Where the Wild Things Fringe - Word of Mouth - Sunday, August 18

Many of these Word of Mouth recommendations come from the North Beer Tent - always a great place to pick up suggestions for 'what to see'! Check out some these shows that were recommended to me as I visited in the Beer Tent, waited in lines, and sat in shows (all discussion was before the show started!)...

Word of Mouth - Sunday, Aug 18:
- Boy Trouble
- Zach Adams
- Kevin, King of Egypt
- Killing Jar
- Larry
- 7 Days
- Juliet: A Revenge Comedy
- Colin Mochrie and Friends
- Eye Candy
- Jung and Crazy
- Playthings
- Chase Breyer
- Didn't Hurt
- Flora and Fawna Have Beaver Fever (and so does Fleurette)
- Hack
- Queen Lear is Dead
- TWO
- Triassic Park

Where the Wild Things Fringe - 3 Days In and 13 Shows Deep!

I'm having a wonderful time at the Fringe this year! It's a great benefit to have the time off to really deep dive into a wide variety of shows and it has made for a nice little roller coaster so far!

I kicked off the Fringe on Thursday night with 2 shows at the Varscona Hotel. The Big Bright is a new musical which combines musical theatre with clowning tropes and explores the impact of advertising and media on self-esteem. Whimsical costumes and biting humour are highlights of this show. Be warned, despite the costume aesthetic, it is not for kids! It was an interesting and out-of-the-box way to explore the issues of self and media. I followed that up with Never Swim Alone - a Canadian classic by Daniel MacIvor. This is a perfect script, and if you haven't seen it, I recommend checking out this tightly directed and well-performed piece.

Friday was another great grab-bag of shows for me. I started with World's Wife featuring a trio of excellent actresses performing monologues from many women of history. There was much humour in the creative approach to each character and situation complete with musical introduction and clever costuming. I detoured into children's theatre with an original new musical called Baba Yaga. It was very clever and funny and the cast were all delightful singers. I took in Suspension, another new work with an absurdist sensibility and fine acting. It's a hard one to explain, and it's best to see this one with no spoilers. If you enjoy long form improv you might enjoy my next show, The Trip, which gets suggestions from the audience for a journey based improvised story. It's different every time, so you'll have to see yourself what it will be! I always like to check out a few dance shows at the Fringe, as I rarely get to them during the regular season. SWIPE is a stunning piece that kept me entirely engaged - humorous, relate-able, with beautiful choreography. I closed the day off with Local Diva, another new work from an up-and-coming young playwright, this one about being gay and growing up in Alberta.

Saturday started with the very funny sketch comedy of Girl Brain Takes the Fringe! The laughs kept coming with Triassic Parq, an ridiculously funny musical about cloned dinosaurs in a frictional park (yes, it should feel familiar). It's definitely not for children, but in a good and irreverent way! I refuse to feel guilty for laughing so much, and man-oh-man can they all sing! Speaking of singing, I followed that up with Crescendo!, another new musical, this one about choral singing. As a former choir member I could relate to a lot of it, and the music is lovely. After that I ran to King Edward School to catch Red, the brilliant two-hander about Mark Rothko. It's such a good script and this show is very well directed and well performed. If you haven't seen Red, I would recommend checking it out - it's an ambitious piece for a Fringe show and this company does a wonderful job with it. Finally I wrapped up my day with The Trophy Hunt, a trio of monologues about trophy hunting told from the perspective of three very different concerned parties. It was sharp and funny and visually stunning.

Where the Wild Things Fringe - Word of Mouth - Saturday, August 17

One of the benefits of seeing such a wide variety of shows at the Fringe is that I talk to very different people who like different things. It was cool to hear so many shows as I asked people in the line ups and in audiences about what they'd seen and what they'd recommend (Note: they are not allowed to tell me a show that they are personally involved in!).

Here's today's Word of Mouth Recommendations:
- Josephine
- Second City Presents ... She the People
- Martin Dockery (You Belong Here)
- Gordon's Big Bald Head
- Two
- The World's Wife
- The Walk in the Snow
- The Legend of White Woman Creek
- Colin Mochrie and Friends
- The Thin Grey Line
- Larry
- Check Me Out
- She's Not Him and He's Not Her
- Pack Animals
- Martin Dockery (The Surprise)
- The Bald Soprano
- Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me but Banjos Saved My Life
- Chase Padgett

Link to the Fringe website for tickets.

Summer Theatre - THE BAD SEED and THE WINTER’S TALE

We wrapped up The Light in the Piazza this weekend and that opened up for me a bit of time to check out some of the theatre going on in the city this summer. Many companies are quiet or busy getting ready for Fringe, but July is great for shows from Teatro la Qundicina and the Freewill Shakespeare Company (River city Shakespeare Festival).



