Fringe Reviews: MACBETH MUET, WELLSPRING, ESCAPED ALONE and XANADU

Macbeth Muet
lafilledulaitier.com
Venue 9: Telus Phone Museum

This show was so good. So. Good. It's better, I think, if you know Macbeth, but really even if you just know the high point of the story this show will blow you away. It's funny and inventive and so incredibly clever. I think it's the perfect way to do Shakespeare, particularly the bloodier plays. I cannot get over the cleverness of their choices. The music made it so accessible and from eggs, to paper towels, to paper plates and lots and lots of fake blood, you will be mesmerized and laughing. I recommend this to everyone!

Wellspring
Venue 13 - Old Strathcona Library

A trio of intertwining monologues from three women who live in a community affected by fracking. While it doesn't add anything new to the issue, this show serves to humanize people caught up in dynamics of health and quality of life vs. energy and economics. I did long for more action and conflict within the story, and it takes a little while for the script to get to the details of each of their journeys, but the three actors are honest and committed to telling their stories.

Escaped Alone
Venue 9 - Telus Phone Museum

I'm still thinking about Escaped Alone. It's a complicated piece that takes a bit of time to wrap your brain around. There's some wonderful acting from the four women onstage (Judy McFerran, Vivien Bosley, Alison Wells and Holly Turner) who sit in a garden discussing the items of their lives. Secrets are revealed, some bigger than others, and the most striking moments are in monologues where inner-most thoughts and feelings are revealed. Interspersed with their conversation are Cassandra-like predictions of a terrible future. This is one to ponder for a while.

Xanadu
Venue 25 - Strathcona High School

It's wonderfully fun, musical and campy, and it pulls out all the stops. I had so much fun at Xanadu. I have to admit, I saw the movie,... when it came out,... in the theatre,... probably more than once... I also clearly listened to the soundtrack and the songs from the show over and over, because I surprised myself by knowing all the words. This production is a really fun ride, and you will be swerving from laugh to laugh by their over-the-top antics. Plus, everyone in the cast can sing and dance AND Roller-skate. I'm once again blown away by the quality of production delivered by SatCo at Fringe.

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