The BUZZ – Reviews – 2014
The Horrible Friends have been around for some time, and if you’ve ever seen the show, you already know the formula. They’ve tossed in a couple of curves but essentially, the format’s the same.
There’s an adage about not screwing around with something that works—and what they do definitely works. The crowd roared with laughter and giving away drinks in return for volunteering can only help.
The show ended 15 minutes early. To me, the extra time would have been a perfect opportunity to test out some new routines. Yes, what they have works, but you never want to milk something until it gets stale.
J.D. Renaud is back with another great one-man show that combines his brilliant combination of video, cartoons and story telling to draw the audience into his world. The focus of this year’s show is the things he hates the most about himself, that are also a large part of his character, and how he used them as stepping stones to try to grow as a person and become who he wants to be.
I was blown away by his show Self-Destructivism last year, and this year’s show is just as strong, and if you didn’t see him last year, it stands on its own. His stories about his life experiences, which are complimented by his animations, are very well crafted and told with great passion. The humour throughout keeps it fun, as he does delve into some dark times in his life.
I love theatre that challenges my thinking and delivers a strong message. Lies of a Promiscuous Woman does both, extremely well.
Audra Lesosky has written a brilliant play that is thoroughly thought provoking and a little shocking.
While the play has a cast of six and an on stage accompanist, it is really a one-woman play with a supporting cast. Theresa Thomson is completely captivating in the lead role and delivers a truly outstanding performance. I must also note Kerri Porter’s heart-wrenching delivery of her role as Donna.
The musical numbers are well chosen and at times caused a much-needed chuckle from an attentive and appreciative audience. If I have one criticism it would be that the piano was a little too loud, but perhaps it was only where I was seated.
This is a new venue for the festival this year and it seems like a good addition. Kudos to the Fringe staff for making it very easy to find with plenty of good signage starting at Portage Avenue and leading you right to the theatre.
If you appreciate having your thinking challenged; if you are not afraid to take a different look at what you may or may not hold sacred; you will enjoy Lies of a Promiscuous Woman. This is fringe theatre at its very best!
This man knows exactly how to please a crowd, no matter the crowd, no matter the age.
Watching his shows give you an incredible sense of being brought together, not just as an audience, but as a family. Take the kids, take the grandparents, take who ever you want. It’s a good 45 minutes of entertainment.
This local production features a 2009 script by Canadian playwright Daniel McIvor. Each of its three scenes features two of three female characters. All combinations are seen, but we never see them all together.
The three characters are Leda, the mother, (Karen O’Brien), Annie, the daughter (Kristen Einarson) and Carolyn, the therapist (Carly Gallant, who is also producer and director).
The first scene, the longest, is a therapy session between the talkative and frustrated mother and her therapist. The second is a tense reunion between estranged mother and daughter, in which they learn uncomfortable things about each other, and the third features the daughter and the now-former therapist, taking place several months later.
I was not sure of the focus of this play. Was it about how alcoholism (on the mother’s side) or religious fanaticism (on the daughter’s side) can create a family rift? Or was it about the failures of therapy to help a client, or even the therapist herself? Or was this play, written by a man, a showcase of how even women can fail to communicate amongst themselves? So much for the Bechdel test!
Some of the best parts of the play were hearing the venomous one-liners lobbed by either the mother or the daughter, at each other or at the therapist. The therapist, for her part, doesn’t have any verbal bombs, as she maintains a professional distance with the mother or finds her personal boundaries to be a little too porous with the daughter).
As for the particulars of this production, I found the blocking quite static, with a lot of sitting around by the actors and not too much movement, except when things got heated, at which time they moved and then settled into another static arrangement. That was too bad, as the energy by the three actors was strong and compelling as they spoke their lines. Sometimes there seemed to be too many props for the action, especially in the third scene, where an excess of filing boxes were scattered about to indicate that the therapist was moving from her office, even though this was clear from the dialogue.
I liked some of the psychodynamics showcased in this production but I thought it could have used a little more polish.
Sharilyn Johnson tells her personal story of how her early love and obsession with comedy has shaped her life.
It is an interesting story that delves deeply into her finding her personal comedy idols, namely Jon Stewart and later, Stephen Colbert, and her descent into the often weird fandom world. She fearlessly goes into detail about parts of her life that others might not have the courage to talk about. Overall, it is an entertaining ride.
“Extollo kills the audience,” it certainly does! The shtick isn’t new; in fact, I’ve seen it used at Fringe a lot, but that doesn’t take away from their excellent execution. The gags are great, leaving you giggling, and sometimes roaring in laughter.
The show could have been a serious satire mocking Hollywood and its directors but it wouldn’t be the same without the zombies. The acting is superb but the undead steal the scenes.
The sound effects were a bit off synch, giving it that vintage Godzilla dubbing effect but I’m sure they’ll have that worked out by their second performance. They believe that we would rate this a two-star effort, but it definitely isn’t—this is an entertaining and funny show that’s bound to amuse everyone.
Between them, Sydney Hayduk and Christy Taronno are a triple threat and the most fun you’re likely to have this Fringe. I know, I know, it’s only the first day, but I will be very surprised if I have more fun at a show this year than I did at Bizarro Obscure.
Great original music and a variety of characters bring this strange tale to life. What you get from the play’s message depends on how important you think it is, but it hit home for me and added some importance to this otherwise crazy-fun show.
The set is non-existent and the props minimal. The world is brought to life by two energetic performers and a little bit by effective lighting. Costumes are a ton of…you guessed it, fun!
This show is what Fringe is all about: minimal trappings, great performances, weirdness and character. Fun
If I’m honest, (and normally I am), I was hoping for something more. The idea was an interesting one, a re-telling of Orpheus and Eurydice with a slightly different ending, and in a circus hell-scape, and that sounded pretty cool.
Unfortunately, the execution was lacking some. The show itself felt less like a story, and more of a showcase for the puppets, operated by one man and one woman.The show itself was slow, and felt like it took second place.
The puppet work was very good, and there were certainly some interesting puppets to look at, but it was executed slightly awkwardly, and had a hard time keeping the audience’s attention.
Tall girls are gorgeous; short girls are gorgeous; thin girls are gorgeous; and fat girls are gorgeous. That’s what this play focuses on—the ability to love yourself and feel beautiful, even though you do not fall into the dictum of what Vogue deems as beauty.
As a feminist, I love this show—I love that bold and brave women willingly come on stage to show their beauty, despite society’s censure about the “perfect” body. This complete package has heart-tugging moments, when a girl wonders why she’s rejected because her legs aren’t as slim as sticks. It has confident moments when you feel comfortable enough to come out and say, “I’m fat—and I’m gorgeous.” Importantly, it has bold moments, when you find out that “f**king a fatty” could be the ride of your life.
I enjoyed the show immensely, but the opening night presentation did not go off without its problems. The faulty microphone cut out more often than it stayed live. The poor actors had a rough time maintaining audibility—but they maintained their composure effortlessly. Some work needs to be done with their synchronicity routines and the scene breaks last a little bit too long.
This effort started five minutes late and ended ten minutes early, essentially making it a 45-minute cabaret, rather than the advertised hour. It’s short, but it’s brave, bold and beautiful—cheers to ChubRub!
