Fringe #42 - First Few Shows and First Word of Mouth for the Festival

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 did! Featuring a Machine of Death that tells you how you will die, the show is funny and sharp, combining script with improvised moments with the audience. David Johnston plays a dual role as the House Manger and Dr. Elliot Morris, host of a TV show talking about... (you guessed it) Death!  He completely owns the stage and is quite hilarious. There's a lot of laughs in this piece but it ultimately ends with poignance and heart and a lovely message. 

Third up was Edgar Perry from The Coldhearts - combining music, clever lighting, and many inventive ways of storytelling this show is about not one, but two Edgar Allan Poes during his time in the military. It's a continuation of a previous show which I didn't realize and it took me a few minutes to figure out what was going on, but I went with it. It's clear that much of the audience was familiar with some of the references that I was not. But they were delightfully artistic and great storytellers and the lighting is very cool. 

I then saw Always Because: The Adventures of Maggie and Meghan - a sketch comedy, story-telling show about Maggie and Meghan, a lesbian couple celebrating their third anniversary by doing a Fringe show. It was funny and honestly personal and while I didn't relate to all of it, I'm pretty sure most of the audience did and I enjoy seeing shows about things outside my perspective. 

I also had the opportunity to chat with a few folks for the WORD OF MOUTH portion of the blog. It's early days and pouring out, so many people have not seen much yet, so the list is short (for now). Here are the Word of Mouth shows from today:

Underbelly
Talk Treaty to Me
Let's Get Back to the Phones
Fiji 
Sad Girl Songs: A Comedy Show
Jesus Teaches Us Things
Sweet Jesus - The Gospel According to Felt

If you see me on the grounds, feel free to share your Word of Mouth recommendations to me!