I took in The Bad Seed at Teatro last Friday. Capturing the style and tone of 1950s movie thrillers, this was an excellent adventure in creepiness. There were many moments of shoulder shuddering resulting from a look or phrase from Rhoda, the child in question, played by Lila Solymos. The entire cast embraced the stylized tone of the piece and it was picture perfect. Nicole Elbro’s journey as a mother learning more about her child than she can handle is excellent, as is Cathy Derkach as Monica, the neighbour who talks too much (it’s a good thing). It’s the whole nature vs. nurture question brought to life onstage, unwrapping clues and building to a satisfyingly terrifying ending, and it makes you wonder if some people are just born bad. We enjoyed it. There were plenty of laughs to accompany the shudders, and Solymos displays a terrific talent in the title role.


I’d been very curious about all those sheep that kept popping up in my feed in photos from The Winter’s Tale so I headed down to Hawreluk Park on Sunday afternoon to catch the last performance of it. I’m glad I did. It was the perfect day to catch the show and having never seen this particular Shakespeare play before, I was happy to catch it this year. Things turn dark very quickly in the play and the first act feels more like a tragedy, but the reversals and the frolicking in the second act shifts it all back to a comedy. The sheep were very entertaining, as was Chris Bullough as Autolycus, a crooked balladeer and peddler with sticky fingers. Christina Nguyen is quite lovely as Perdita, and the entire cast rises to the task of ‘telling this tale’ stepping forward and back as needed and it flowed quite well. I was happy to see it. I had often heard the play described as problematic, and there are potential pitfalls, but I think since they approached it as a ‘story being told’ it really worked for me.

July Begins with Theatre in Italy! THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA at Walterdale Theatre!

Sometimes you get busy with your life and you have to cut back on things. That happened to me this year. The return to teaching was AWESOME but also very time consuming because I wanted to do it right. It was primarily a junior high drama position and it was splendid - great kids, great projects and a fabulous school!

Now, the thing is, I also had committed to a number of theatre projects over the year (prior to deciding to return to teaching) and not being one to quit anything if drastically cut into my theatre-going and theatre-blogging. I did see some terrific shows that I managed to squeeze in, but based on the Sterlings, I also managed to miss some good ones. Now that school is out, and Fringe looms in the near future, I will be getting back to theatre going and blogging all about it!

First up is actually a show I have been directing for the past few months - The Light in the Piazza at Walterdale Theatre. It runs July 3-13 (there is a Student Preview on Tuesday, July 2nd). Tickets run about $20, but there are some options for those looking for a deal. Thursday, July 4th is 2-for-1 Thursday (come see the show and bring a friend!), and Tuesday, July 9th is Pay-What-You-Can night! Tickets have been selling really well though, so you might want to get yours in advance from www.tixonthesquare.ca

The show is beautiful! I know, I'm the director, but it does look and sound gorgeous. I have been working with Music Director Ron Long and he is not only super fun to work with, but his background in vocal teaching has really been a bonus with the challenging score. The cast has also been a joy to work with. I leave rehearsal every night with a different ear-worm from the talented performers on the stage. Right now I am hearing The Beauty Is sung by our Clara, Heeyun Park. Her voice is pretty spectacular so I don't mind! Not only does the show sound good, but my Creative Team (Joan Hawkins - Set Design; Karin Lauderdale - Costume Design; Brad Melrose - Lighting Design) has created a beautiful world for us to play in.

Anyhow, if I keep writing I will just keep gushing, best that you come and see it for yourselves! Opening Night is almost Sold Out, but you can still get tickets if you act fast. I'll be there Opening and Closing and a couple of nights in between - so hopefully I will see you there!

Photo Credit: Scott Henderson; Henderson Images

Theatre to start off 2019...

It doesn't really ever quiet down in the #yegtheatre scene. It's a great thing for those of us who love to see a lot of varied shows!  Here's what is onstage in Edmonton in January of 2019 aka "Time to fill in the brand new Calendar"!

Malachite Theatre presents Macbeth - January 4-19 at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church.

Last year they served up Twelfth Night and created a cozy atmosphere in the church. This year it's a little darker, so I am really wondering what the decor will be as it stays up throughout most of January!
Click here for more details or to purchase tickets.

Sweat at the Citadel Theatre - January 12 - February 3 in the Shoctor Theatre.

It was part of my former job at the Citadel to read all the scripts in advance of the new season. When I read this one, I cried. It's raw and very honest and will break your heart when you least suspect it. In the current economic climate of Alberta, with many laid off and struggling to find work, it speaks to the desperation and tensions that we see around us. Anyhow, It's my most anticipated show of the 2018-2019 season.
Click here for tickets or more more details.

Theatre Network & Ghost Writer Theatre presents The World Premiere of Minerva - Queen of the Handcuffs, January 15-27 at The Roxy on Gateway.

