FRINGE 5 out of 5: Scorch an enthralling revelation
Scorch (Stage 28) is based on the true story of the British schoolgirl who was found guilty of posing as a Goth boy to get another teenage girl into bed. She was charged and went to prison. This event, chronicled in Britain but largely unknown here, is the obvious basis for this play – but […]
FRINGE: 2 ‘One Man’ parodies
When faced with the rash of “one man” plays at this year’s Fringe – that is, single actors attempting to render an entire popular movie or TV series in a comedic manner – a nagging question comes up: Do you have to be a diehard fan of the original material to fully appreciate its lampoon? […]
REVIEW: 2 more MASTERS of the Fringe
Bright Young Things don’t mind taking on the big ones. The company has given us, and received much audience (and Sterling Award) love for previous productions such as Sartre’s No Exit and Rattigan’s Deep Blue Sea. Their current Fringe production is Tom Stoppard’s minor theatrical masterpiece, the confounding The Real Inspector Hound (Stage 12). Two […]
Actor literally breaks leg, has to cancel Fringe show
It’s all fun and games to say “break a leg” to an actor – until he actually breaks his leg. It happened to Reed McColm, who was to star in the one-man Glen Berger play Underneath the Lintel at Stage 14 – but it has been cancelled in the wake of his injury. “Break a […]
REVIEW: 2 MASTERS of the Fringe
Don’t Frown at the Gown (Stage 12) comes from those long-time Fringe Masters Darrin Hagen and Trevor Schmidt under the production umbrella of Guys in Disguise. The duo, who write and perform their own stuff, have long since broken out of the gay ghetto (although their orientation is obvious and celebrated), with shows like Flora […]
PLAYBOT: Foolish Foreigner fights Fringe!
What a bonehead move: A bigass high-production jukebox musical is plopping into Edmonton to compete with the opening weekend of the biggest theatre festival in the Americas – and on the same weekend as the classic rock festival, too! What were they thinking? Literally a jukebox musical called Jukebox Hero, based on the songs of […]
PLAYBOT: 2 Amigos live for comedy
“When Marty and I fly together,” says Steve Martin of his friend Martin Short, “we save a lot of money because Marty fits conveniently in the overhead bin.” Short says, “You look like Anderson Cooper frozen to death on New Year’s Eve.” Steve plays his banjo and sings, “Let’s count the awards you have won: […]
Colin MacLean: Best theatre of 2017
This was the year of Kate Ryan – she probably sprang from her show-biz mother’s loins singing show tunes and grew up as a child of the theatre. She’s the artistic director of the Plain Jane Theatre Company, and this year branched out in a series of outstanding productions. The spring began with Ah, Romance […]
3 Fringe IMPROV shows
Unscriptured By Travis Bernhardt, Vancouver, Venue 10 (Acacia Hall) Whether you praise Jesus, Allah, Jehovah or something in between, people of every belief system can congregate to The Church of Travis Bernhardt. His Fringe show Unscriptured is an improvised church service based on audience suggestions. The show feels like a Sunday afternoon televangelist program. Voted […]
3 Fringe plays about SEX and RELIGION
Sex, Religion, and other Hang-Ups By Gangland Productions, Los Angeles, Venue 5 (King Edward Elementary School) Which three subjects pique everyone’s interest in a conversation? Sex, religion, and politics – but let’s not open the political can of worms right now, and stick with sex and religion. These two opposing forces seem to infiltrate most […]
1 senseless Fringe SKETCH comedy
Peter N’ Chris’ Best Bits By Peter N’ Chris, Vancouver, Venue 23 (Princess Theatre) Peter N’ Chris (Peter Carlone and Chris Wilson) are a Vancouver sketch duo who have played at many a Fringe here and elsewhere all over North America. They have done the Just For Laughs Festival and their sketch work has been […]
