The Buzz – Reviews – 2017

Waiting For The Parade

Shoestring—Dramatic Arts Centre

This troupe is always a sure bet for a top notch production of professional caliber. This year is no exception. WWII seems to be a thing this year; with this, Padre X, Vera Lynn and The Soldier’s War all covering this. This year Shoestring (of Mr.Flannery’s Ocean fame) chose to go all female, with wonderful, strong portrayals by every single one of them. I loved the range of ages and character types of these women, all waiting for the men in their lives to return from the war. Some less anxiously than others. When the men are away, the women will play. And play they did, to our total enjoyment. There are seats to be had, so please see this perfectly entertaining show before it’s done. It’s ninety minutes but you won’t know it as it flies by. You can thank me at the Jenny’s on Sunday night.

Lisa Campbell

The Last Night of the World

Dark Horse Theatre—School of Contemporary Dancers

What would you do if you know the end of the world approaches? Say all life on ceases in three months? How about if the apocalypse were to arrive in eight hours? This is the scene for the mishmash of oddball characters in this play. The result is nearly as wacky as the cast.

Ticketed as a romantic comedy, this show brings me back (way back since I’ve been married for a long time) to my bachelor days. Every time I met a person I found interesting, things seemed to jump in the way. For cripes sake, I just want a few precious moments alone with someone and you wouldn’t believe the things that popped up. That’s the fate of our hero Chester.

There’s no gut-busting laughter here but amusing moments march by frequently. You can’t help but smile after watching this show because it’s just good clean fun reminiscent of the comedy of yesteryear.

Ray Yuen

Staycation

White Collar Crimes—Rachel Browne Theatre

This mime/clown/puppet show follows our two nerdy and crazy heroes Bruce and Walter as they wait out the Apocalypse. I don’t know how the two actors are still standing with the amount of abuse and physical gags they put their bodies through. If you love clown or mime you will love this show. I laughed a lot at just how ridiculous the whole thing was. It was absurdist theater and very meta with the fourth wall being broken every 10 minutes. I probably would have shortened the scenes though. Near the end of the play I was more than ready for it to be over. They seemed to lose steam as the play went on. I also didn’t like how loud some of the sounds were. The tone that was played through the show tended to hurt my ears. Quirky and off the wall, if you want to see something entirely different from traditional theatre this is for you.

Kaitlyn Kriss

Olive Copperbottom: A New Musical by Charles Dickens and Penny Ashton

Penash Productions—WECC – Ventura Hall

What a romp! High melodrama, vaudeville, classic literature, and a bit of modern commentary, all rolled into one. Penny Ashton does it all.

It was so much fun to go to a show that really doesn’t take itself too seriously, and at the same time be able to appreciate all the hard work that went into it. Pure enjoyment. I was in awe of the talent that this woman possesses.

Yes, the script looked at the atrocities of Victorian life, with a liberal sprinkling of the Charles Dickens’ disapproval of the way things were, but the escapism that theatre is famous for was palpable. I haven’t seen that kind of surrender to escapism for a long time and did not realize how much I had missed it until the show was over.

Penny Ashton mastered it all – the singing (ala Gilbert and Sullivan), the dancing (ala the Follies) and characters too numerous to mention. Because of such a rapid delivery, some of the characters and their accents were hard to decipher, but overall, she made each person in the “cast” stand out when it mattered.

Thank you Penny Ashton for transporting me back to some historic, theatrical roots.

Michelle Cook

Comedy is Funny Again

The Probable Cast—Pantages Mainstage

Vaudeville is back in style for one hour at the Pantages. Caity Curtis and Stephen Sim are back with a brand new show. This one focuses solely on classic skits that bring to mind Abbott and Costello. Both hold their own and had an equal amount of laughter throughout the show. Various incidences in the show I attended showed just how quick witted the two are. Their improv skills were certainly put to the test by the weird suggestions of the audience. They still made it work and proved how inherently funny they both are. A wonderful show you can bring the whole family to. Well done again!

Kaitlyn Kriss

Uncomfortably Live featuring Paper Machetes

Karenina Productions—John Hirsch Mainstage

The programme says the show is a “goofy absurdist comedy” and that pretty much nails it. The premise is a band “The Paper Machetes” have gotten their big break on a live broadcast of a popular show, but while performing the underlying tensions in the band start to break through and cause turmoil. The musical trio of Christy Taronno (keyboards and vocals), Danny Ngyuen (a fab wolfman looking character with an Animal from the Muppets T-shirt on drums), and Anton Voronin (guitar) form the band and the original music is really good. They really put their talent on display doing a cover of the Beatles’ Don’t Let Me Down which brings them all back on the same page. My only complaint was some of the vocals were drowned out a bit, so I missed some of the lyrics in the original songs.

Murray Hunter

Mennonite’s Guide to Savage Street Fighting 4: Cards Against the Rascals

Crosseyed Rascals—Cinematheque

There may be some Mennonite in the cast but there is no savagery or street fighting. There was talent on the stage and many familiar faces. The cast had a great time and so did much of the audience. I was concerned for a fellow next to me as he was choking so hard from laughing. This show did not leave me impressed in the least, due to long gaps, weak responses and poor audience suggestions. But in improv, each show varies. If you like improv, go.

Lisa Campbell

Leash Your Potential

Ryan Gunther—Cinematheque

If you like the movie Office Space or the show The Office, then this wanna-be TED talk is for you. With one of the most monotone voices I have ever witnessed in a theatrical performance, this satirical ‘lecture’ had the audience howling with laughter. Complete with a ferret loaded power point as visual aid, Ryan Gunther will transform you into the slacker you were always born to be. If you want showmanship or a story don’t see this play. It’s no frills and if you don’t get the jokes you will be bored to tears. I apparently got the jokes since I spent the whole show laughing my ass off.

Kaitlyn Kriss

Guns Blazing

Houses Within Houses—Tom Hendry Warehouse

After viewing this show, I come away with just one question:

Why?

What’s the point here? The shallow character development barely outshines the meagre plot development. There’s no lesson to be learned and no political/social/moral statement. To add insult, none of the characters are likeable so you basically connect with nothing. So why tell this story? Why watch it?

Ray Yuen

The Man Who Sold the World

David Ortolano—MTC Up the Alley

[Editor Note: This show was re-titled the title in the program is “The Burning Man Who Sold the World”]

David Ortolano has talent. There is no doubt. He is confident, smooth and I would like to see what he could do with a more polished production. This is no sort of a comedic show as claimed in the program. How can you claim that when there is not one laugh? This needs to go back to the workshop and be honed and improved. Good premise but you never really care and that’s the death of a play. He needs to concentrate on the main story as the two plots only serve to confuse and weaken the major one. The audience was not thrilled and nor was I. Being selected in a lottery does not mean you have a worthwhile play. I felt burned.

Lisa Campbell