Dead Troll homecoming a Fringe triumph
Get Me the F*ck out of Edmonton, and other ramblings of a Fringe has-been By Wes Borg, Victoria, Venue 8 (Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre) Sure, Wes Borg did manage to get the f*ck out of Edmonton, but the most important thing right now is that he’s back in town with a new Fringe show […]
3 Fringe MUSICAL COMEDIES
Urinetown: The Musical By Grindstone Theatre, Venue 16 (Holy Trinity Anglican Church) Be careful not to laugh too hard at this musical that cheerfully subverts some of our most basic functions. It may lead you to a need to pee and, as the rather bizarre Urinetown: The Musical points out, that could lead to dire […]
3 ALCOHOLIC Fringe plays
Alcohol is a staple of the Fringe festival, whether it’s the on-stage subject matter, or the libations we enjoy before, after and – at some very civilized venues – during. At two of the three venues hosting the following triptych of shows you can enjoy a beverage while watching – which may sometimes feel a […]
2 MORE MASTERS of the Fringe
No Exit By Bright Young Things, Venue 12 (Varscona Theatre) A man enters a room. It’s set in Stygian darkness … a couple of sticks of furniture … some pillars, one with a statue on it. It’s hot … a little too hot. No pictures. No mirrors. The lights never turn off. A man turns […]
3 HUNGARY Fringe plays
The Inventor of All Things By big word performance, UK, Venue 13, Old Strathcona Library Jem Rolls returns to this year’s Fringe with his successful 2015 spoken word performance detailing the strangely forgotten life of pioneering nuclear physicist savant Leo Szilard, Hungary’s early 20th Century approximation of a much more interesting Sheldon Cooper. Thank God […]
2 UNEXPECTED Fringe hits
Make a right turn at the Fringe and you find an old favourite. Turn left and you come across something you might have never expected. That’s part of the fun. Onions and Garlic Empress of Blandings Productions, Venue 11 (Studio Theatre) The multi-talented Dave Clarke is a familiar Fringe participant, but his co-writer for Onions […]
2 SCARY Fringe plays
The scary thing about trying to see a scary play at the Fringe is how few truly scary plays there seem to be. So many comedies, so much improv, so many real life dramas – scary enough – and oh, so many musicals. Yet there are chills to be had if you look. Just be […]
2 MASTERS OF THE FRINGE
Each year the captains of comedy and drama come to the Edmonton Fringe Theatre Festival with gifts of superb entertainment. Regular Fringers will recognize these troupes and individuals as trailing long records of happy hours spent in the theatre. They are indeed Masters of the Fringe. Here are two of many: The Apple Tree From […]
Ghost of Joe Bird in new Fringe play
It would be disrespectful to the memory of the late Joe Bird to show respect to his memory – according to his best friend and longtime comedy partner Wes Borg. Or words to that effect. It should be obvious that Borg’s new Fringe play Get Me The F#ck Out of Edmonton may contain salty language. […]
REVIEW: Phantom raises goosebumps
Thirty one years ago, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s masterpiece opened in London’s West End. It went to Broadway two years later. Based on Gaston Leroux’s novel of great intrigue and captivation, Le Fatôme de l’Opéra, the show was a hit. This edge-of-your-seat piece about the dark side of the human condition remains the longest running show […]
PLAYBILL: Phantom on our mind
“In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came … ” Now you see: Right there your interest is piqued, isn’t it? Andrew Lloyd Webber is a genius. “… and now I find the Phantom of the Opera is THERE” – and there’s that dramatic dominant major seventh note we all know and love […]
PLAYBILL: Cirque du Soleil a new paradigm
No more performing elephants, no more bags of peanuts to feed the elephants, no more tigers jumping through flaming hoops, no more clowns whose job it is to shovel horse poop, no more picketing by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – the conquest of circus entertainment is complete. As the Ringling Bros […]
