The Sad Saga of the Edmonton Interurban Railway
2.5 Stars (Out of 5)
Stage 19, Mill Creek Cafe, 9562-82 Ave.
If you’re a history nerd like me, then the idea of a play based on an all but forgotten passenger train that briefly ran between St. Albert and Edmonton would be a fascinating one. Truth is, The Sad Saga of the Edmonton Interurban Railway really does bring the goods when digging up facts about this sadly abbreviated enterprise.
Is it enough to sustain a Fringe play? Not quite, but you really do have to give credit to performer/creator Marie Boston for enthusiastically attempting it.
Not only has she designed, directed and written the Sad Saga, she acts in it, tackling four distinct roles through the years.
Starting with the bewhiskered turn of the century entrepreneur and visionary Raymond Brutinel and ending with a puzzled mom at the Superstore in 2026, she underlines how a train that was once the talk of the region has faded into consciousness.
Opening jitters had her racing somewhat; the characterizations were well drawn – they felt almost as though they had been taken from a Studs Terkel oral history.
Local musician Tiff Hall adds musical interludes, singling notable train-themed songs with accordion accompaniment. If the Sad Saga isn’t quite as polished or fully realized as it might be, it’s still a very charming interlude for those interested in local lore.
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