RADIO: That’s enough, Africa!
You thought getting “Rick Rolled” was bad – now we’re getting Toto-ed to death. Radio listeners who came of age in the ‘80s tremble in fear over which old hit will be next to reawaken their dormant malignant brain worms after decades of remission. Wang Chung? Huey Lewis and the News? Mr. Mister? It hurts […]
FRINGE: 2 plays that TAKE A CHANCE
One of the great joys of the Fringe is taking a chance. If you have an hour or two, just walk between the venues and choose a show at random. Turn to the right and you get something memorable – turn the other way and it may stink up the joint. Today, For Now (Stage […]
REVIEW: 1 more 5 out of 5 MASTER of the Fringe!
The Zoo Story (Stage 17), like Charlie Brown, Little Shop of Horrors and almost anything by Daniel MacIvor, is a hardy Fringe perennial that keeps coming back. And why not? It’s a challenging little gem written in his youth by Edward Albee (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf) on his way to theatrical glory. All it […]
FRINGE: 3 captivating COMEDIES
The Red Bastard – aka Eric Davis – practices a form of audience participation called “bouffon,” in which an outrageous character engages the audience in an intimate exchange. He’s the archetypal clown, and because of our classic view of fools and jesters, he can be allowed anything. Davis’s new show is called RED BASTARD: Lie […]
FRINGE: 2 SCARY horror shows
Meet Daniel, a typical working man exhausted after a hard day at the office. Alone and sad, he tromps into his ratty apartment and slumps into his cheap armchair. He is lonely, restless, with only his memories to keep him company. So he has a cocktail, or two, as he does every night. He drinks […]
FRINGE: 4 plays for short attenti …
In the mood for a quickie? Not that kind of one, mind you, but Dentures (Stage 28) is a 32-minute square-on-the-nose production works well for those short in attention spans. This production is a comic farce of a tale of what happens when two homeless bros in their 20s move into an old folk’s home […]
FRINGE: 2 marvelous MUSICALS
Last year, a 100-year-old songstress was the best-selling recording artist of the year in Britain – beating Adele, among others. With her clear pop soprano voice, Dame Vera Lynn became inextricably woven into the matrix of defiance that sustained Britain in the gloomiest days of World War 2 – as the beleaguered country stood (mostly […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Blues, brothers and sisters!
Will it be possible to eat a green onion cake at the Edmonton Blues Festival while simultaneously listening to Green Onions performed by Booker T himself? Might we offer the visiting organsmith a sample of Edmonton’s favourite festival food? The answer is, sadly, no: No one’s selling green onion cakes down in Hawrelak Park this […]
FRINGE: 2 SPOOKY TEEN plays
These kids today – with their “fire” and their “wheel.” There’s going to be trouble, mark my words. Mark them, I say! Many uniformed opinions have been offered about modern teenagers, but few people (some parents included) have taken the time and effort to truly understand what it means to be a kid today. Some […]
FRINGE: 3 IMPROV! plays
Everybody’s favourite game show has returned! Edmonton’s renowned Rapid Fire Theatre presents another year of The Big Stupid Improv Show (Stage 17). The ever-changing cast of the Fringe’s most talented improv artists are Edmonton’s hidden gems of underground comedic culture. Among the cast is the frequent Fringer Mark Meer of Gordon’s Big Bald Head and […]
FRINGE MASTERS (Part 3): Bravo Brio! T.J. Dawe!
Stewart Lemoine’s main offering this year is unlike anything he has ever written before. He calls it A Lesson in Brio (Stage 12). It’s not really a lesson. It’s not a play. Or a musical. At times, it’s quite funny – but it’s not a comedy. The playwright gives a few clues as to what […]
FRINGE: 4 plays about SEX
It used to be that a guy could grab a brewski and check out some gratuitous female nudity at the Fringe festival – and not have to think about what it meant. Not so much anymore. Times have changed. For the better! From harbouring “shameful” secrets, we are in a modern age of lively and […]
