FRINGE 2019: Marcus Ryan takes us on a Catholic Pilgrimage in engaging play
Marcus Ryan – Walk This Que
Stage 13 (Old Strathcona Public Library)
Any non-Catholics out there interested in doing the 800 Km Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Northern Spain in nearly 40-degree heat over the span of around 30 days?
Thought not.
There was an Australian kid named Marcus Ryan who did, for no earnest reason other than because he could – and he lived to tell the tale here at this year’s Fringe. Imagine Giorgio Tsoukalos and Jim Jefferies morphing into one entity to do a humourous informational travelogue, blowing up misconception after misconception about the famous pilgrimage with a decently humourous effect.
He lays it down real. No Elizabeth Gilbert or Martin Sheen approved happy happy joy joy bullshit here. Thankfully, he’s careful enough not to be a jerk about it, and his irreverence for the subject is still gentle enough to get the thumbs up from more open minded Catholics. Not that he would care about that. He’s an Australian comedian, right?
The piece does come off a bit half-assed, as given the plugs he made for his other Fringe performance – Marcus Ryan – MARCOS (Stage 23, The Grindstone) – it’s clear this isn’t the one he’s attached his hopes and dreams for Fringe success.
Still, Walk This Que is an entertaining, and yes, educational piece (how often is that word heard around these parts?) that’s definitely worth the price of the ticket.
3 out of 5
