Review: Laughing Through Heartbreak

Love in your early twenties can be so exciting, kind of like a movie. But then, without foreshadow, because this is real life, what begins as the highs of the romance between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham drastically turns into the end of the Fleetwood Mac duo's tumultuous love. In Don't Move to Toronto, Zoe Daniels shares a tale of love, loss, unique neighbors, bosses, and the Eurotrip from hell.
Through extended monologue and the occasional character, Daniels brings her sly wit to the stage in a cathartic show of heartbreak. After moving to Toronto with her one true love, Daniels finds that reality can't always be picture perfect. Or maybe Toronto is just a life-ruiner. While her story may be personal, Daniels taps into accessible emotions all while mocking her own life choices. Daniels brings many of her images and anecdotes full circle, a sign of strong storytelling. Story aside, Don't Move to Toronto is a showcase for an incredible comedian with mainstream appeal. Daniels is one to watch. There's a toughness to her persona but deep inside is exponential charm. Though the structure of her piece tends to live mostly in monologue, Daniels breaks into a few characters. Daniels happens to be a skilled character actress. Whether it is a slick Italian boss or a Chihuahua of a woman, Daniels made a worthy claim to bring them into their own sketch world.
Even though it may be her story, Don’t Move to Toronto is all of our stories. We’ve all been in Zoe’s position once in our lives. While Daniels and her old beau used to rock out to Fleetwood Mac’s “I Don’t Wanna Know”, the true moral of the story can be found in Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop.” Because while the present heartbreak may suck, “yesterday’s gone.”