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The Buzz – Reviews
Fringe Family Fun Show
Comedy Illusions of Greg Wood—Théâtre Cercle Molière
A perfect show for anyone with children and looking for a fun way to bring them out to Fringe. Greg Wood is a Fringe staple due to filling this niche extremely well, and his confidence and skill come through. The comedy interstitial audio clips are cute, and the jokes him and his assistants deliver are well suited for that younger audience. Unfortunately, Greg’s wife Oonaugh was in the hospital recovering during this performance, but they’re trucking onwards regardless and hoping for a speedy recovery and return to the show before the end of Fringe.
Josh Fidelak
Tycho Freakin’ Brahe!
Kiss the Giraffe Productions—John Hirsch Mainstage
The titular character exemplified the stereotype of white folks rapping during one track, but apart from that, good luck finding anything to complain about here. The acting, singing, costumes, props, writing, directing – everything from top to bottom, really – belonged on the main stage of MTC. It was hilarious, yet the history it presented was also fascinating in its own right, and Alana Penner and Sam Plett are such a delight, both individually and together. Don’t miss them this Fringe. You will regret it.
Jordan Phillips
World Peace thru Humor – A German 101
Paco Erhard | German Comedy International—MTC Up the Alley
Paco is always a sure thing. There’s nothing not to love about this charming, astute and more important- supremely funny fellow. I make sure never to miss his shows. You shouldn’t either.
This year’s show is far less political than his last. The number of topics he manages to pack into this fast paced show is astounding. He takes you along on his extensive travels and shares the hilarious situations he finds himself in. Great fun! I can’t imagine anyone with a funny bone leaving this gem disappointed!
A don’t miss! Thanks again Paco!
Lisa Campbell
Wherever You May Be
Reis’ Pieces Theatre Co—Théâtre Cercle Molière
A heartwarming story about learning of the past through the relatives who lived it, especially when said past can be dark and painful. Featuring strong acting from the eight person cast, the writing was also extremely impressive, with well constructed and positioned monologues. The few acoustic musical numbers were a nice touch and clearly very personal to the playwright. For those interested in stories of immigration specially, especially folks with Ukrainian ancestry like myself, this is a great show to check out.
Josh Fidelak
Lysistrata
R-G Productions—One88
Heightened text is a difficult animal to tame, and this translation of Aristophanes’ classic doesn’t always help as it flip flops from archaic to modern vernacular and back again. That being said, there is something strangely beautiful in the fact that a story about women flexing their sexual power over men for the betterment of society is as hilarious and pertinent a tale now as it was in ancient Greece. Well acted, the costumes and “props” also added a lot of girth to this romp.
Jordan Phillips
Wuthering Frights: An Improvised Gothic Play
The Kinkonauts—John Hirsch Mainstage
This cast of 7 talented improvisers from Calgary put together a good and creepy long form improv story based on the audience suggestions. The one I attended was based on a Hospital setting and some nefarious goings on inside. Even with a smaller crowd, probably due to it being the last show of the night, they kept everyone entertained with a pretty coherent story line and some great character work.
Murray Hunter
The Show Must Go On!
Mad Tom Theatre Company—Théâtre Cercle Molière
A high school theatre love letter about high school theatre redone and remounted for Fringe, an environment notably full of people with cringing nostalgia for high school theatre who would enjoy the callbacks. The setting of the play as backstage of the scientifically worst staging of Macbeth was great, as the show collapses and the cast tries to salvage what they can out of it. The humor comes quick and wacky, with the actors hitting high emotion and energy notes at the drop of a dummy head. A bit long at 75 minutes, with some of the off/on stage Shakespeare sections being a bit muddy in delivery, these few weaknesses were more than made up for by the rest of the show, the aura farming private eye an absolute treat to watch bumble about.
Josh Fidelak
The Gallery Wall
evens and odds—Son of Warehouse
Chance encounters can often feel like a contrived set-up for a story. Somehow, though, this show manages to both embrace the awkwardness of the situation AND stitch its two characters together in a way that feels both natural and very compelling. Some of the dialogue was a bit rushed in the early moments, but overall, the writing, directing, and acting of this show pulled off a difficult premise with aplomb.
Jordan Phillips
You’re good for nothing… I’ll milk the cow myself
Natacha Ruck—Théâtre Cercle Molière
This is a family story. Though it spans continents and time, it’s a very personal series of stories and events.
Natacha Ruck weaves a tale, punctuated with song, telling of her ancestors. Central to the story is her mother.
As global history unfolds around Natacha’s mother, the mother navigates life as a diminutive yet powerful force. A mother who cares. A feisty woman who can lose her temper but remains grounded in love.
This is a European story. A French story. A coming to America story. A Jewish story. A story which examines, often with humour, the complex threads which bind generations together.
The play is an inspiration for anyone wanting to tell their own unfiltered family story, perhaps with “quelques chansons françaises” (a few French songs).
Rob Duncan
52 Stories
Dave Morris—Son of Warehouse
If you think that witnessing a man memorize a deck of playing cards might not be much fun, you are wrong. Augmented by fanciful video projections, truly gifted storyteller Dave Morris walks his audience through 52 interwoven stories that are statistically improbable and functionally impossible to ever be the same again. Topics may include, but are not limited to: practical memory, emotional memory, re-written memory, disappointing memories, intrusive memories, idealized memories, favourite memories, and embellished memories.
Errors in memory are inevitable, but beautifully integrated. This performance is a profoundly Good Effort (for those who witness an Assyrian cultural memory, and understand the linguistic reference) or merely masterful mnemonics (for those who receive stories structured in another manner as the cards dictate).
Ashley Frantik
