The Buzz – Reviews – 2017

Padre X

Looking Glass Productions—Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall

This is theatre at its best. I saw this seven years ago which left me just enough time to want to treat myself again. This is for war and Canadian history buffs, serious theatre lovers and anyone with any taste. If you only see a handful of plays, make sure to include this. You are back in WWII, with a war-torn, Victoria Cross recipient, who happens to be the bravest of padres on his final journey home. Don’t you dare call him a hero. He is just a man. A man who thinks himself ordinary, but whom has performed the most extraordinary of deeds. He matter of factly relates tales of events that would crush the mettle of those of us who have enjoyed peace time. All the soldiers of WWII suffered catastrophic events, the harshest of situations, but none more so than the Canadian Forces that endured the massacre that was Dieppe. Only one in six survived. Our boys were sent to slaughter.

His performance is flawless and you cannot help but emotionally get swept up in his modest tale of the sacrifice made going back to help his abandoned comrades; and the resulting three years as a POW. He could have avoided these years by just staying on the retreating ship. The tortures they endured were unimaginable, but the spirit they managed to maintain, through sheer love of their brothers, is a lesson that needs to be retold. The small joys in irritating their German captors kept them sane. Forgive me for being sentimental, but I cannot regret the sacrifices these brave men and women made for us are being lost as they pass, and their story should be remembered. I don’t know how to express just how moving this is. Marc, you are my hero!

Lisa Campbell

Hockey Night at the Puck & Pickle Pub

Ryan Gladstone—The King’s Head Pub

What a goofy and fun show! These two comedy kings had me in stitches the entire show. I’m not a huge hockey fan but had a great time despite that. Even if you have never watched a hockey game before, both actors total commitment to hear ridiculous characters will make it worth your time. Playing all the patrons in a bar with the gold medal game playing in the background, the two switch characters on a dime at break neck speed. I did find some of the references go over my head and that the commentators portion seemed to go a little long. There were also some very very dirty jokes. It was a wonderful play from two fringe gems. Even if you don’t like it, at least there’s beer! (Thanks King’s Head)

Kaitlyn Kriss

Mr. Flubbers’ Undead Legions

Agnes & Agnes—Pantages Studio

I love the premise of this and I expected lots of comedic zombies jokes. I’m a little disappointed that this isn’t nearly as comical as suggested but I am pleasantly affirmed that this show is every bit as entertaining as I hoped.

The conflict between the main characters never gets fully resolved but conflict between the zombies and humankind receives lots of exploration. Overtures of macro-morality gets some work, as well as concepts of who knows best for whom.

This show promises 75 minutes but actual run time ends at 50. I wish they would have wrote in the extra 25 minutes as the plot has lots of issues left to address. I would have liked to see some development after Finn’s sole, physical link to life severs. Does he fall to Alice’s desire to “live” among the living? Does he fall to the ideals of a zombie apocalypse? Where do they go from here? We never get the chance to find out.

There’s lost potential here but what they serve up is good for the brain.

As you leave the theatre, they offer a package which is the prelude to the show. You can get the package by donation and I highly recommend that you pick it up. They did a very good job putting the prelude together and it’s well worth your read.

Ray Yuen

No Place Like Home

Elaine Phillips—Red River College

The first rule of stand up is not to book an opener funnier than you. This play gave me very high hopes with Mike Delamont being the opener! Unfortunately that led to them being smushed by an awkward and non-funny 40 minutes of her struggling through her material. The whole thing felt unrehearsed and unprofessional. If this was her first time at stand up I wouldn’t be shocked. There were huge awkward pauses while she tried to think of something else to say. She couldn’t remember stories and seemed to grasp for literally anything at all to say to us. Awkward and unfunny, this stand up made me also want to stand up and leave the theatre. A play you can skip this year.

Kaitlyn Kriss

Schrödinger’s Cat

Ditch Water—Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall

Given that this company has two performances under their belt, this show took a long time to find its feet. I really wanted to like this show. It had young and eager actors and a script with an interesting premise. But sadly, it did not deliver.

The performer playing Zack (?), the boyfriend, was a stand out in the show. He had good comedic timing, we could hear him, and his character was likeable and believable. The actor playing Professor X had one shining moment in the one hour production, when he regressed into a cat laying with a ball of yarn. Nice work, and it got a few laughs.

Pretty much everything else was problematic. The Professor character delivered most of his lines to the floor. And at one point I wanted to rush the stage and nail his shoes to the stage – his shuffling was so distracting. Beatrix, the villain of the piece, had very little stage presence, and when the same actor played the girlfriend, her stage presence was even less. The prop cat provided everyone with a very brief moment of interest, and the pharmaceutical-style commercial was produced well and was very believable. But it didn’t need to be aired twice. And to see its two actors, I had to go to a different show.

