The Buzz – Reviews – 2017

Edgar Allan

The Coldharts—MTC Up the Alley

Shows like this are why I love the Fringe. It is such an interesting concept and was executed to perfection. Katie Hartman plays a young Edgar Allan Poe, sent off to boarding school, whose plan to ascend to the top of class is stymied by another Edgar Allan played by Nick Ryan. Much of the story is told by songs played by Katie on the ukulele, and her haunting vocals set the mood wonderfully. Both actors movements and expressions combined with the great costumes really add to the performance. I won’t give away any of the rest of the story, but it definitely comes to a Poe inspired conclusion.

Murray Hunter

Tales of the Macabre

Longshot Projects—Dalnavert Museum

Outdoors, in the garden of Dalnavert Museum, is the ideal location for this hour of grim, sometimes sinister tales.

Animated by a death-like figure, Charlie Creeps, our storyteller, launches into seven disturbing stories. With the exception of “The Pear Refused To Fall”, which is a patter poem reminiscent of the bump on the log, the frog on the bump etc., they all deal with some iteration of love. But not love as we would like to envision it. The loves that Charlie describes are rooted in psychosis, marginalization or revenge. A few of the tales left me squirming.

Between each story, the death-like figure came forward to tease, tempt, and tame Charlie. These transitions became an interesting and necessary secondary storyline and served to neatly conclude the evening’s performance.

That being said, I think that the overall tension in the show could have been heightened by a review by the company of the order in which the stories were presented. I also wanted the transitions to be somehow more reflective of the stories. With certainty I would have moved one transition that involved a gift box passed around the audience, from before a story about a gift, to after the story about the gift.

Two talented musicians provided an appropriate ambience for the tales, using a variety of instruments, distorted to create haunting and uncomfortable effects, without interfering with Charlie’s eerie delivery of the tales.

The show does not come with a programme, and that’s okay. But I wish that after their bows, the performers would have at least introduced themselves to the audience.

Dalnavert is a small venue (about 50 seats), so I recommend being there in good time to get a ticket. Also, the company does have a contingency plan in the event of rain.

Michelle Cook

2 for Tea: A British Comedy

James & Jamesy—PTE – Mainstage

The show starts slowly with a few giggles and yuks, but before long, it shifts into high gear, leaving the audience in gut-busting laughs. Part observational, part character and much absurd comedy, these actors expertly wield humour like a sword. That’s no secret to the Fringe world and the shows sell out fast.

Ray Yuen

The Super Secret Fringe Show

A whole bunch of people—Wee Johnny’s Irish Pub

The first rule of the Super Secret Fringe Show… Is you do not talk about the super secret fringe show… that is all.

Kaitlyn Kriss

Instagraham

Laugh Gallery—Wee Johnny’s Irish Pub

This show is exactly what you would expect, Graham Clark going through funny pictures from his Instagram account. Why? “Because I’ve seen shows justified by more than that” -Graham Clark. Clark’s observational comedy was genuinely funny. I giggled quite a few times and had a really good time. The best part was Clark going through the audience’s Instagram pictures. Don’t worry! He’s never mean and I ended up finding humor in things I would have generally ignored. All in all a neat show to see with some friends while enjoying a beer.

Kaitlyn Kriss

Tough

Erin Rodgers—Red River College

This gritty and honest revelation touches more sensitive areas than you knew existed. The delivery raw, which is intentional, rather than smooth and refined. That’s perfect since many of the topics are quite raw and need exposure to normalise.

In the end, you discover that life’s tough for most of us—but yeah, people are tough too.

Ray Yuen

A Woman of a Certain Age™

Archetype Productions—Planetarium

I’m getting to love this gal. Whatever she does is worth seeing, well thought out and expertly done. Her plays are believable, astute in portraying the way real people think, feel and behave. Being of that ‘certain age’, the play seemed especially made for me. Her performance is warm, funny and has great insight into the cruelty of the march of time, especially for women. I’m not going to divulge the plot. Just trust me that you will thoroughly enjoy the hour, well spent with Wendy and be eagerly awaiting her next production. Brava!

Lisa Campbell

Live Podcast Taping

Comedy at Wee Johnny’s—Wee Johnny’s Irish Pub

A very cool idea brought to life by the fine folks of Hunks. Every night these rad dudes and a special guest tape a podcast and they invite us Fringers to be a part of it! It’s a good mix of comedy improv games. I really felt like I got invited to be a part of a super cool hangout. If you don’t like podcasts this show is not for you. If you came to this show expecting anything other than sitting and watching 5 people dick around for an hour, you came to the wrong show. The audience is the only thing that ruined this show for me. I was unfortunate enough to be sat next to two very drunk individuals who decided the show was not interesting enough and so proceeded to have their own conversations while kicking my chair. The rest of the bar was super loud as well. The show was great for the parts I could hear but the guys may want to throw out one or two more reminders that side conversations really aren’t the best. Nevertheless I laughed and had a good time.

Kaitlyn Kriss

The Time In-Between

Fill The (W)hole—MTC Up the Alley

My mother went from normal to severe dementia in months; it’s not quite the same but it gives me perspective on this play. The players do a good job establishing a deep relationship between the mother and the children to preface the disaster of the disease. The situational jumping however, fractures the flow of the play somewhat. You start to establish a heartfelt bond, then you move away and lose some of the emotion.

In the end, you still walk away with a good understanding about the devastation Alzheimer’s creates. There’s a donation box as you exit—the message is good enough for you to drop in a bill (or at least a few coins).

Ray Yuen

Trued on a Base Story: A Cautionary Tale

The Opposite of People—Planetarium

If this is a true story, this is the first time I have despised a performer for his lack of decency. If this is meant to provoke, inspire a strong reaction, it has succeeded in spades. The program specifically invites teachers and principals; and having spent most of my life in that field, it piqued my interest. He starts by saying he is a sucker, and an asshole. If what he relates is true, I heartily agree with the second. His story of being groomed and seduced by his serial pedophile teacher, whom he goes on to father three children with, and commit bigamy is a crass one. He claims to have been in charge of the child care while his wife was off molesting another student on her famous screw and canoe trips. He goes on to become a teacher, among other things. Yet when he encounters the six year old a few years later, he lets her call excitedly out to him seven times; knowing he will choose to ignore her dwindling entreaties. If it is a true story he is the kind of parent my circle cannot abide. The kind of person who breaks a bond with the children he has raised and abandons them without a care, is not someone worthy of respect. The children were not well served by either parent and must have felt so unwanted. The long lasting sense of worthlessness and ensuing inability to trust take years of therapy to begin to heal, if ever. I was taught birth control in elementary school. These two teachers seem to have missed that class.

Lisa Campbell