Reviews:

"Brilliant, inspirational, sheer magic."
Uptown Magazine
"Tremendously well crafted"
Victoria Times Colonist
"Engaging, radiant, emotionally honest & surprisingly funny. A must see" Monday Magazine
"Powerfully eloquent ... hilarious ... spellbinding" - Ottawa Citizen
"Intimate and moving, this show is a powerhouse… 75 minutes that fly by." Edmonton Journal
"The real thing" Seattle Tribune
"If you missed [Rutherford] last year, don't make the same mistake this year." Winnipeg Free Press
"A wickedly engaging ... hard-hitting ... matchless raconteur" - CBC Edmonton
"Beautiful" Orlando Sentinel
"Hilarious" Oakland Tribune
"Irresistible... A very powerful story that speaks from the heart... I recommend it highly." Toronto Globe & Mail
"Stellar" - San Francisco Examiner
"Soulful and engrossing" - San Francisco Bay Guardian
"One of the funniest, most poignant and inspiring performances you're likely to see for a long time." Toronto Star

(For detailed reviews, click here.)

Videos:

Endorsements:

  Randy Rutherford's performance in Singing at the Edge of the World set my own heart singing!   This is the story of one man's journey into hearing loss, authentic in its depiction of solitude and despair, yet soaring to the heights of soulfulness and hope... interspersed with moments of utter hilarity!   It is a powerful and brilliant depiction not just of hearing loss, but of the human condition.  Randy reaches out and touches your heart and soul.
Carole Willans
National President
Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (CHHA)


  We were privileged to be in the audience when Randy Rutherford performed at the CHHA national conference.  Randy "ruled" his audience for 75 minutes.  He's funny, moving and very entertaining - an extremely engaging storyteller and musician.  There were many excellent presentations at the conference, but long after facts and figures have fled their brains, Randy's audience will recall and repeat his wonderfully-delivered story.  He would be an asset to any meeting.
Richard H. Meyer
Past president,
Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA)



  I recently had the privilege of watching Randy Rutherford at the ALDA national conference. Randy is a maverick, entertaining and an inspiration to us all.
T. Alan Hurwitz, Ed.D.
President, National Technical Institute for the Deaf
Vice President and Dean,
Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester New York


  Randy Rutherford's play is a joy, moving the audience often between laughter and tears.  For those interested in critical cultural inquiry, such as Disability Studies, Sociology or Narrative inquiry of any form, Rutherford's play offers a unique journey that resists all stereotypes. I came to experience deafness in many new ways. He casts new light on both loss and rebuilding in a multi-layered narrative that is an absolute pleasure to witness.
  Rutherford is a storyteller we need right now.
Tanya Titchkosky, Ph.D
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education,
University of Toronto


       I strongly recommend this show to the Centre for Students with Disabilities (CSD) for the Disability Awareness Week activities - great for students as well as University professors and support staff.
       The artist tells part of the story of his life, which is progressively being sculpted by a hearing loss. He enacts conversations with people from his entourage, sings and plays the guitar - all this with a severe hearing loss but perfect notes.  This is done in a touching, holistic way with much humor. Bravo!  Bravo!
Marie-Claude Rouleau
Acting Coordinator, Academic Support & Learning / Access Service (SASS)
University of Ottawa


"... incredibly powerful, humorous
 ... has a strong message that everyone should be exposed to. ..."
Michelle Castaneda,
Director, AccessAbility, University of Toronto
www.scar.utoronto.ca/~ability/


  Singing At The Edge Of The World is one of the most memorable journeys into the human spirit that one can take.  This journey made me laugh and cry.  At times it made me feel humbled and at times I felt inspired. Most of all, I felt a connection and understanding that I have never felt before during a live performance.  Anyone who attends this intimate insight into the joys, the disappointments, the heartbreak, the humour and the strength of faith and renewal will come away from the experience a different person.
  Who should attend this performance?  Everyone - teachers, students, parents, children, professionals, musicians and anyone who cares about dignity respect and difference.
Kaye Leslie
Manager, Workforce Diversity - Scotiabank.
Co-chair, FICCDAT international conferences on Caregiving,
    Disability, Aging and Technology.
Lecturer, Ryerson University


 "Phenomenal ... Exactly what we need for our conference."
Miguel Aguayo, M.S.W., R.S.W.
Author, Deafened People: Adjustment and Support
Former Chair, Ontario Chapter of Canadian Hard of Hearing Association


   I saw this performance at the Fringe and was deeply affected.  I have known many people with chronic health problems or disabilities - what is extraordinary about this performance is his ability to reach down and communicate the depth of what it was like for him to lose his hearing, to infuse that with deeply felt humour and pain, and to move through to his ultimately successful struggle to build a new productive life.
   This is one of those rare theatrical events that has the ability to transform people, and I recommend it highly.
   Jill Weiss
•  Former President, BC Coalition of People with Disabilities (6 years)
•  YWCA Woman of Distinction
•  Executive Director, Self-Help Handicapped Society (1980-1985)


  At our faculty we educate Speech Language Pathologists (many of whom work with people who become deafened or hard of hearing).   I would be interested in talking with Randy.  I really really enjoyed this show.  I did say hello to him after the show, but I am sure that I was just one of the crowd.
Penny Parnes
Director, International Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation
University of Toronto
www.icdr.utoronto.ca


                                                        Ottawa. June 28, 2008
   Randy, I spoke to you briefly last night. My wife Joyce who now has a C. Implant [...]. Despite both of us having some hearing loss, we could hear you very well.
   Your performance of "Singing At the Edge of the World"  was a remarkably moving, insightful, honest exploration and presentation of the devastating effects of hearing loss. It was much more however, by showing how we still have "life after deaf" and how we can achieve that ("keep shining"). The performance was remarkable also in that at no time did you ever lapse into sentimentality but were completely honest with the audience and yourself, openly acknowledging your own fear, anger, and isolation, as well as your successful efforts to deal with them. Your own humour and that in your other characters ( what a bunch ) enabled an ease of tension - the timbre of your voice and the guitar were beautiful. Thank you Randy.
[...]    Frank Martin
M.S.W.
Director, Social Planning Council Ottawa (Ret.)