FRINGE 2019: Darwin not mentioned in play about Darwin
Darwin vs. Rednecks Venue 38 (Sue Paterson Memorial Theatre) If you show up expecting a send-up of Jeff Foxworthy one-liners about crimson-scorched knuckle draggers, you’ll be sadly disappointed. Instead, Kentucky-based standup comedian Stewart Huff has crafted a deeply-layered set of triggers pitting Right against Left and North against South – ever since the U.S. tore […]
FRINGE 2019 WARNING: 4 Political Plays
7 Days Venue 36 (La Cite Auditorium) You’ll find plenty of ambiguity around which to wrap your head in this dramedy from the Egyptian theatre troupe named East-Voice. But if you’re studious enough to read between the lines, deftly delivered by the onstage trio in both Arabic and English, you’ll find there’s plenty that playwright […]
FRINGE 2019: T.J. Dawe God of the Fringe
The Slipknot Stage 16 (Holy Trinity Sanctuary Stage) The title “Fringe God” was probably coined for T.J. Dawe. In the early 2000’s the Vancouver playwright and performer edefined the solo stand up. A gangly young man with an earnest chipmunk manner and a lively sense of humour, he was everyman. All he needed was a […]
FRINGE 2019: Gordon’s Cream of Improv
Gordon’s Big Bald Head: Usurpermen! Stage 12 (Varscona Theatre) For this year’s episode of the long-running Fringe hit Gordon’s Big Bald Head, a trio of master improvisers stride on stage. “Greetings, people of Earth!” they intone. Apparent they are “strange visitors from another planet.” Anyone who has witnessed the supernatural abilities of the three to […]
FRINGE 2019, a RANT: Boomer monologue reveals entire obnoxious generation
Tomatoes Tried To Kill Me but Banjos Saved My Life Stage 2 (Big Rock Backstage Theatre) Boomers unite – your 2019 fringe play is ready, not just for your viewing enjoyment, but to reinforce everything you’ve been told about the world! Clearly enough of them saw this one coming a mile away as they nearly […]
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 […]
FRINGE 2019: 3 plays chosen by the RANDOMIZER!
Let’s call these the random reviews – three plays brought to you by the 2019 Fringe website randomizer! So much entertainment choice. So little time. Fringe have given adventuresome (or indecisive, or lazy) theatergoers a way to simplify the selection process – requiring us only to forgive them for offering no refunds if the chosen […]
MASTERS OF FRINGE 2019: No mean girls allowed at inspired drag show
Flora & Fawna Have Beaver Fever (And So Does Fleurette) Stage 12 (Varscona Theatre) We are privileged to be allowed to attend the annual meeting of the NaturElles. When we first met the two founders Flora (Darrin Hagen) and Fawna (Trevor Schmidt) and their largely silent companion Fleurette (Brian Dooley), they were but eight years […]
MASTER OF FRINGE 2019: TWO an impressive acting duel, in a pub
TWO Stage 12 (Varscona Theatre) Jim Cartwright is a British screenwriter – penning such hits as Road and Little Voice. A couple of years back, he wrote a play called Two, a nostalgic tribute to that venerable British institution, the neighbourhood pub. The play is described by the author as, “No scenery, no props, no […]
FRINGE 2019: 1 marvelous magical mystery
Minerva – Queen of the Handcuffs Stage 17 The name Houdini still hovers over the world of magic – almost 100 years after his death. The master of “escapology” took the hocus pocus out of the ancient prerogatives of priests and charlatans and turned it into show business gold. There weren’t many females in the […]
PLAYBOT’s final FRINGE fantasy
EDITOR’S NOTE: Shortly after this story was first published in August 2018, the experimental A.I. program known as ‘PlayBot’ turned evil and had to be powered down permanently. This is its last report: *** FRINGE 2018 – By PLAYBOT Speaking as a computer algorithm developed to rewrite press releases in a snarky tone, I am […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Edmonton Rocks
This weekend is punctuated by the 2019 edition of the Edmonton Rock Music Festival, which traditionally falls on the weekend after folk fest. The organizers are known for bringing in some of the best classic rock artists of all time, particularly in the Canadian vein, and often those who don’t tour regularly anymore but save […]
