Only four shows on day five. Here's the run down:
Bremen Rock City
Performing at the Kids' Fringe, perhaps in front of some of the harshest critics of all. Children do not hesitate to tell you when they do not enjoy or are not held by a show. They have no time for pretension, they know when they are being talked down to, and they demand continual engagement.
I'm happy to report that Bremen Rock City, for the most part, passed the child test! The story: small town Donkey wants to make it big, falling in the footsteps of his rock star porcupine idol. On the way to the big city of Bremen, he befriends a rooster, dog, and cat, forms a band, makes it big, lets it go to his head, and makes discoveries about himself and the importance of friendship.
This show has great vocals, excellent physicality and characterizations, catchy music, and a story that, mostly, keeps driving forward for the full hour. The script got a bit awkward towards the end, but, untypically, I mark this up to not having enough time to let the show breathe. In particular, I'd like to see more background story given to the characters of the cat and dog, and a few more songs pushing plot and character development forward. This show could easily be expanded to 90 minutes and toured. I hope it has a life past the Fringe.
Recommended for children of all ages.
Or Be Eaten
A fairy tale for adults. The second show of my day was also a winner!
This three hander presents a standard adventure journey as a "house-less" youth seeks a home by travelling through the secret tunnels of the TTC subway system and encountering fantastic creatures... who all want to eat him for dinner.
The story is simple, and simply told, but narrated and performed with heart and humour. The presents the tale making use of mask, clown, and puppetry.
Recommended!
Almost, Maine
Four vignettes exploring the nature and qualities of love in a world where people carry their broken hearts in paper bags, keep the love they've been given in the trunk of their car, and where shoes drop from heaven. Each piece in this show is a pleasantly crafted diversion, but (as noted in the program) we are only getting about half the the original show. While it holds together well enough, it seem to hint at, but not quite reach, some greater statement. The pieces resonate, but overall the show fails to hit home.
It's a safe bet for an enjoyable hour, and recommended for light fare, but felt too save for me to recommend highly.
Excuse You
The horror stories of customer service provide the fodder for what is generally a loosely connected group of sketches. There are many laughs to be had, though the material sometimes crossed the line from frustration-based humour to the airing of dirty laundry.
The show delivers more smiles than frowns, and will be a cathartic release for anyone who has worked in service, particularly in the arts. It may be less resonant with those who have not had exposure to this world, as it paints a generally damning portrait of patrons.
At 90 minutes, however, this show runs out of steam. Cut it to 55 minutes and tighten up the pacing and it would be brilliant. As it is, it still delivers laughs, just not as consistently or intensely as it could.
Bremen Rock City
Performing at the Kids' Fringe, perhaps in front of some of the harshest critics of all. Children do not hesitate to tell you when they do not enjoy or are not held by a show. They have no time for pretension, they know when they are being talked down to, and they demand continual engagement.
I'm happy to report that Bremen Rock City, for the most part, passed the child test! The story: small town Donkey wants to make it big, falling in the footsteps of his rock star porcupine idol. On the way to the big city of Bremen, he befriends a rooster, dog, and cat, forms a band, makes it big, lets it go to his head, and makes discoveries about himself and the importance of friendship.
This show has great vocals, excellent physicality and characterizations, catchy music, and a story that, mostly, keeps driving forward for the full hour. The script got a bit awkward towards the end, but, untypically, I mark this up to not having enough time to let the show breathe. In particular, I'd like to see more background story given to the characters of the cat and dog, and a few more songs pushing plot and character development forward. This show could easily be expanded to 90 minutes and toured. I hope it has a life past the Fringe.
Recommended for children of all ages.
Or Be Eaten
A fairy tale for adults. The second show of my day was also a winner!
This three hander presents a standard adventure journey as a "house-less" youth seeks a home by travelling through the secret tunnels of the TTC subway system and encountering fantastic creatures... who all want to eat him for dinner.
The story is simple, and simply told, but narrated and performed with heart and humour. The presents the tale making use of mask, clown, and puppetry.
Recommended!
Almost, Maine
Four vignettes exploring the nature and qualities of love in a world where people carry their broken hearts in paper bags, keep the love they've been given in the trunk of their car, and where shoes drop from heaven. Each piece in this show is a pleasantly crafted diversion, but (as noted in the program) we are only getting about half the the original show. While it holds together well enough, it seem to hint at, but not quite reach, some greater statement. The pieces resonate, but overall the show fails to hit home.
It's a safe bet for an enjoyable hour, and recommended for light fare, but felt too save for me to recommend highly.
Excuse You
The horror stories of customer service provide the fodder for what is generally a loosely connected group of sketches. There are many laughs to be had, though the material sometimes crossed the line from frustration-based humour to the airing of dirty laundry.
The show delivers more smiles than frowns, and will be a cathartic release for anyone who has worked in service, particularly in the arts. It may be less resonant with those who have not had exposure to this world, as it paints a generally damning portrait of patrons.
At 90 minutes, however, this show runs out of steam. Cut it to 55 minutes and tighten up the pacing and it would be brilliant. As it is, it still delivers laughs, just not as consistently or intensely as it could.