After yesterday's cold, wet weather I wore a sweater and a different pair of running shoes to get through the day. The sweater was a good choice for the first half of the afternoon but then the sun came out. I am hoping for more sunshine for the next few days of Fringe because that's a little more enjoyable! I kept my three shoes firmly on the main fringe grounds so that I wasn't travelling too far afield (that's tomorrow).
A Little Something for the Ducks
This was actually two short double-handers,
Something's Wrong and
A Little Something for the Ducks featuring Francie Goodwin-Davies and Andy Northrup. The two pieces demonstrated the versatility of the two actors as they played very different characters in each of the plays. I was very impressed by the subtle disintegration of Goodwin-Davies character in the first piece, as the something wrong becomes something different than what you later realize. They wisely end with the more humorous and hopeful
A Little Something for the Ducks. The two actors work well with each other and there's a lovely evolution of their relationship over the 25 minutes. It was a very nice start to the afternoon!
Inherently Disordered
The next show was a bit stand-up and a lot of personal story-telling as Aldrick (
we learn where his name comes from - it's a funny story) Dugarte relates key moments of his life being raised Catholic and coming out as queer and then as gay. It will make sense when you see it. Dugarte is very personable and likeable onstage and he has a great sense of humour about himself and what he has gone through. They say the best stand-ups come from challenging life circumstances, and certainly Dugarte's stories are built upon those challenges. He kept us with him for the entire show and wasn't afraid to get physical in amusing ways, or involve us in the narrative, and it felt very natural. He has opinions, and a point of view that he is not afraid of sharing and you like him even more for that. The show is new and I think as he continues through this Fringe it will get a bit more flow, but I had a good time and I think you will too!
Flora & Fawna Face Their Fears
What a lovely continuation of the story of these two little girls. I will likely never miss an episode in their journey - it's my kind of drag show. I think because it's not really a drag show. These are real plays with clever dialogue and well constructed characters and, yes, there's some double entendres, and yes, these are men playing little girls, but the stories are told with a real respect for the girls they portray. Anyhow, I could easily gush about Flora and Fawna (Trevor Schmidt & Jake Tkaczyk) for paragraphs. This is a fabulous continuation where the girls face their fears by having a camp-out in the backyard. The dynamic of the Naturelle Girls is a little upset because they have brought a new girl in to be Secretary (
to replace Fleurette who had to move) and Fern Gummy (Jason Hardwick) is a real disruption. She's American and has some different values. It's a bit crunchy there as the three learn to adjust to a new dynamic, and Flora and Fawna teach Fern about being kinder and not a mean girl (
no mean girls allowed!). As always, the show is funny and laughs abound, but also touching with some legitimate "
awwwws" from the audience. And we got to sing my favourite song, Face Your Fears. A very happy ending to my afternoon!
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