13 Dead Dreams of “Eugene”

Theatre Mobile—Tom Hendry Warehouse

Spooky, mysterious, dark, eerie.

Bonus: catchy tunes.

This is one of the best shadow puppet shows I’ve ever seen—if that’s your thing, this is your thing.

Ray Yuen

LARRY

Candy Bones—MTC Up the Alley

The music’s good. The dancing’s good. I haven’t banged my head since high school—that was good.

I’m very sorry that’s all the good I have to say about this show. There is so much potential here that was left untapped and this easily could have been a powerful, thoughtful and moral exploration, but as is, it’s just a story, and not a very good one.

In a previous life, I was a labourer in a blue collar atmosphere, very much like the character’s disposition: crude, crass, uneducated, sexist and egotistical. Since my journey through university and
my foray into Women’s Studies, I became a feminist, a decade before Trudeau showed the world that feminist men exist.

As a feminist, I think there is so much that this story could have taught, so many lessons to impart. Sadly, it falls so short. Towards the end, we believe that Larry’s terrifying discovery and ensuing breakdown finally enlightens him into seeing what kind of person he is—but his awakening reverts him back to his previous self, no wiser and no better. There needs to be a moral lesson here; there needs to be growth.

Some deeper research would have made this show stronger as well. Yes, labourers and tradespeople can often be foul-mouthed, but Actor Roberts did not reflect their employment of profanity and excessive crudeness. It doesn’t sound authentic, neither does the bumpkin accent.

This show is a good start to something that could be great. I hope that Roberts reengages this effort and transforms it to the potentials it could reach.

Ray Yuen

Editor’s Note: I was a patron of Candice’s Saturday night show and after the show ended Candice talked with the audience (largely composed of other Fringe Performers) about the show and its ending. She took a quick poll about the ending and pretty much everyone there agreed that Larry should remain mostly as he was, as that would be the most likely way that the character would end up. She also mentioned she had done a few performances where he did become more enlightened when she was workshopping it, but that those did not seem to work as well. Lastly, that Larry was based on over 25 years of interactions with those types of men.

Murray Hunter

INK

Stephanie Morin-Robert—PTE – Colin Jackson Studio

Alastair Knowles, of James & Jamesy fame, uses his gifts as a physical comedy performer in this artistic and somewhat abstract show about a drawing that has come alive. He begins by trying to connect to the audience by doing a series of quick drawings of a few audience members on the giant roll of paper hanging at the back of the stage. He then uses the paper and pen to try and create some deeper connections and explore his world. The show is almost completely non-verbal but his physical talents usually get his message across. It is a fun, and sometimes weird ride.

Murray Hunter

FOR SCIENCE!

Small Matters Productions—Asper Centre for Theatre and Film (U of W)

Despite labelling the experiments as tests of the scientific method, it’s not. This is not a test group, placebo group, control group experiment; in fact, it’s not even science. You can loosely call it psychological observation it is definitely not “FOR SCIENCE.”

It is however, entertaining and amusing. The show starts quite slowly, somewhat overdoing the opening concepts, but soon, the fun gets rolling as the pieces slowly come together for the grand opus.

Participation is fun; you can choose to partake or leave it. I recommend partaking.

Ray Yuen

The Mercury 13

MaxQ Productions—MTYP – Richardson Hall

The real life inspiration for the play is an extraordinary group of women pilots who hoped to be included in the Mercury space program. Unfortunately, through NASA’s lack of belief in their ability to do the job, fueled by the male test pilot environment, they did not get a chance to prove themselves. The story mostly centers around Jerrie Cobb, the first woman to be tested as the male Mercury astronauts were, and Jacqueline Cochran, the first woman to break the sound barrier and who funded the initial round of testing. The show’s author used a number of historical sources to create it and the show program is a great source of information about all the women and the space race of that time.

