” …Hayward’s onstage energy and the play’s message of self-discovery and celebration help this musical end on a high note.”
Lindsey Wiebe Winnipeg Free Press 2011
“Stripes enter into the equation on a philosophical level . . . (In the play) Hayward’s character auditions for many roles, but the figures she presents are not the usual spectacle makers associated with the Big Top.
It’s arresting and unsettling to watch . . . The show’s defining moment, which hangs like a suspended breath, is her juggler . . . It’s transcendent and illuminating . . . ”
Eva marie Clarke, See Magazine, Edmonton
“With a booming voice and a rocking bod, Sarah Hayward is a master of the small stage. Her solo theatrical cabaret about a woman auditioning to be seven different circus acts enchants the audience with its spunk and skill. ”
EG Anderson, Monday Magazine, Victoria
“ . . . this elegantly staged production showcase’s Sarah Hayward’s pure talent . . . dazzling.” EYE Magazine, Toronto
“The theme of the show revolves around stripes and cracks — in clothing, in voice, in personality, in life and career — and we begin literally. . . It is difficult to classify Stripes: A Mystery Circus. One-woman show and even cabaret don’t seem fitting categories. This is an odd and sincere piece of theatre. . . it is a wonderful example of what Fringe theatre, in its boundlessness, can be.” Todd Babiak, Edmonton Journal
“Sarah Hayward’s one-woman talent fest is a blend of childlike reverie and self-exploration. The mystery circus pulls the audience in through the cracks on Sarah’s gyrating quest, while she shares a gleefully demonic glint in her eye.
Sarah fully inhabits all of her characters, breathing impish life into her own pirate, bearded lady and high-wire walker. Her “sound/crack” theory was intriguing: imperfections are blessings, right? But was she brave? Daring? Indeed – ye scurvy dogs. Indeed.”
Gavin Mealing, VUE Magazine, Edmonton
ON THE FRINGE: MY FINAL ANALYSIS
By Daryl Glenn
The joyously authentic and unusual Sarah Hayward
performed her self-penned one woman show Stripes: The Mystery Circus,
to an enraptured audience who were, myself included, basking in the
glow of a completely original, never seen anything like it before,
treat of theatrical wizardry. . .
Sarah Hayward 