Revere and Malden Residents to Star in Homemade Fusion: A Musical, Opening June 10

The Opposite of People (TOP) presents the Boston Premiere of Homemade Fusion opening June 10-12 at UFORGE Gallery in Jamaica Plain and touring to the StoveFactory Gallery in Charlestown June 16-18.

From the imaginations of Michael Kooman (music) and Christopher Dimond (lyrics), comes a series of musical snapshots that tell distinct stories - being true to oneself, misinterpreting signals, how we connect with others. At once dangerously cynical, desperately romantic, and alarmingly humorous - it is a tale of love, loss, and candy bars.

A production conceived to adapt to the venue and audience - TOP is partnering with two local art galleries to bring an intimate and interactive evening of theater. Audiences are invited to join in the fun early or stay late, mingle with the cast, and enjoy an open bar.

Homemade Fusion features eleven local performers from the Boston area including Revere’s Asha Hirsi and Malden's Kaila Frymire. Hirsi sings one of the more well known numbers in the show "Random Black Girl", famously sung by Patina Miller.

" I absolutely loved the song 'Random Black Girl', because it perfectly describes my experience as a Black actress in theatre," Hirsi explains, "I feel that this song does such a wonderful job of addressing the discrepancies still prevalent in theatre in a lighthearted, comedic way that gets the audience to laugh but also stop and think, 'Huh, you know, she's right!' "

Frymire handles the comedic note topping "Sherman & Madeline".

"I was intrigued by the format of the show," Frymire says of Homemade Fusion, "It is created in a way that leaves space for individual performers to take ownership and make the pieces their own. No two casts will look alike or present the same show."

Hirsi is a recent graduate of Suffolk University's Class of 2016, where she earned her degree in Public Relations. She's currently on the job hunt, but her heart wants her to build a career in the theatre. Hirsi had the opportunity to play one of her bucket list characters at Suffolk, Joanne in RENT.

" She's such a nuanced person, & coming to understand her as a high-powered yet vulnerable woman was such a joy. "

Other bucket list characters for Hirsi include Rafiki in The Lion King and anyone from The Color Purple.

Frymire is a veteran of comedic, energetic roles like Ado Annie in Oklahoma! and Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro, but she enjoys the more serious roles as well.

"I really love digging into more complex, raw characters such as Queenie in The Wild Party or Jenny in The Threepenny Opera," she says.

Outside the theatre, Frymire focuses her creativity on other activities.

"One of the most wonderful things about live performance is that it is an ever-changing art form. There is always room for reinterpretation or further fine-tuning of a piece - even if you've performed it a thousand times," she explains. "In my free time, I love small projects like knitting and baking that feed my creativity but give me a different sense of satisfaction, resulting in a final product. I also love hiking and swimming - bring on the summer!"

Hirsi is drawn to storytelling.

"I love stories, both real and fictional, so you can usually find me reading a new book, binge-watching some TV show, or watching a new movie. I absolutely love documentaries, usually the ones that address social issues, so that's mostly what you'll find in my Netflix suggestions," Hirsi says.

The Opposite of People (TOP) is a newly established theater company that is dedicated to bringing accessible, unconventional theater and little known shows to the Boston-area community.

Tickets are available for all performances through Event Brite: http://tinyurl.com/hfmusical