fringe

Frankly, the title says it all -- because that's what I was doing throughout most of the show.  Screaming Silently is a trainwreck, I'm afraid, and no amount of cute stage business or earnest delivery can save it.  The play is about four adult siblings reunited upon the death of their egomaniac film-director father, one Giles Forbes.  In the style of such stories, the siblings return home to pay their last respects and rivalries and dark secrets emerge.

Screaming Silently

“A brand new adventure every time!” announces Brent Hirose as he sends us off after a very entertaining hour of Sci-Fi improv brought to you by Vancouver’s Instant Theatre.

It’s 2073 and we join Starship Galaxy as they float around the Universe…well…having adventures!

Join Starship Galaxy and watch the escapade unfold right before your very eyes with only one suggestion from the audience.  This night “Peanut Butter” led to hilarity involving peanut butter and shellfish (allergies anyone?) and Smuckers 6, a planet entirely inhabited by berries led by none other than…who else but…King Berry!

Director Alistair Cook has assembled a...

Improvisational adventures, anyone?

REMINDER - Fringe Reviewing Workshop Monday August 25

Allyson McGrane
Fill up the blank page, my pretties!

An invitation for y'all - feel free to join our Fringe Review Team for a workshop about the art of reviewing shows at the Fringe! We'll be meeting up on Monday August 25 at 7:00 pm at the Fringe Office Common Room (that's 1398 Cartwright Street). There will be drinks and discussion (likely in that order) - how can you say no?

Brought to you by Small Matters Productions is the clown-centric Fringe show Fools For Love. Best friends Rocket and Sheshells share an adjoining wall and hilarious adventures in this densely packed but sparsely decorated staging.  

A couple of chairs take us from lonesome apartments to the cinema, then a flight to a marauded picnic and on a roller coaster at the carnival all with fluid and unexpected transitions.  These clowns are a tight duo who can mix contemporary issues like body image problems and derelict mayors with all out snort laugh-inducing physical comedy.   

Fuses are blown and ninjas are bravely...

Genre Description = Funny · Warm and Fuzzy · Tear-Jerker

I left this musical theatre offering from Theatre Howl, Saskatoon, SK, with mixed feelings. [WARNING SPOILER: I won’t give away any details specifically, except to say that there are spoilers to give away].

Matchstick is the coming-of-age love story between a girl from an undesirable country and boy from the land of freedom and opportunity. The story is told with music, drama and a simple set made of projected ink drawings, instruments, photos and tin cans. The music is all the best parts of Canadian singer-songwriter folk. The melodies were lovely and the lyrics poetic...

Genre definition = Funny · Intense · Musical

Allyson McGrane’s show does ‘Vision’ accompanied with much conviction and moving lights. The idea is to find the theatrical big thing, that true artistic vision that appeals to everyone. Just like Justin Bieber.

Capital V, Extreme V, Vision!

Written by Katherine King and Hannah Vaartnou, this show is 45 minutes of pure cringe-making hell. Pretentious beyond belief, boring, amateur, with two young performers caught way over their heads. If the performers had produced this mess themselves I might just forgive them, instead they are betrayed by King’s hubris. (Here’s a concept for you, Ms. King - study that one and leave the hero’s journey and cabaret alone. No matter how “off balance” you try to keep us as an audience you cannot disguise the lack of talent displayed here.)

Performers Maya-Roisin Slater and Paisley Nahanee deserve better....

Our reviewer doesn't pull any punches...

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