This is my second last report on the Fringe for 2013. Though I will be seeing three shows tomorrow, I likely will not do a formal review of them since only one day of the festival will remain by that point and I will want to get to bed before 3am.
I had a fantastic time at the Fringe, breaking my goal of seeing 40 shows. I think the final count is 42 or 43 or something like that. I think in future I might not go quite so hard core, though I am tremendously happy to say that the overall quality of the shows this year was high.
So, I hope everyone will go out there, see Fringe shows, and make donations to help keep the festival running strong into its next 25 years.
Kuwaiti Moonshine
Written and performed by Tim Murphy, Kuwaiti moonshine tells the story of Andy, a thirty-five year old physical Ed teacher from Ottawa, working in Kuwait. As the show opens, we find Andy in a Kuwaiti prison cell, having been arrested for alcohol trafficking.
The show then looks back at the various beginnings that eventually led Andy to his predicament, including a sustained side story/back story about one of his guards.
The show as a whole lacks a sense of focus. Asides take too long, and I found my attention wandering as the narration did the same.
Murphy never really manages to make me care about his characters, and has trouble sustaining the second character that he portrays, a French Canadian by the name of jean luck with an ill sustained access. While the end of the show does tie up the narrative thread introduced, it lacks a sense of completion as the characters end point is one of emotional and spiritual resolution though the narrative had been more about events than internal journey.
Not recommended.
Handle With Care
Part of the Kids' Fringe programming, Handle with Care explores ideas of environmentalism with a sense of fun and whimsy. Using various forms of puppetry, the performers (taking on that sort of child-friendly persona that you get on TVO programming... in a good way) play out a series of vignettes covering topics such as littering, deforestation, and water pollution. These serious topics are addressed with a sense of playfulness, never preachy, creating an entertaining platform from which additional discussion can be derived.
The puppetry is engaging and a joy to watch, and the puppet stage, in the form of a shipping crate with various drawers and doors, is a wonder in itself.
The audience in attendance was young and vocal at time, but fully into what was happening on stage.
Recommended. Also, if you are an educator of 4-10 year olds in the GTA, you may want to contact the company: http://tangledwebtheatre.com/ to see about a performance.
A Glance at the Chinese Performing Arts
Not what I expected. More of a recital of the kind you would do for appreciative family and friends. Some of the older performers were excellent, but a children's fashion show with such illuminations statements as “Tibetans enjoy dancing in long sleeves” provided an unfortunate low point.
Looking after the fact, it seems that they have different programming on each of the performance slots, which I am disappointed by. The description mentioned "Chinese dance, Kung Fu, and Beijing Opera weaponry" but the performance I attended was solely dance.
Not recommended.
Squat
Billing itself as a Canadian hipster musical reminded me a bit of toxic avenger, in energy though perhaps not as much in wit. Actress playing Melissa is excellent and the entire cast gives it their all.
For all the bravado of being Toronto centric, the plot is a simple battle of the bands plot. The dialog is snappy and entertaining, but replies a bit too heavily on shock value and nasty insults. Still, its nice to indulge in schadenfreude and bitchiness from time to time.
All in all, the show is a fun and ribald ride. There are not many tickets available still for this - you must line up two hours ahead to get a on at the door ticket.
Recommended for a wicked ride.
Radio thirty
A hit at past fringe shows, this is a strong piece, well crafted and performed, exploring the moment where the mistakes and pressures of a life come to a head and the implosion begins.
My issue with this show is that the protagonist as presented doesn't give us any redeeming or particularly likeable qualities, so that when his end comes, it just feels like overdue justice for a generally nasty person.
Despite this shortfall, it is a good performance, and script, and so gets my recommendation in that it good theatre.
Recommended.
I had a fantastic time at the Fringe, breaking my goal of seeing 40 shows. I think the final count is 42 or 43 or something like that. I think in future I might not go quite so hard core, though I am tremendously happy to say that the overall quality of the shows this year was high.
So, I hope everyone will go out there, see Fringe shows, and make donations to help keep the festival running strong into its next 25 years.
Kuwaiti Moonshine
Written and performed by Tim Murphy, Kuwaiti moonshine tells the story of Andy, a thirty-five year old physical Ed teacher from Ottawa, working in Kuwait. As the show opens, we find Andy in a Kuwaiti prison cell, having been arrested for alcohol trafficking.
The show then looks back at the various beginnings that eventually led Andy to his predicament, including a sustained side story/back story about one of his guards.
The show as a whole lacks a sense of focus. Asides take too long, and I found my attention wandering as the narration did the same.
Murphy never really manages to make me care about his characters, and has trouble sustaining the second character that he portrays, a French Canadian by the name of jean luck with an ill sustained access. While the end of the show does tie up the narrative thread introduced, it lacks a sense of completion as the characters end point is one of emotional and spiritual resolution though the narrative had been more about events than internal journey.
Not recommended.
Handle With Care
Part of the Kids' Fringe programming, Handle with Care explores ideas of environmentalism with a sense of fun and whimsy. Using various forms of puppetry, the performers (taking on that sort of child-friendly persona that you get on TVO programming... in a good way) play out a series of vignettes covering topics such as littering, deforestation, and water pollution. These serious topics are addressed with a sense of playfulness, never preachy, creating an entertaining platform from which additional discussion can be derived.
The puppetry is engaging and a joy to watch, and the puppet stage, in the form of a shipping crate with various drawers and doors, is a wonder in itself.
The audience in attendance was young and vocal at time, but fully into what was happening on stage.
Recommended. Also, if you are an educator of 4-10 year olds in the GTA, you may want to contact the company: http://tangledwebtheatre.com/ to see about a performance.
A Glance at the Chinese Performing Arts
Not what I expected. More of a recital of the kind you would do for appreciative family and friends. Some of the older performers were excellent, but a children's fashion show with such illuminations statements as “Tibetans enjoy dancing in long sleeves” provided an unfortunate low point.
Looking after the fact, it seems that they have different programming on each of the performance slots, which I am disappointed by. The description mentioned "Chinese dance, Kung Fu, and Beijing Opera weaponry" but the performance I attended was solely dance.
Not recommended.
Squat
Billing itself as a Canadian hipster musical reminded me a bit of toxic avenger, in energy though perhaps not as much in wit. Actress playing Melissa is excellent and the entire cast gives it their all.
For all the bravado of being Toronto centric, the plot is a simple battle of the bands plot. The dialog is snappy and entertaining, but replies a bit too heavily on shock value and nasty insults. Still, its nice to indulge in schadenfreude and bitchiness from time to time.
All in all, the show is a fun and ribald ride. There are not many tickets available still for this - you must line up two hours ahead to get a on at the door ticket.
Recommended for a wicked ride.
Radio thirty
A hit at past fringe shows, this is a strong piece, well crafted and performed, exploring the moment where the mistakes and pressures of a life come to a head and the implosion begins.
My issue with this show is that the protagonist as presented doesn't give us any redeeming or particularly likeable qualities, so that when his end comes, it just feels like overdue justice for a generally nasty person.
Despite this shortfall, it is a good performance, and script, and so gets my recommendation in that it good theatre.
Recommended.