Finster Finds

 Last night I took in MOB presented by Workshop West (WWPT) . When first announced, I was going because the phenomenal Kristin Johnston was in it but I couldn't tell much about the show from the promotional material. A chance conversation a few weeks ago with another theatre artist about the show's subject matter made me even more interested. The show deals with the fallout after a woman is relentlessly harassed online by anonymous trolls that spew the vilest of the vile at her and she has no legal way to shut them down. Her solution is both an escape from her ruined life and attempt to seek some sort of redress.  It's a tough watch, but really, really good. You have to have the stomach for it. The online warning ( While keeping you and our actors safe, this show contains coarse language, sexual themes, nudity, violence, emotionally charged scenarios, and may deal with subjects which are personally challenging to you. We use strobe effects and water-based theatrical fog th...

I spent a fun afternoon out at The Citadel Theatre watching Little Shop of Horrors . I’ve never seen it onstage before and while some things were different than what I was expecting (having only the move for reference) I had a great time! I forgot how it ended, so that was a surprise! Ha ha ha! I loved hearing Suddenly Seymour and Somewhere that's Green (two of my favourite musical theatre songs) and both were delivered excellently! Tenaj Williams was a terrific Seymour, and John Ullyatt was hilarious in his many identities! Great to groove to the doo-wop! Audrey Two was also a hi-light (both the vocals and the puppetry!)! Only drawbacks were that the band was occasionally too loud and it was hard to hear lyrics in some of the bigger energy songs, and some of the lighting was oddly dark and even though I was in row B, I had trouble seeing all of the production numbers when there was a spotlight on a featured singer. I guess Hallowe’en is a “come in costume” night. Definitely the ...

October is my birthday month, so it is fitting that I took in four shows this past week, starting on my actual birthday! Those who know me, know that theatre is the thing I love the most (outside my friends and family)!  Photo Credit Brianne Jang On my actual birthday I took in Opening Night of Northern Light Theatre's A Phoenix Too Frequent by Christopher Fry. The set-up features a young widow (Julia van Dam as Dynamene) and her servant (Ellen Chorley as Doto) dramatically mourning the mistress's recently deceased husband. It takes place in his tomb as they wait to die to join him. You begin to realize very quickly that it's not all serious business. Chorley is quite funny as the servant who's there for her mistress, but not quite as committed to the whole process and easily distracted. Enter a young and handsome Legionnaire (Brennan Campbell as Tegeus) who spotted the light from the tomb while on guard and came to check things out. He's handsome, Dynamene is also...

Yesterday was another 2 show day. At this point, I need to pace myself since I am not as young as I used to be! I first took in DomestiKATE which was a really fun little show featuring Kate Ryan (not that Kate Ryan, the other one!) who is a phenomenal hula-hoop artist. It was aimed at the little ones primarily, but it was still a very fun show and Ryan was very funny in addition to skilled with her hula-hoops. She also did some cool quick changes and there was well-managed and entertaining audience participation. No more chances to catch that one as I caught her last show.  Then, in late afternoon, a few of the ladies of Penelopiad and I caught The Clockmaker . It's a very cool script, about a clockmaker, but so much more. I don't want to give too much away. There are scenes of domestic violence so a warning for folks, but these are well choreographed and necessary to the story. The story itself is a love story dealing with what makes a good man and what are the moments in ou...

Only managed two shows yesterday, but lots of good visiting on the grounds in between! It's hard to keep the momentum going, so I am pacing myself.  First up was Lizard Boy: The Musical !  It's another weird musical so right up my alley! It was very well done with three excellent singer-actors telling the comic book infused rom-com story of the Lizard Boy and an impending dragon-apocalypse. Of course, there's a villain to fight and a love story. Told with humour and terrific tunes it was great fun! There's also one of the best projection sets I have ever seen at Fringe that leant the comic book WOW to the fight scenes!  Next, after a long visit and some mini-donuts, I took in Underbelly at Walterdale. I didn't know what to expect and I don't really think anyone could expect this show. It was a very funny and clever clown show with some cool tech and a monster. There were some technical difficulties that actually enhanced the show as the performer ably dealt with...