While the individual performances were good, I think the play itself was kind of clunky. There are many quick short scenes throughout, some of which had to be setup by moving tables or other props around, and sometimes the setup lasted just as long as the scene. There are also some longer scenes, such as a back and forth letter communication between Cobb and Cochran which seem a little awkward and drawn out. Near the end we see a Congressional hearing on NASA’s discrimination, which I believe was based on actual transcripts, to show some of the ingrained culture the women were up against. The hearing also shows they were also fighting an unexpected enemy as well. The play concludes with the completely opposite way in which the Russians selected their first female Cosmonaut. Perhaps the story is a little too big for the format and time available in a live Fringe show which makes it hard to convey completely.

Murray Hunter

Erik de Waal’s TROLLS, BULLIES & ROCK STARS or A Kerfuffle in a Doodlesack

ArtsDiva Productions—Alto – Portage Place

The Fringe program shows de Waal’s photo with a giraffe puppet, which is his stock photo for the kids’show.

THIS IS NOT A KID’S SHOW!

The Fringe made a mistake and published the wrong photo; this show is not suitable for children.

Erik de Waal’s command of story telling dominates the Fringe annually; he is one of the best narrators in the business. Having seen many of his shows, today’s rendition probably witnessed more tongue-slips than cumulative of any year’s run. Let’s just put that one on opening night rough edges.

This show’s content holds a vaultful of disturbing images and scenarios. Sadly, these tales are not just stories—they occur in real life. It’s frightening and horrible and hopefully, living these events with de Waal for one evening will help slay this behaviour from society.

Ray Yuen

Goodbye My Love

SuperIce—Le Théâtre Cercle Molière

Somewhere between a lounge singer, and your funniest relative taking over MC duties at a family social, this show was a breath of deep 70s nostalgia. If the concept of watching a man sing old tunes (quite well) in between making jokes and bantering with the audience (also quite well) calls to you, this is the show to see.

If that concept does not call to you, the show is an hour and 15 minutes long. And it’s a long hour and 15 minutes.

Josh Fidelak

Operatic Panic Attack

TJ Dawe—School of Contemporary Dancers

If you don’t see T.J. during the Fringe, you really aren’t doing it right! Known as the Fringe God, this absolute sweetheart of a man manages to stay humble, human and oh-so-engaging. His fame is entirely deserved; and he is the hardest working person on the Fringe circuit, with his hands on many other shows as well.

This new show introduces some new anxieties, musicians, experiences and interests. Who would of thought he had a love of opera? He is so popular because he is so human, so relatable; managing to sincerely make you feel what he feels. His story telling talent is monumental. He was in tears as he bared his soul, his weaknesses, his triumphs and his failures in relationships, Theatre and life. If you only see one show during the Fringe, I would suggest this with confidence. Enjoy!

Lisa Campbell

Barney Morin’s: Canadian Guide to La Vie

River Road Productions—Le Théâtre Cercle Molière

Stand up with a message, mocking classic Canadian tropes while questioning the basic functions of colonialism in Canada.

The show is very hit or miss, and Barney felt unpolished. A number of jokes didn’t have the punch they required to really make sense, and noticeable stumbles robbed a number of punchlines the impact they deserved. The commentary on land theft and the responsibility of allyship to our indigenous populations was welcome, but occasionally ended up failing in execution. By far the most standout portions of the show were prerecorded comedy segments, which had the polish they needed to really stick.

Josh Fidelak

The War of 1812

Morgan Cranny—MTYP – Mainstage

This is reprisal of last year’s hit, with new bits, so don’t hesitate to see it a second time, as I did. There is plenty new to entertain. You just can’t lose with the veteran, mega talented cast of Wes Borg (3 Dead Trolls), Mike Delamont (God is a Scottish Dead Queen), Morgan Cranny, and Rod Peter Jr. Under the premise of Pierre Burton endeavoring to educate grade 8 student Wes as to why he should be proud to be Canadian, much sweaty, silly, musical hilarity ensues. Non-stop action with an anything goes attitude, multimedia, improv on the fly, and rollicking, musical fun. Delamont, as a coy, huge, horny Laura Secord was a favorite of mine. This is going to be selling out again, so do what you need to do to treat yourself.

Lisa Campbell