After really slogging through about forty minutes of the performance, it dawned on me that the show was trying to be campy, in the style of Back To The Future. I think.

The handout at the door had no credits or information about the company, the playwright or actors. I don’t know their experience level, whether or not there was a director, or if this was a first time effort.

By the way guys, teleporters (transporters) are not a Star Wars, but a Star Trek thing.

Michelle Cook

Mod Couple

Not10 Productions—Son of Warehouse

A fun quirky new odd couple. Babies are messy but probably not as messy as these two guys. The play was really funny. It was the perfect brand of dirty humour and witty quips. The play wasn’t very politically correct but I still laughed. A very cute two hander that left me happier than when I arrived.

Kaitlyn Kriss

AMAZE – A Comedy Magic Show

Eliot Entertainment—Cinematheque

Illusionist Eliot delivers some good yuks but not enough where I would call this a comedy show. His jokes evoke amused laughter, but most magic shows today have somewhat of an element of humour.

As for the illusions, he executes them smoothly and competently. If you like magic, it’s a very good show—looks like it was sold out so plan accordingly. If you like magic a lot, you probably don’t need to take in this show and Dangerous Magic, shown at the same location here. A number tricks overlap and even the kids would comment that they’ve seen them before.

Eliot deserves a big pat on the back for the audience he endured today. Good job to him for remaining composed and professional through the entire ordeal. The Fringe doesn’t have a lot of rules (as this year’s motto indicates) but people disregarding those rules severely interrupts the show. “No babes in arms” means that no one wants to hear your baby cry for five minutes straight, seriously ruining the atmosphere. To make things worse, having your “feed baby” alarm go off makes you more of a louse than you already are. Finally, I saw no fewer than four phones being looked at throughout the show. You think you’re surreptitious when you check your phone but you’re not—we all see you and you’re very distracting. You paid money to be here—if you’d rather be on the phone, get the F out.

Ray Yuen

6 Quick Dick Tricks: A Dirk Darrow Investigation

Tim Motley—PTE – Colin Jackson Studio

First the good: Tim Motley is a fine entertainer and an amazing magician. I found him the first year he was here and have gone out of my way to catch his show every year. His show is worthwhile and his feats will astound. Be prepared for audience participation. The crowd was very appreciative.

The bad: his hair is not the only thing that has thinned( don’t worry, you are still a hunk). The investigation part of his show is missing. He always used to manage to intertwine a riveting mystery into his magic show. That part is sadly missing. His tales of the era of smoke filled private eye offices, classy dames and low level criminals is gone. The shady dealings, gun battles and a triumphant finish with our hero getting the broad are absent. Please don’t do this to us next year. Your unique style of fun and nostalgia was missed. A pair of dress shoes would also not go amiss. See you next year, Tim, and please bring me an investigation story, as only you can do.

Lisa Campbell

Nothing In Particular

Benji Rothman Comedy—Pantages Studio

This review goes out in honour of Walter.

From the Fringe programme write-up, you have no idea what to expect. Now, after seeing the show, and rereading the description, I still scratch my head. If want to be surprised about what to expect, now’s a good time to stop reading. Oh, one last comment before you stop, it’s an excellent show!

As you enter, the door-person hands you a clicker, which you use to vote during the show. I’m not convinced that the technology actually works, or if it’s part of the gag to make the audience think that it has a say. If it’s a dummy, the gadget sure looks genuine.

This is essentially a Saturday Night Live type variety show, featuring some stand-up, some skits and some “not-sure-what-to-call-its.” The acts range from big grin amusing to wide-open mouth laughs, evoking a standing ovation from most of the house.

This show features multiple guests actors from other Fringe shows, some performing excerpts from their own shows. I’m not sure if this is a regular lineup or if Rothman has a rotation of guest stars (or if some shows have no guest stars at all). Between the variability between the voting widget and the guest appearances, there’s potential that there could be a different show every time.

Most of the Fringe ultra-popular shows have a lot of buzz before the Fringe even starts (6 Guitars, 2 for Tea, for example). This one flies so far under the radar, no one in my (rather large) Fringe circle knew anything about it. Based on tonight’s reaction, word-of-mouth may spread quickly about this show. Get in while you can—it’s one of my favourite of the Fringe so far.

Ray Yuen

Student Body

Beau Theatre Co.—School of Contemporary Dancers

What would you do with a tape of a female to assaulted at a party? That’s exactly the question this play explores. Nine friends face a dilemma and for all of them the choice is not simple. This heart breaking and gut wrenching play had me feeling uneasy and made me wish life was a lot simpler than it is. They do describe the assault in full so you have to be prepared for that. This is not a fun or happy play by any stretch of the imagination, but it is beautifully acted by a wickedly talented cast. Definitely a must see.

Kaitlyn Kriss