Ok, I'm going to align my posts with the days of the Fringe festival, so that makes Saturday day four, though it is personally only my third day at the Fringe.
It was a five show day today, so the reviews will be brief, as I have a relatively early morning tomorrow.
This play is like ____.
This was an interesting show, completely performed (and I assume written by) high school students. Combining story-telling and vignettes, it explores the life of a high school girl with a severe peanut allergy.
It was generally good for what it was, and the students, for their part, did a good enough job. However, it seemed out of place at the Fringe, and was more the kind of production that I would expect at the Sears festival.
A good effort by students who obviously have a passion for theatre, but still need to progress in their craft.
Jack Your Body
Described as "exploring the evolution of underground social dances from the 70s-90s" this show does pretty much what is says on the tin. If you can suffer through the first ten minutes of remarkably unengaging, and almost surreal, "walking", "strutting", and "giving face" then the rest of the show is an enjoyable performance.
I felt that the organization of dance styles from present day strictly backward in time did a bit of a disservice to the dancers, who seemed most in their element in the more recent dance styles. I also feel that it would have been a stronger show if they ditched their attempt to "investigate issues of race, gender, and social status" and focused on the energetic and engaging dancing which, at many points, the company showed they were capable off.
The audience is encourage to be raucous and call out in encouragement.
Teaching Hamlet
I will be up front. Alternative author debates around Shakespeare bore me, and such a debate is the central conceit of the show.
An actor with financial issues is hired by a conspiracy theorist to be a spokesperson for a group of proponents of the theory that the Earl of Oxford wrote the plays of Shakespeare. Predictable dialog and humour ensues.
The Hystericon
This show was easily the highlight of my day!
Three actors, Renee Hache, Lesley Robertson, and Nicole Wilson, do a fine job taking on the personas of three women treated for hysteria by J.M. Charcot in 19th century Paris.
Alexander Offord's script is smart, and his direction is engaging. The production as a whole is highly stylized, with white-face makeup, self narration, and a strong meta theatrical sensibility. It has a good balance of humour and horror in the world it creates, keeping a sense of emotion and depth while challenging the audience to question the past, and the present.
The pacing drops slightly about two thirds the way through, but recovers well, and the final image is tense, and provocative.
Highly recommended!
Erotic Tales of the Old Testament
Presented by Ink and Quille Productions, a project of the Dead Birds collective.
Honestly, I am starting to think that I should pick shows based on what food will be provided. Yesterday I was given tea, tonight I am served grapes on a platter.
This site specific performance unfortunately only ran three shows during the Fringe, and I caught the final one. However, if you are a fan of burlesque, this group seems to be one to keep an eye on.
Put simply, this is a burlesque show themed around women of the Bible (and some supplementary mythology, as Lilith makes an appearance and acts as mistress of ceremonies). The show was totally enjoyable, through strictly speaking a mixed bag. The strip-tease performances were, of course, the highlight (and I particularly enjoyed the musical selection. Who would have though you could do a strip tease to Dead Can Dance?) On the weaker side, the M.C. lacked presence and a vocalist set went on a couple songs too long. The singer was good, though, and I feel the night would have been better served by two shorter sets at different points in the evening. A mentalist/magician act seemed a bit out of place, and, while enjoyable, was the weakest fit to the theme of the night.
What won me over, however, was the setting. Staging the performance outdoors in the courtyard of St. George the Martyr Church, was wonderfully evocative, and the performance space, which included a grass runway through the audience from the doors of the church to a stage in front of the bell tower, was well executed.
If there were future performances at the Fringe, I would recommend them. I hope that this company continues to explore non-traditional venues and interesting themes for its shows.
It was a five show day today, so the reviews will be brief, as I have a relatively early morning tomorrow.
This play is like ____.
This was an interesting show, completely performed (and I assume written by) high school students. Combining story-telling and vignettes, it explores the life of a high school girl with a severe peanut allergy.
It was generally good for what it was, and the students, for their part, did a good enough job. However, it seemed out of place at the Fringe, and was more the kind of production that I would expect at the Sears festival.
A good effort by students who obviously have a passion for theatre, but still need to progress in their craft.
Jack Your Body
Described as "exploring the evolution of underground social dances from the 70s-90s" this show does pretty much what is says on the tin. If you can suffer through the first ten minutes of remarkably unengaging, and almost surreal, "walking", "strutting", and "giving face" then the rest of the show is an enjoyable performance.
I felt that the organization of dance styles from present day strictly backward in time did a bit of a disservice to the dancers, who seemed most in their element in the more recent dance styles. I also feel that it would have been a stronger show if they ditched their attempt to "investigate issues of race, gender, and social status" and focused on the energetic and engaging dancing which, at many points, the company showed they were capable off.
The audience is encourage to be raucous and call out in encouragement.
Teaching Hamlet
I will be up front. Alternative author debates around Shakespeare bore me, and such a debate is the central conceit of the show.
An actor with financial issues is hired by a conspiracy theorist to be a spokesperson for a group of proponents of the theory that the Earl of Oxford wrote the plays of Shakespeare. Predictable dialog and humour ensues.
The Hystericon
This show was easily the highlight of my day!
Three actors, Renee Hache, Lesley Robertson, and Nicole Wilson, do a fine job taking on the personas of three women treated for hysteria by J.M. Charcot in 19th century Paris.
Alexander Offord's script is smart, and his direction is engaging. The production as a whole is highly stylized, with white-face makeup, self narration, and a strong meta theatrical sensibility. It has a good balance of humour and horror in the world it creates, keeping a sense of emotion and depth while challenging the audience to question the past, and the present.
The pacing drops slightly about two thirds the way through, but recovers well, and the final image is tense, and provocative.
Highly recommended!
Erotic Tales of the Old Testament
Presented by Ink and Quille Productions, a project of the Dead Birds collective.
Honestly, I am starting to think that I should pick shows based on what food will be provided. Yesterday I was given tea, tonight I am served grapes on a platter.
This site specific performance unfortunately only ran three shows during the Fringe, and I caught the final one. However, if you are a fan of burlesque, this group seems to be one to keep an eye on.
Put simply, this is a burlesque show themed around women of the Bible (and some supplementary mythology, as Lilith makes an appearance and acts as mistress of ceremonies). The show was totally enjoyable, through strictly speaking a mixed bag. The strip-tease performances were, of course, the highlight (and I particularly enjoyed the musical selection. Who would have though you could do a strip tease to Dead Can Dance?) On the weaker side, the M.C. lacked presence and a vocalist set went on a couple songs too long. The singer was good, though, and I feel the night would have been better served by two shorter sets at different points in the evening. A mentalist/magician act seemed a bit out of place, and, while enjoyable, was the weakest fit to the theme of the night.
What won me over, however, was the setting. Staging the performance outdoors in the courtyard of St. George the Martyr Church, was wonderfully evocative, and the performance space, which included a grass runway through the audience from the doors of the church to a stage in front of the bell tower, was well executed.
If there were future performances at the Fringe, I would recommend them. I hope that this company continues to explore non-traditional venues and interesting themes for its shows.