2 MORE MASTERS of the Fringe
No Exit By Bright Young Things, Venue 12 (Varscona Theatre) A man enters a room. It’s set in Stygian darkness … a couple of sticks of furniture … some pillars, one with a statue on it. It’s hot … a little too hot. No pictures. No mirrors. The lights never turn off. A man turns […]
3 HUNGARY Fringe plays
The Inventor of All Things By big word performance, UK, Venue 13, Old Strathcona Library Jem Rolls returns to this year’s Fringe with his successful 2015 spoken word performance detailing the strangely forgotten life of pioneering nuclear physicist savant Leo Szilard, Hungary’s early 20th Century approximation of a much more interesting Sheldon Cooper. Thank God […]
2 UNEXPECTED Fringe hits
Make a right turn at the Fringe and you find an old favourite. Turn left and you come across something you might have never expected. That’s part of the fun. Onions and Garlic Empress of Blandings Productions, Venue 11 (Studio Theatre) The multi-talented Dave Clarke is a familiar Fringe participant, but his co-writer for Onions […]
2 SCARY Fringe plays
The scary thing about trying to see a scary play at the Fringe is how few truly scary plays there seem to be. So many comedies, so much improv, so many real life dramas – scary enough – and oh, so many musicals. Yet there are chills to be had if you look. Just be […]
2 MASTERS OF THE FRINGE
Each year the captains of comedy and drama come to the Edmonton Fringe Theatre Festival with gifts of superb entertainment. Regular Fringers will recognize these troupes and individuals as trailing long records of happy hours spent in the theatre. They are indeed Masters of the Fringe. Here are two of many: The Apple Tree From […]
Ghost of Joe Bird in new Fringe play
It would be disrespectful to the memory of the late Joe Bird to show respect to his memory – according to his best friend and longtime comedy partner Wes Borg. Or words to that effect. It should be obvious that Borg’s new Fringe play Get Me The F#ck Out of Edmonton may contain salty language. […]
FRINGE: 9 Best Shows
So we had a total of three (3) members on Team GigCity Fringe – and we still screwed up the schedule and reviewed the same play twice. Damn it! Still, let’s make the best of it and see how both Colin MacLean (ex-Sun, CBC) and Mel Priestley (ex-Vue) heaped praise upon 70 Scenes of Halloween […]
FRINGE: 6 shows about mental illness
There’s a revolutionary new treatment for mental illness. It’s called Fringe Therapy. Here’s how it works: The patient reveals all the gory details of his or her disorder to a roomful of strangers in a one-man and/or-woman show at the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival. Get it in the open. Tell the whole, true story. […]
FRINGE: 3 shows of physical theatre
Edmonton has quite a robust contemporary dance scene. A few local groups are presenting their work at the Fringe, as well as some out-of-towners – which gives a nice juxtaposition of styles and themes for the audience to compare. Some people still complain that physical theatre and dance is inaccessible (or just plain weird), but […]
FRINGE: 4 shows about religion
It’s good they still have a “religious content” warning in the Fringe program – but they should go a little further: Believer or Non-Believer. For there’s nothing worse for a heathen than expecting a good old God-bashing rant at the Fringe only to find a bunch of True Believers have commandeered the event as a […]
FRINGE: 3 shows with nudity
Dropping your pants is a sure-fire way to pack a Fringe house. Performances flagged with the “nudity” warning in the program usually have pretty decent crowds, because let’s face it: we’re all a bunch of perverts. However, while the idea of seeing a live naked person on stage is titillating, it’s not something to be […]
FRINGE: 4 spooky shows
Occurring in the doldrums of August, the Fringe might not seem the likeliest place for spooky tales. But each year always presents at least a few shows that dabble in the darker side, that smack of the paranormal, or that aim to generally give the audience a few thrills and chills. They aren’t in particular […]
