The BUZZ – Reviews – 2014

Wanderlust

Antiscian Productions—Son of Warehouse

This satire pokes fun at many of the pre-conceived notions about travel, foreigners, and distant lands. It takes you through the pain, acclimatization, adjustment, and finally the assimilation of displacement. You grow with the characters from ignorance to naivety until you develop savvy.

This interesting show has a lot that I couldn’t get; I can’t help but wonder if I missed something along the way. Despite my ignorance, Kaitlin and Rachel took me on an enjoyable adventure.

Ray Yuen

Wang Dang

Snakeskin Jacket—Studio 320

Snakeskin Jacket always takes risks with their Fringe productions, and you can always count on a high level of professionalism. Last night’s near-sellout (I saw one empty seat) shows that taking risks can pay off if you do your homework.

Tom Noonan’s plays have a unique style, just as do those of Harold Pinter. And although Noonan does not use the long pauses or some other elements of Pinter, both playwrights feature a skewed reality and psychological undercurrents that bubble to the surface constantly, if you will forgive the cliché.

Like The Homecoming, Wang Dang is a battle of wits between the characters, as each takes a turn trying to be top dog. Each character is a match for the others, and as an audience member I had to constantly reassess what was going on. Was a character acting honestly, or playing a game with the others? Not every audience member wants to play that game, but it pays rewards if you are willing.

The cast did a fine job with this difficult work, almost always keeping the game afoot. The venue also worked well, although a slightly larger space would allow more people to enjoy this work and give the audience slightly more physical distance from the action, improving sight lines.

Kevin Longfield

La Belle Laide

Lady of the Lake—Warehouse

This deeply moving play has no words. Thanks to Jackie Loewen for creating this gem.

The play explores the anguish we can go through when making difficult choices, and how disastrous the outcome of those choices can be, even if our intentions are good.

Rod Bielfuss is perfectly cast as the handsome young man beguiled by two beautiful women. Janelle Houcault and Tanja Woloshen present two attractive romantic options, each with charming personalities and contrasting aspects of physical beauty. Brett Owen, the manservant, accomplishes the difficult task of getting the job done on stage without drawing too much attention to himself.

I am starting to wonder why I spend so much time trying to find the right words when I am writing a play.

Kevin Longfield

Moonlight after Midnight

Concrete Drops—Asper Centre (UofW)

For the first forty minutes, this play spun through a perpetual loop, often reverting back to the beginning. Although repetitive, it was never boring and there was enough intrigue to keep the audience pasted to the plot. Even though the denouement left some loose ends, this touching story was well worth the anticipation.

Although the show featured a decent plot with a surprise outcome, it was the actors who made this experience a huge success. Both actors dove into their characters and lived them like they were one. Thank you for the stunning performance.

Ray Yuen

Gary Has a Date

Grumble Productions—MTYP Mainstage

The focus of this show is clearly on the physical comedy, and it’s performed beautifully.

The show is a lovely and innocent portrayal of nerves before a date and really turns Gary into an exceptionally loveable man who can’t catch a break. All you can do is watch and laugh as everything falls apart for him, and he honestly is trying so hard. Maybe a little too hard sometimes, however. At certain points the joke drags on a little long, but the new events are always every bit as funny. A nice little innocent laugh.

Arden Pruden

Speechless

Three Tones Theatre—MTYP Mainstage

The write-up gives only an obscure clue as to what to expect; the best description for this show is improv-mime.

The two main performers hail from Columbia. It shocked them when they asked for input from the audience and they found that more than 10% of the viewers talked about their trips to Bogota and Cartagena!

They ended up stripping the themes “things that smell good” and “the ocean” from the discussion. From the themes, they mimed a number of enjoyable stories that engulfed you in their adventures.

The mime was most approachable. However, since both performers acted at the same time, often, I found it hard to follow. Because there is no speech, if you miss a movement, you might miss the entire motif, especially when they’re on opposite ends of the stage. I wasn’t sure who to watch.

Ray Yuen

Gary Has a Date

Grumble Productions—MTYP Mainstage

Emily Windler of Portland, Oregon, is in this one-woman show in which she portrays a man. As opposed to WONDERHEADS productions, in which she is also involved (including The Middle of Everywhere at this Fringe), here she does not wear a mask and is not silent. Her character Gary is an awkward, bumbling snail expert who wears a too-large jacket, has disheveled hair, and fumbles about in his place while preparing for a date.

The main focus of this show is the physical comedy related to Gary making a mess of things. He gets tangled up in his phone cord, knocks over his table and chairs, accidentally steps on an unseen cat behind a counter, spills wine on a table cloth, fights with scotch tape, bangs against a radio and sends its antenna flying, keeps clapping a lamp off and on, among other such similar actions. This all happens while he re-reads sections from Dating for Dummies, rehearses lines to say to his date, sets his table, and answers phone calls.

In some ways, the performance is reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin or Mr. Bean. Unfortunately, some of the gags are repeated too often and with little development, and this show becomes less about dating anxiety than about pure fumbling about. We never see his date Norma appear, although we hear her knocking at the door.

Also, this show ran for only 40 minutes, not the advertised 60 minutes.

Konrad Antony

Who Killed Gertrude Crump?

Ryan Gladstone—Alloway Hall (Man. Museum)

This cute puppet show soars through the skill of the puppeteer—her quirky and witty delivery makes up half the fun. She keeps you engaged the entire time, even drawing giggles through the scene breaks.

Like a typical Agatha Christie mystery, the plot keeps you guessing to the end. I bet you won’t figure out who did it! And you won’t be able to ask as the audience is sworn to secrecy forever! The voices are sometimes hard to follow so I advise a seat closer to the front.

Ray Yuen

Snake Oil

Black Sheep Theatre—Rachel Browne Th. (Crocus)

The casting in this show is excellent. Both actors do an amazing job of portraying their characters. They even look like you would imagine them to look. The back and forth between them is excellent, not only moving the script forward but leaving you wondering what exactly is between them. As the show goes on more and more is revealed and it’s captivating to watch. It’s hard to look away from these two. The show sends you back out into the world re-thinking the characters, and with questions that you aren’t sure you want the answers to.

Arden Pruden

Snake Oil

Black Sheep Theatre—Rachel Browne Th. (Crocus)

One of the great things about the Fringe is that you get to meet a sampling of theatre artists from across the country. This year I am fortunate to be billeting Zach Counsil, who performed in what I would call the definitive production of Daniel McIvor’s Wild Abandon a few years ago.

This year he and Hannah Gibson-Turner are offering us Jayson McDonald’s Snake Oil. It will cure what ails you, and it will take you into eternity with a smile on your face.

Counsil does a verbal tour-de-force as the smooth-talking pitchman, and Gibson-Turner is charming as his not-so-able-and-willing assistant.

It starts out as farce and at just the right moment takes a quick but sure step into darkness.

I’d like to have seen this play in a thrust stage environment, but that’s a small thing. Snake Oil delivers everything it promises.

Kevin Longfield