FRINGE 2019: 3 Plays About Men Speaking Their Truth
The need for men to talk about their experiences and feelings honestly and directly is something often discussed as a way to counter the toxic masculinity transmitted when boys are taught to suppress their feelings. These three one-person plays at the Edmonton Fringe Theatre Festival feature men (in one case, a male-presenting gender-fluid person) speaking […]
MASTERS OF THE FRINGE NO. 2: A Momentary Lapse a witty Lemoine
A Momentary Lapse Stage 12 (Varscona Theatre) The “Law” has collared two miscreants: Louise (Jocelyn Ahlf) is a flute playing yoga practicing Amnesty International member, wife and mother. Then there’s Arthur (Luc Tellier) a twitchy 16-year-old Grade 12 student and sometime pyromaniac. The pair created a ruckus on a flight and have been summarily dumped […]
2 MASTERS OF FRINGE 2019: British lust and off-the-wall wit abound!
The Bald Soprano Stage 12 (Varscona Theatre) Back in the ’50s, it’s no wonder that audiences left Eugene Ionesco’s short play The Bald Soprano scratching their heads. “What was that all about…?” Well, it’s about 90 minutes of disconnected abstract satire that doesn’t make much logical sense. What they were attending was the birth of […]
FRINGE 2019: What is your BUSINESS in Canada?!
Border Breakdown Venue 34 (Varscona Hotel, Thomas Bennett Room) Any notions that Canada is becoming Snowflake Central for travelling millennials is a myth – especially if you try to get across the border. Never mind the Syrian refugees for whom Prime Minister Justin Trudeau swung open our doors for “illegals” from the U.S. trying to […]
FRINGE 2019: Arrogant Worms song comes ALIVE in kids play
The Last Saskatchewan Pirate: A Play Venue 14 (Holy Trinity Anglican Church) So here’s a nifty way to get kids introduced to taxes and the inner workings of the federal government. First, find a suitable kid-friendly, politically-charged ditty clocking in at around three minutes and morph it into a half-hour play. And to boost the […]
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 […]