I spent Thursday at La Cite - starting with a lovely Croque Monsieur (at which my French immersion raised son giggled at and told me means "Mr. Crunchy") at Cafe Bicyclette - delicious! It was a Twisted Christmas in August with Krampus ! What a ride! This show is simply terrific. The folks at Straight Edge have been honing their musical writing skills over the past few years and this is producing some super solid scripts. Combine that with outstanding casts and you get a top-notch production. It's silly, irreverent, dark and very, very funny! The cast of 5 +1 are all perfectly committed to their characters and all have super strong voices well-suited to the music. They are also able to sing and dance their songs in character and with delightful humour! I say, move over A Christmas Carol, there's a new show in town. I would love it if this was remounted somewhere in December. It would be the Christmas show I'd seek out! I then took in Ken Brown's Life After Lif...

Undiscovered Country - A really cool little concert of a show. It's a play and talk concert in the style of Hawksley Workman but the stories are a little weirder and more dystopian. It was mesmerizing and I'm still trying to figure it out, but I don't think you're supposed to be able to. So wonderful to see Chris Bullough onstage as I feel it's been too long. Actually had a long conversation with a lady in the line-up about the actors we haven't seen much on Edmonton stages lately and how we hope we will be seeing them more again. Anyhow, this show was pretty cool - subtle and enigmatic.  Tiger Lady - This is the show that I heard mentioned the most in my Word of Mouth conversations and it is not hard to see why. The cast of 6 fills the stage of the Westbury with physical action and a world created through low-tech magic! They combine music, movement, storytelling and puppetry and dp all of these things excellently. There's audience participation but not in...

I had a very mixed bag of shows today - the best kind of Fringe Day! I started the afternoon at a 1950s Graduation with the  The Marvelous Wonderettes - Caps and Gowns!  I hadn't seen any of the other shows from this series, but that was not necessary as the story and characters wee clearly defined! The music is terrific - a lovely blast from the past - with tight harmonies and solid voices! The show is humorous and flows nicely from song to song with jokes and funny situations in between. A great way to start the day!  I went in a very different direction checking out The Mine. While taking place in almost exactly the same year as the previous one, this show is much darker as it dealt with three Soviet miners trapped underground in a cave-in. Each of the miners has different concerns and hopes and dreams and they share these over the long wait for rescue, while they also try to dig their way out. Tensions between them build and... well, I do not want to give spoilers!...

I only took in two shows today, I had tentative plans for a third but hadn't bought the ticket and when I got around to it the show ( Cabaret of Murder ) was Sold Out so I was out of luck there. Let that be a lesson to you all - do not count on tickets being available at the last minute, especially for the shows you want to see. It pays to buy in advance to avoid disappointment. So even though I didn't get to see that show, I did run into friends on the Fringe Site and had a couple of wonderful visits. Fringe is mostly theatre , but not only theatre and I must admit it is the best place for seeing friends and having a quick catch up! I had a good visit with my friend Kristin whose show Lady Porn is on at the Fringe this year ( I hear it's hilarious and am going to see it tomorrow! ) and my friend Lucas whose show The Clockmaker is also on this year ( It has twice made my WORD OF MOUTH list, but I can't fit it in until the last slot of the Fringe on Sunday night! ).  ...

Caught a few more shows on Sunday afternoon.  I started with FIJI which is both funny and dark and very well done, but probably not for the squeamish or prudish. I don't want to spoiler it so I will say that Chris Cook and Vance Avery are very funny as well as very intense in this twisted rom com. You laugh a lot but there's also quite a bit of squirming in your seat.  I followed that up with The Cabin on Bald Dune which is set in an isolated cabin on a remote island on the East Coast. One woman has brought another to the island for a business opportunity but things may not exactly be as they seem. It's also very well done, with Kristi Hansen and Jenny McKillop as the two women. Hansen is manically intimidating and McKillop's journey to " what is going on here? " is nicely built until she cracks. It's got a nice Hitchcockian flavour to it's tone. I won't tell you any more than that. I wrapped up the day with a very silly Sherlock show - Sherlock ...

