Ok. I am going to see if I can keep my reviews short and to the point.
Seven shows today and I am going to try not to take seven hours to write my
thoughts
First up, a dance double bill:
The second number on the bill, GET SERVED was generally unremarkable. While promising to to “unveil the secrets that lie below the facades” of needy restaurant customers, it just did not come through. Last years comedy “excuse you” covered similar ground far better and with much less anguish.
Recommendation: If you follow dance at the fringe, When All Is Said may be worth checking out, but GET SERVED makes me suggest giving it a pass.
Recommendation: If you can take the odd gruesome description and enjoy a good storyteller, check it out.
The focus, however, is not on the case before the courts, but on the twelve jurors deliberating the case. With humour, wit, and incredibly strong characterization, Adam Francis Proulx bring each of the 12 jurors to life, in puppet form. With a gentle touch, he raises questions about our duty to the justice system, and to ideas of justice generally. To its credit it does not make any attempt at answering the questions it raises, only planting the seeds of dialog in the audience.
This show is 12 portraits around a common theme. Thoroughly entertaining but far from frivolous.
Recommendation: Strongly recommended
This is easily the highlight of the day, and is sure to be one of the must see shows of the festival. Kat Sandler's script is smart, looking at the nature of comedy while delivering the laughs. Her direction, as well, keeps things always lively. Strong performances by cast members Colin Munch, Tim Walker, and Caitlin Driscoll. There is no set designer listed, but props should go to him or her along with costumer Holly Lloyd and lighting designer Melissa Joakim for bringing the “pee wee's playhouse of a secret layer” to life on a fringe budget.
Recommendation: Stop reading this review and get a ticket.
While the order of the day is primarily comedy, a more seriously toned sketch about a mother protecting her child from being raped at a party stood out for me as a particularly well crafted piece of theatre.
It should be noted that while the piece remained contained in its hour slot, it ran longer than the 45 minutes listed in the program.
Recommendation: if you like sketch work, its worth a look.
Recommendation: Avoid this show.
First up, a dance double bill:
When All Is Said and GET SERVED
When all is said is billed as a piece about storytelling, however, it lacked a clear narrative or shape. To me, it was more a piece exploring themes of mimesis, which is fine, and the choreography held together conceptually, with some moments of good engagemntment. Unfortunately, the lack of shape or through line left the piece feeling unfocused. This was not helped by the single level general amber wash across the stage and the ambient amorphous soundscape used as background.The second number on the bill, GET SERVED was generally unremarkable. While promising to to “unveil the secrets that lie below the facades” of needy restaurant customers, it just did not come through. Last years comedy “excuse you” covered similar ground far better and with much less anguish.
Recommendation: If you follow dance at the fringe, When All Is Said may be worth checking out, but GET SERVED makes me suggest giving it a pass.
The Dark Fantastic
This performance is best characterized as a llkve book on tape, as author/performer Martin Dockery perform the entire show seated at a desk, as lighting provides mood to his underscored narrative. It is an excellent narrative, however, striking me as a cross between Jeanette Winterson and Stephen King. The story, written in a poetic mode, flirts with brilliance and remains engaging. I would really enjoy seeing the script published as a short story in its own right. Unfortunately, much of the intensity of this intimate piece is swallowed up by the venue. The Al Green space is just too big for the show as presented, so what would likely have been riveting in one of the backspace venues or the solo room, falls short of what it really deserves.Recommendation: If you can take the odd gruesome description and enjoy a good storyteller, check it out.
Baker's Dozen
After the intensity of the previous show, Baker's Dozen was a welcome change of pace. The premise: the baker has been found dead in his apartment, and the butcher is on trial. They key witness, an old woman who saw the butcher and baker, and possibly the candlestick maker, getting their run a dub dub on in the tub.The focus, however, is not on the case before the courts, but on the twelve jurors deliberating the case. With humour, wit, and incredibly strong characterization, Adam Francis Proulx bring each of the 12 jurors to life, in puppet form. With a gentle touch, he raises questions about our duty to the justice system, and to ideas of justice generally. To its credit it does not make any attempt at answering the questions it raises, only planting the seeds of dialog in the audience.
This show is 12 portraits around a common theme. Thoroughly entertaining but far from frivolous.
Recommendation: Strongly recommended
Punch Up
When Duncan kidnaps the funniest man alive to save the life of the saddest woman in the world, dark and hilarious comedy ensues.This is easily the highlight of the day, and is sure to be one of the must see shows of the festival. Kat Sandler's script is smart, looking at the nature of comedy while delivering the laughs. Her direction, as well, keeps things always lively. Strong performances by cast members Colin Munch, Tim Walker, and Caitlin Driscoll. There is no set designer listed, but props should go to him or her along with costumer Holly Lloyd and lighting designer Melissa Joakim for bringing the “pee wee's playhouse of a secret layer” to life on a fringe budget.
Recommendation: Stop reading this review and get a ticket.
Parallel Play
This is a straight forward sketch show featuring Elvira Kurt and Megan Fahlenbock. The jokes are certainly there, though some hit better than others, and a few go on rather long. Perhaps I had my expectations too high, but I expected the laughs to come harder and faster from such an established name as Elvira Kurt.While the order of the day is primarily comedy, a more seriously toned sketch about a mother protecting her child from being raped at a party stood out for me as a particularly well crafted piece of theatre.
It should be noted that while the piece remained contained in its hour slot, it ran longer than the 45 minutes listed in the program.
Recommendation: if you like sketch work, its worth a look.
The Urinal Diaries
I will refrain from the toilet jokes here. This is, unfortunately, a play damned from the outset by a terrible script by playwright Mark H Albert. The jokes are poor, the situations outlandish, and the scenes haphazardly shaped and inconsistent in tone. In one scene there are penis size jokes, in the next, a soldier with PTSD is begging a robber to shoot him. The company tries is best to provide pathos, but is fighting an uphill battle.Recommendation: Avoid this show.