Boy Falls From the Sky - Theatre Review

Photo by Anthony fascione

By: Shari Archinoff

Like many others, I’ve spent most of the past two years at home while Toronto’s theatre district sat dark. While I’ve certainly made good use of all of my streaming subscriptions, none of it quite lived up to the thrill of sitting in an actual theatre, waiting for the show to start. Thankfully, the marquees are once again lit up and the curtains have started to rise again. My first show back, Jake Epstein’s one man show Boy Falls From the Sky, felt like the perfect choice to welcome me back to the grand tradition of live theatre.

If you only know Jake Epstein from his role on Degrassi, you don’t know Jake. Even though he may be best known for his TV work, it’s clear that his heart truly lies in the theatre. While not a traditional musical itself, Boy Falls From the Sky is an epic love story between Jake Epstein and musical theatre, and like many love stories, it’s not always standing ovations and roses.

Throughout the course of the show, Epstein chronicles the ups and downs of his life in show business, from falling in love with musicals while singing along with his older sister in the back of their parents minivan on a roadtrip (an experience I can deeply relate to), to being told he was “too tall” for several roles, to his first time getting hired - and subsequently fired - for an original Broadway role.

While his subtle entrance during the pre-show music almost seemed accidental, like he was just poking his head out to check on something, it was clear from the first moment that he turned his smile on the crowd that he knew exactly what he was doing. Through all of the ups and downs, Epstein tells his story with charm and self-deprecating humour, as well as an honesty and vulnerability that keeps you rooting for him. 

Early on in the show, Epstein shares an important lesson he learned from his singing teacher - a recurring character in the show. The lesson was: it’s all about rhythm. Clearly this is a lesson that Epstein has learned well. Not only is his comedic timing and delivery spot-on, but it’s clearly evident in the pacing of the show. He knows where to dive in and which stories only need a line or two to keep things moving. Certain story beats and characters are re-visited again and again, to the point that just a simple hand gesture lets the audience know what’s coming and allows them to shout out the words like the chorus of their favourite song.

Broadway show-tunes are woven into the spoken stories, in the same way that music gets woven into the soundtrack of our lives. “Razzle Dazzle” from Chicago is used almost like a refrain itself, as Epstein reveals the truth of his life behind the glamor that he tried so hard to convince his family and friends was real. When he performs the songs from the shows he’s starred in, like “All That’s Known” from Spring Awakening, “Novacaine” from American Idiot and the titular “Boy Falls From the Sky” from Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, he smoothly slides into character. Suddenly we’re watching Melchior and Will and Peter come to life in front of us, before Jake once again returns to finish his story.

Despite being the only one performing for the run of 80-minute show, Epstein’s energy never wanes, and the audience stays right there with him the entire time. His love for his craft is so evident that it’s impossible not to cheer him on. Fortunately, despite the struggle to sometimes reconcile his love of performing in musicals with the often difficult life of a theatre performer, the love story that is Boy Falls From the Sky has a happy ending. I won’t spoil the show itself for you, but I will say the performance ended with Epstein getting an immediate standing ovation in the very theatre where he performed his first professional role at the age of 11. The story of Boy Falls From the Sky may be about a young man trying to become a star, but it was clearly evident to everyone in the theatre that Jake Epstein already is one.

Boy Falls From the Sky is playing at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto until May 29, 2022. Tickets can be purchased at Mirvish.com: Boy Falls From The Sky. $29 same day rush tickets are also available.