Reviewed by Tracey Paleo, Gia On The Move

It was a very “Fairy” Tale. Quite possibly the sweetest and most sobering story about true love ever, The Mermaid Who Learned How To Fly is one of the biggest and loveliest surprises at Fringe.

Fairy fact #1: Fairy wings only come out in the moonlight

Written and performed by Kyla Garcia, Mermaid is a wondrous piece that is filled with fantasy and the hard core reality of falling in love with the wrong person, who seems right at the time, then losing the right love in the wrong moment for what still can be a happy ending — which, as it turns out, is just a beginning.

Fairy fact #2: Each fairy’s heartbeat is tied to one human heart.

Through story-telling, poetic line, movement, and the help of the Fairy Extraordinaire, Breena McDougal, who watches over her and passionately narrates her story, we are taken on a mostly comical, sometimes sad, journey starting with little brazen Victoria and her magical fancies.  “When I grow up, I’m going to be a writer, a fighter, a fairy, a queen and a legion of super heroes and I’m going to tell stories.”

Victoria is a big dreamer, talented, driven, and completely undistracted, winning awards for her writing, shunning anything but her work and cocooning herself against life. But when at age 15, she suddenly meets her Prince, 18 year old Michael, everything changes and she begins to lose herself.  Losing herself eventually steers her into an exciting, all-consuming several years sexual affair with Luna, and Victoria finds herself on the brink of a nervous breakdown. She is nearly dropped from her prestigious college writing program in London, and unable to choose between Michael, Luna and writing, the two people and one thing she loves the most.

Fairy fact #113: Fairies can speak to their human counterparts in their dreams but only a few times in a lifetime.

Sitting in a London gutter Victoria finally finds true love — with herself — via an uncanny visit from a brazen little Irish girl who knows everything and is going to paint all of the fantastical creatures of the world — in the same painting.  The clouds  lift and Victoria now knows what she must do.  She must not try to live between two worlds, half on land, half on water.  She must go where her dreams are.  She must fly.

This is the story that will make you cry happy tears.  I did. It is sweet and funny, delicious and deep.  Ms. Garcia, delivers one of the most wonderfully heartfelt, vibrant, thoroughly entertaining roles and most vivid, complete pieces of writing.

The Mermaid Who Learned How To Fly is charming, delightful and a MUST MUST experience at this year’s Fringe.

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