I saw three great musicals on Saturday. They were very different, but enjoyable in their own ways! First I took in Morningside Road , a new musical by Mhairi Berg and Simon Abbott. It was so beautiful. having written a play about a similar topic I thought the way that the story was told was very well done. The music is lovely and sung very well - tight harmonies and gorgeous voices. At the end, I estimate 50% of the audience (if not more) was in tears and there was an instant standing ovation. This is a terrific pick!  Next up was The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes which in the spirit Schmigadoon, the lead character Howard wakes up to find himself living in a a musical and wanting to get out of it. It was a super fun ride of a show. It hit on so any musical theatre tropes and references what feels like a thousand specific shows. The Musical Theatre afficionado should not miss this show! I loved how they really leaned into all the ridiculousness because that's the only way this k...

I've seen the first 4 shows of my Fringe and they were a bit of a mixed bag - which is cool and probably what Fringe should be! First, I saw i carry your heart with me , an intensely personal, one-woman show about a woman whose mother died of breast cancer at 36 (when the author was in her early teens) and her journey to process (ad not processing) the grief. There's a lot to unpack as the show zips from childbirth, to childhood memories, to reflections from other family members to actual recordings of the mother. At the end of it I really liked the author's mother and felt that if the purpose was to celebrate an amazing person, that goal was achieved. The script needs a bit of tightening and shaping, but it's honest and heartfelt, and it was the first show and as a former Fringe performer, I know shows tend to get tighter throughout the week.  While I didn't notice this when I scheduled my week, the next show I took in was Let's Talk About Your Death , and we...

The Fringe starts tonight! I'll be kicking it off with one show - i carry your heart with me at the Sugar Swing Ballroom. Told by a woman whose mother died of breast cancer at the age of 36, this show is likely to have some serious and sad moments so I am only seeing the one show tonight. I imagine there will also be joyful reflections, but those are just as likely to make me cry.  I like to mix it up with my Fringe so although my Fringe this year is heavy on musicals, I have both comedies and dramas on my list. I will even pop in some improv and sketch comedy if the schedule has a convenient opening. I really want to try to fit in Plays by Bots   if I can because the one I saw last year was so funny I was tearing up laughing. I'm also hoping to catch  Marv n' Berry Presents: Clearly, A Pyramid Scheme  and/or Scratch.   Friday, I will be seeing Edgar Perry and Let's Talk About Your Death . The former was recommended to me by a friend whose judgement I trust. ...

 For me there are a few companies I ALWAYS go to at the Fringe. Why? Because they make me laugh Because they do new work and it's never the same old thing Because they pay attention to detail Because they always strive for excellence Not all my favourite companies are presenting this year, but two are: Guys in Disguise ( Puck Bunnies ) and Whizgiggling ( Lady Porn ).  I'm very excited about seeing Puck Bunnies this year. True Story: The first time they did it was had that really bad smoke from fires and I was very nauseous with severe headaches for several days of the Fringe so I missed it (I had a ticket so they still got paid!). I heard it was hilarious, and as a sister of three Hockey Playing brothers, I am hoping that I will be able to tap into all the inside jokes. I also went to high school in a city that had an AJHL Team and likely knew girls who would 'fit the description'.  But it's also a Guys in Disguise show. On the surface it's drag, but their sho...

My husband joked that I looked like a college student studying for an exam as he watched me working through the Fringe Program, applying post-it notes, and marking shows with stars and circles, filling out possibilities for each separate day of the festival on a separate post-it. Hey! It's serious business for me! There are so many shows I want to see and only so much time. Sometimes it's the jigsaw puzzle that makes it possible for me to see your show... sometimes the puzzle means I can't. But I will see at least 22 shows this year and likely a few more as I have 3 days at the end left blank for 'shows with buzz' and fingers crossed that they don't all Sell-Out before I am able to purchase! First things first - you can find out all things Fringe here:  https://www.fringetheatre.ca/   - so if you're new to this adventure there's many helpful tips available to help you navigate AND that's where you can buy tickets! If you know that you might see 10 sh...