If you're a fan of magic and escape artists, this show might just be for you. Minerva – Queen of the Handcuffs is the true story of the world’s most famous female escape artist and her rivalry with Harry Houdini. This world premiere production features Edmonton’s own master escape artist, Miranda Allen.
Click here for more information or to purchase tickets.

Firefly Theatre and Circus presents Inferno, January 17-26 at the Westbury Theatre

It's more circus and death-defying acts in January as Firefly plunges into a modern, spectacular retelling of Dante’s epic adventure poem, Inferno. Using Aerialists, Acrobats, Actors, Contortionists, and a small dog, it's the ultimate journey through the Nine Circles of Hell.
Click here to purchase tickets or for more information.

Miss Teen presented by Shadow Theatre from January 23 - February 10 at the Varscona Theatre

When her awkward daughter in-explicitly wins the local Miss Teen Pageant, a struggling single mother seizes the opportunity to improve her family’s difficult circumstances. Determined to help her daughter succeed, she resorts to increasingly desperate measures, even as the glare from the spotlight threatens to expose her eccentric methods and tear the family apart.
Click here for tickets or more information.

Canada 151 at the Mayfield Dinner theatre runs to January 27.

The Mayfield celebrates 151 years of Canada. They conjure up artists, performances and historical moments of the last 151 years – Bryan Adams, Shania Twain, Celine Dion, Anne Murray, The Guess Who, Alanis Morrisette, The Tragically Hip and dozens more for the biggest all-Canuck party of the year.
For more information or for tickets, click here.

Cardiac Theatre presents KaldrSaga A Queer Tavern Drama for A Midwinter's Night from January 11 - 26 (Tuesdays, Fridays & Saturdays) at The Almanac on Whyte.

Kaldr and Saga are best friends whose lives are separated by mountains. Once a year, in the dead of winter, they journey to meet each other in the middle for a pint at their favourite pub. Storytellers by trade, they conjure up tales and epics from their 365 days apart. Inspired by Norse tales and traditions, KaldrSaga finds pride in queer stories that have been silenced by history.
Click here for more information or for tickets.

Northern Light Theatre presents The Cardiac Shadow from January 18 - February 2 at the Studio Theatre (ATB Arts Barns).
Featuring the women of the Good Women Dance Collective

Based on a true story – Four women are procured from the Ravensbruck concentration camp, hand-selected by SS Second Lieutenant Dr. Sigmund Rascher for a series of experiments specifically designed to measure the human body's endurance to extreme temperatures - tests that would benignly come to be known as the Cold Conference. The voices of these four women have since disappeared. Where does the human spirit go when the body must remain behind, frozen inside an atrocity?
Click here for more information or for tickets.

Fringe Theatre Adventures presents Lake of the Strangers from January 22 - February 2 at the Backstage Theatre.

Lake of the Strangers in a powerful new play by Hunter Cardinal. Inspired by ancient Nehiyaw mythology, this story follows two brothers in their last summer adventure. Through forests, rivers, and not knowing, Lake of Strangers is a journey of two brothers finding each other and themselves.
Click here for more information or to buy tickets.

There's a lot to get you started!

Starting the New Year with a Little Magic! The Illusionists with Broadway Across Canada!

How to kick off 2019 in a big way? Attend the Broadway Across Canada production of The Illusionists on New Year's Day like I did! Well, it's here until January 6th, so you can still start the year off in a really magical way!

I took Gibson as he has always been intrigued by magic (we often watch Penn & Teller's Fool Us) and there were so many times during the show where we would turn to each other and say "HOW?!?!?". There are five illuisonists and the show moves briskly from one outstanding trick to the next. two of the performers, Colin Cloud (The Mentalist) and Andrew Trent (The Futurist), have a bit of the stand up comedian in them so there is also quite a bit of laughter. Trent was particularly fun with the close-up magic (it's all filmed and projected so you can see it very clearly) and Cloud's Sherlock Holmes mind-reading tricks blew my mind! Jonathan Goodwin (The Daredevil) was more of a physical extremes guy, escaping from a straight jacket at great peril and lying on a bed of nails (pardon, nail), leading up to a very cool crossbow trick. The young audience member next to me, kept saying, "He's not going to do it
AGAIN?!" and seemed quite worried about the safety of everyone involved. An Ha Lim (The Manipulator) does things with cards that will blow your mind - his card 'dance' was Gibson's favourite act in the show. Darcy Oake (The Grand Illusionist) comes with Canadian cred and I think his understated style really underscored the amazing tricks that he was pulling off.

It was a great night and Gibson and I have talked so much about it, that Mark is looking into getting a ticket for himself for Friday night. I am pretty sure Gibson would go with him again, even having seen the show once!

The Illusionists runs to January 6th at the Jubilee Auditorium.
Click here for tickets.