FRINGE PREVIEW: Interesting Pairings... Choose a couple of shows that may or may not go together...

I've been spending a lot of time on the Fringe website, researching and reading about the different shows. It will be terrific to buy my program today, but the website has given me a lot to think about, in particular, that there are some shows that seem like they might 'go together' either in contrasting or in comparative ways... Here are some suggestions for some elegant pairings:

Why not pair 50 First Dates with F*ck Tinder: A Love Story? Both are journeys through the world of dating to find love but told from different perspectives. As one who escaped the advent of online dating apps, I think both would likely give me insight into a world that somewhat terrifies me. For those who are  little younger than me, I am pretty sure that both these shows would  resonate for you and no doubt you would have similar stories to share.


If you like Sketch Comedy, why not pair Marv n' Berry Presents: Everyone Panic, Please with Blackout Presents: Show me the Goods! Both are locally based sketch comedy groups with proven track records. I'm sure that bother are guarenteed to make you laugh! I like both Improv and Sketch, but sketch can tend to be a little more consistent as the artists can really craft their show and it's not so dependent on the suggestions from the audience.

There are two shows about polygamy at this year's Fringe. It might be worth seeing both to compare approaches, especially if you are fascinated by this kind of world. I think Bountiful is more of a play, and The Progressive Polygamists is more of a satirical presentation, so they are bound to discuss the issue differently.

If you are a fan of detective stories, you might want to check out The Real Inspector Hound and 2 Sherlock Holmes Mysteries. The former is the highly acclaimed, wild and wonderfully absurd murder mystery farce brought to the Fringe from Edmonton's Bright Young Things and featuring some of Edmonton's brightest and funniest (Belinda Cornish, Mat Busby, Andrew MacDonald-Smith, Louise Lambert, Garret Ross, Troy O'Donnell, Jenny McKillip and Ashley Wright). The second comes from "Masters of the Fringe" John D. Huston and Kenneth Brown who play everyone in this 60 minutes Sherlock Holmes extravaganza.

Family stories? Check out these two one-man shows about Grandmothers: Nonna's Story and My Grandmother's Maid. Stories that look at the lighter side of death? How about Let's Talk about Your Death and Five Stages of Death?

There's at least a hundred more ways to pair shows - but hopefully this has given you a few ideas about where to start! Enjoy your fringing!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fringe 2024 - Friday, August 16th - A Terrific Afternoon of Shows!

Image
I caught three shows yesterday afternoon and had a wonderful time! Bright Lights - So funny and so well done! This script is hilarious but it only works because the acting and directing is so excellent! I mean, you have to figure those that attend a group for Alien Abduction "experiencers" are going to provide opportunity for huour but I was laughing so much! Great to see some of our finest local actors in this piece and some in roles you wouldn't expect to hilarious effect! See it! ROB AND CHRIS (BOBBY+TINA)-A NEW MUSICAL - Another excellent show. This one a new musical based on Collin Doyle's Let the Light of Day Through ( perhaps the best new script I have seen ever and I think of it often... ). The musical is the same but different, as it is a musical. But it is excellent. Doyle worked with Matt Graham to adapt the piece and it still has it's humour and heart break, but now with wonderful songs. I would avoid spoilers if you haven't seen the play as I th
Read more

Sometimes it's hard to be nice... Lessons Learned with Donna Orbits the Moon and Spinsters in #yegtheatre this week...

Image
I caught two thought-provoking (and funny) shows this weekend.  Patricia Darbasie in Donna Orbits the Moon , Brianne Jang BB Collective Photography The first, Donna Orbits the Moon presented by Northern Light Theatre, was a one-woman show with the impressive Patricia Darbasie as Donna, a woman finding herself reacting with intense rage to inconveniences in her life. We are not exactly sure at the beginning why these moments are provoking such anger and violence, but there's something in the way that Donna tells the story that we are totally on her side. Indeed when I read a description online before seeing the show, I immediately connected. Too often we are expected to smile and be accommodating and the desire to say " No! " is often very strong with me. I see you, Donna! But there's something more to Donna's rage. There's a concrete reason she's suppressing and the reveal is deftly revealed in a touching and emotionally moving way (Directed by Trevor Sch
Read more

Fringe 2024 - Saturday, August 24th - Young Wives and The Bells!

Image
I saw two shows on Saturday. I'm pacing myself this Fringe so I might not hit my usual 30+ total! But despite the slightly overcast weather, it was a nice day - not too hot and my feet could handle the walk to Sugar Swing and back to the main grounds! What a Young Wife Ought to Know - This was a very well done production of Hannah Moscovitch's script. I had not seen the show when it was done in the city in 2018 but was glad to catch it here at the Fringe. It deals with the challenges and trials of a young (a very young) wife in 1920s Ottawa dealing with managing her fertility despite a lack of support both socially and medically. This is pre-birth control pill times; this is back alley abortion and throw yourself down the stairs to end a pregnancy time; this is the time when women frequently dies in childbirth. This is the time when you are looked at with disgust and judged when you ask for help for how to prevent a pregnancy. Anyhow, the show was very well done. The cast of
Read more