The Barbarian Bombshells

The Barbarian Bombshells—Tom Hendry Warehouse

Ahh, the Fringe Festival. There’s nothing else like it. Amongst all of the traumatic tales of personal struggle, one-person journeys of exploration, deeply-ingrained stories of angst and anguish, one can always find something like The Barbarian Bombshells to relieve the tension. And what a relief this show is! Would you see anything like this as part of the MTC regular season? Hell, no! And thank the gods of the theatre for that! The Barbarian Bombshells deliver exactly what one would expect; a fun-filled rowdy hour of cavorting, chaos, and carnage, delivered with rowdy enthusiasm and loads of gleeful audience participation. The bombshells radiate charisma, and seem to be having at least as much fun onstage as their audience. There’s no plot to speak of, nor is one needed. The whole point of crazy shows like this is to dive in and have fun, drink in hand, and be prepared to make lots of noise and sing (or scream) along with the women. So sharpen your sword, put on your best leather jerkin, tug on your horned helmet and catch their remaining shows before it’s too late! By Crom, this is a good time!

Mike Seccombe

The Barbarian Bombshells

The Barbarian Bombshells—

This is one of those shows that needs the audience to fuel the action. I’m not sure they would pull it off if there are only a few people in the audience. As well, as they point out often, it also works better if people have been drinking. Today’s run, at 11 am, means that the bar at the Warehouse isn’t even open yet.

Without the assistance of alcohol, it starts a bit slow, with some off-colour jokes that don’t click right away. Fortunately, the audience recruits are a load of fun themselves, which injects a large dose of adrenaline. The second half of the show picks up speed fast and most everyone ends up having a good time. The costumes and props? Top notch!

Ray Yuen