people quite ready for sleep. 

Wakefulness came as a result of the alarmingly skilled singing of every member of the cast. I was at first uncertain whether the characters really fit their roles, but their acting and especially their singing quickly showed them all to be perfectly well-suited. When Julie (played by Elizabeth Conway) began the show by singing about how she has a strange disease that prohibits happiness, I was won over by her beautiful voice. Equally, when Ben (Ryan Anning), in an adorably and amusingly awkward way, asked Julie out and then sang her a song intended to persuade her to live a happier life, it was easy to see the strength of the show.

The other strength was the cute boys. The gay couple, Dan (Brendan Doherty) and Dal (Peter Perri), complement each other well, Dan tall and with a booming voice, and Dal rather pocket-sized and somewhat more lilting. Their song to Ben, “Try Try Again,” is adorable and (probably unintentionally) sexy, given all three of them have tight buns and packages. Thankfully, most of the remaining showtimes are earlier, so you won’t have to ogle them through tired, bleary eyes like I did.  –Jeremy Willard
 
 
21 Days: A New Musical runs until Sun, July 15 at Robert Gill Theatre, 215 College St. fringetoronto.com