Fringe Wrap-Up

It feels a little weird to write a wrap-up because technically I am not done.  I have a hold-over show to go to this Saturday so that means it's technically still Fringe, right? I have to say, I was very pleased with the line up for hold-overs this year.  I think they really represent some of the best work that was presented this year - best in that the companies involved worked hard and went the extra mile to produce something that was artistically excellent. It's also very diverse, which I like, as I think it represents the diversity of what Fringe goers want to see. Also, all of the shows held-over made my Word of Mouth posts which tells me that they were the kinds of shows that a Fringe Goer would tell someone to go to!

You can find the Hold-Overs here.

So, as I look back, here are the shows that resonated the most with me from this year's Fringe Festival.  Bear in mind I did not see everything (I think I saw 27 shows in addition to my own 2):

DogFight - This show left me crying. Other than the seating, it felt like so much more than a Fringe show.

McCrackin 2: The Whackining - Going to this show felt like an event.  The theatre was packed and even before the show started there was an electricity.  Then it started and was deliciously ridiculous!

eleven-oh-four - Best new work I saw this Fringe.  Creepy and hilarious.

Flora and Fawna - Hilarious and touching.  No Mean Girls!

Red Wine, French Toast and the Best Sex You've Ever Had - such a cool show - surprising, athletic, emotional and whimsical.

3... 2... 1... - This was the last show I saw of Fringe and it was well worth the wait.  It's a tightrope of a show that requires excellent direction and acting or else it could easily be a disaster.  Luckily, with Wayne Paquette at the helm and Jamie Cavanaugh and Chris W. Cook on stage it veered close enough to the edge to keep us pulled in, but never went off into melodrama.

Anyhow, I hope you all had a great Fringe.  I know I did.  Two shows was a little much for me to manage, but luckily I had great teams to help them come together and run! See you next August!

Hold-Overs Announced

If you didn't get your fill of Fringe shows this past week, you can catch a few special ones at the Holdovers next weekend.  I am pleased to see that many of the Word of Mouth shows made it on that list.  I will not be able to make any of them as I will be in NYC that weekend.  I saw most of the ones on that list that I wanted to with the exception of Reefer Madness.  I am really sad I didn't get to that one, but my back needed the rest last night and Mark needed the night out.  There are other Fringe shows I will not have gotten to that I wish I could have but you only have so much time! I did my best...

My plan for tonight is to take the whole family to Son of a Dwarf! at the Garneau.  If I feel up to it I might abandon them and head back to the village for another show.  On Sunday I will be seeing The Colander Gals and then I have tentative plans for Spare Change, Threads and Gruesome Playground Injuries.  This is contingent on my back and the availability of tickets! So far I feel like I have had a pretty good Fringe... I think I am up to 16 or 17 shows and if I get to all the ones I have planned for the rest of the weekend that will take me to 20-21... that's pretty good for me! And, hey, at $15 bucks a pop that's about $300.  

ReBoot!

There are now two days left to Fringe. I have been at the grounds and have seen at least one show every single day so far. I think I am at 21.... I have seen some great stuff, some good stuff and some stuff that needs a little work. I have enjoyed everything or learned from it in any case. I think I did pretty good with my picks. There are shows I wish I had been able to catch (maybe today or tomorrow?) but none of them have been held over. The ones I wanted to see that are held-over I already have seen so I will leave the repeat performances to those who didn't get a chance the first time around (on that note: I recommend The Tudor Queens, BoyGroove and Grim and Fischer). I am pretty sure the others are good too, so check out a show!

Went to sleep at 7 p.m. last night. I needed it. I feel rested today and ready to enjoy what is left of the festival. Today we have our second last performance at 4 p.m. There are a few tickets left that should be released today. I have heard they are released an hour before the show, but the artist's package says something different so I am going to check at the Fringe today. I am going to try and find something to see before our show. I have a ticket to something later in the evening. Gotta see the shows while they are still there!