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To describe the High Park area theatre company MackenzieRo's production of The Rake's Progress: Do You Know Where Tom Rakewell Is? as colourful would be somewhat of an understatement.

"Colourful, yes. There's some debauchery," said MacKenzieRo co-founder Autumn Smith, laughing.

On Jan. 8, the play, adapted by Smith and Cathy Murphy and directed by Smith, made its debut during the Next Stage Theatre Festival, which runs until Jan. 18 at the Factory Mainspace and Studio Theatres.

"We really wanted to base something on London (England), the greatest city in the world. We wanted to get that dirty vibe, that filthy vibe of London."

The play is adapted from an opera by Igor Stravinsky in 1951, which was based on a series of paintings and engravings in the 18th century by William Hogarth, Smith said. It's a piece she said she's wanted to do for a long time, especially after working on the opera as assistant director in London.

"I just loved it and wondered how we could adapt it into a play," she said.

She and her business partner Murphy spent the past year doing a lot of research and tweaking the script. The play follows the catastrophic downfall of a young heir, Tom Rakewell, in the 1730s along with a cast of characters like brothel madam Mother Goose, Sellem the auctioneer and Baba the Turk. Critics rave it's "too volatile to forget, complex and heart-achingly palpable."

"This show has the potential to be one of the big hits of this year's festival," said Adam Kirkham, development and communications manager for the Fringe of Toronto Theatre Festival.

The Next Stage Theatre Festival provides audiences the opportunity to see stars in the making. Shows for Next Stage were chosen by a panel of judges to bring audiences the cream of the crop from the Fringe.

"It's for indie companies, who want to move beyond the Fringe," Smith said. "We thought 'hey, we'll take a crack at it.' Next Stage is a great festival that allows people to do things how they want to do it. They really take good care of us. It's lovely."

Smith knew from an early age that she wanted to pursue the theatre. Growing up in Oshawa, she immersed herself in school and community theatre. She had been training at the Oxford School of Drama in England before she returned to Toronto to establish her own company. She and Murphy wanted to introduce the English concept of 'pub theatre' to Toronto and do it on a regular basis.

Visit www.fringetoronto.com for further details.