Final Fringe Reflections! Wrapping it up with Dick Piston and Accidental Beach!

I had a lovely Fringe 2024. I hope everyone else did too! I did a rough calculation and over the 11 days (10 at the site watching shows and drinking in atmosphere) I saw 21 shows, had hundreds of conversations with friends and strangers, ate more than my share of mini-donuts, had my G.O.C., went to the Next Act three times, and walked over 85,000 steps! I spent less than $500 for all this entertainment and activity so that's definitely a WIN!  

On the final Sunday I spent my day laughing, catching two local comedies! It was a great day to end the Fringe!

Dick Piston Hotel Detective in Prague-Nosis - This was a super fun show where, just like the titular Dick Piston, you weren't always sure what was going on! But that was the fun of it. The cast of 5 (plus the many-hatted sign holder ASM) were fabulous as they attacked this very funny, clever script. No one is quit who they seem to be, except maybe Dick Piston, but he's very confused trying to solve a hotel guest's robbery. There's a hypnotist magician, a man with no pants, an international film star (famous in Europe) and a jewel thief - OR IS THERE?! It zigged and zagged with clever wordplay and flashbacks and a twist no one sees coming, especially Dick Piston! This was the first Fringe for Nachopals Theatre and they hit is out of the park! 

Accidental Beach - Recreating 'an almost perfect musical' that they improvised during the past season, the 11 O'clock Number folks from Grindstone Theatre served up sand and laughs with this one. It was hilarious and they embraced the spirit of recreation. It's got it's twists and turns and amazing songs and lots of laughs. It was held over at the Varscona and it wasn't hard to see why. Clearly inspired by Edmonton's accidental beach, the cast merge Baywatch with a Mafia movie and Lizard babies for a show that's impossible not to laugh at! It was a terrific way to end Find Your Fringe! 

It was a fun way to end the summer! See you next August!

Find Your Fringe! Saturday, August 24th - One Show Day!

So... funny story... I had it in my head that my show was at 12 noon. It was Sold Out and a Hot Ticket so I made sure that I was there by just after 11 am so I would be the first in line. So I'm there... waiting... and I find it curious that there is no one else there. Not just no audience members, but no cars in the lots, so I decide to check my ticket... OH! The show starts at 2 pm, NOT NOON. It's all good, I went and found myself breakfast and returned later closer to the actual show start time. I still was first in line but this time there were other people there too! The lesson is - ALWAYS REVIEW YOUR SPREADSHEET! Ha ha ha!

So, what did I see?

High School Musical - The Disney High School Musical and Descendants movies are my guilty (?) pleasure! And I always want to see what the phenomenal Uniform Theatre company is doing so this was a combination that felt like destiny! What a great show! The cast is outstanding in a triple threat way. I have to give a shout out to the Choreographer, Kelly Webber, for the fantastic work! The basketball work in that tiny space was awesome! Earlier in the week, a Fringe patron was telling me about the show and they were floored that the entire cast could sing so well! There are some pretty talented folks on that stage - in ALL THE ROLES! It was also fun to see Edmonton Theatre Legend, Linette Smith, onstage as she's usually directing but clearly she was the perfect choice to play the Drama Teacher! Kudos to all involved. This show Sold Out their entire run before Fringe even started. That's how good they are! 

Now my Fringe is almost done. Some of you will no doubt be taking in Holdovers to catch the shows you missed. HOLDOVERS

I'm off to See Dick Piston Hotel Detective in "Prague-Nosis" and Accidental Beach: A Previously Improvised Musical today to wrap up this year's Fringe Adventure! Happy Fringing Everyone! Until next year!

Friday Fun at the Fringe - For Science! and Satan Does a Cabaret!

We're getting near the end of the Festival, but I saved some good ones for this weekend!

For Science! - I finally made it to the show! It's been on my list for a few Fringes and I have never been able to fit it in, but it worked this year - YAY! It was so much fun! A show that is indeed for all ages but is clever and smart and sciencey (so you know I like that!). The kids have a great time and the adults have a great time. I'd go again if they bring it back! I think their last show is this afternoon - so check it out if you can!

Satan Does a Cabaret - I had a lot of fun at this one. Rebecca Merkley is such a great performer and her voice is one that I can listen to forever. Although I knew more about the source material with Jesus Teaches Us Things, Satan Does a Cabaret is still very entertaining! Satan knows how to belt out the big songs and it was fun that the audience got to join in (in a variety of capacities). I had avoided learning the lyrics to W.A.P. in my life but that's done now! ha ha ha ha! Oooooh Satan! I guess that's what Satan does!

Tickets!

FINAL Word of Mouth - Find Your Fringe! Fringe 2024

Word of Mouth
Thursday/Friday - August 23/24

It's the last one I'll be doing for this Fringe - but there are a lot of great titles and many of them are in holdovers (well, 12 are, and I think almost all the holdovers made the Word of Mouth List at least one time!). Some of these shows are finished for the Fringe, but perhaps they will be back OR maybe they are going on to another Fringe adventure? 

Here goes...

Weird Al Karaoke
I Lost on Jeopardy
Ladies of Jazz
Too Funny for Words
Larry
God is A Scottish Drag Queen
Cabaret of Legends
The Kid Was a Spy
1nce Upon a Lie: Paul Strickland
Ha Ha DaVinci
Chase Padgett: Grab Bag Cabaret
Martin Dockery: Truth
Inescapable
Suitcase Circus (kids)
Mass Debating
Microwave Coven
God the Daughter
How Not To Kill A Plant
Think of Me
Happy Go Lucky
Accidental Beach
Sword in the Stone
The Funny Thing About Men
Erika the Red
Murder She Improvised
Gordon’s Big Bald Head
All the Kings Men

Tickets

Thursday Adventures - Fringe 2024 - Mass Debating and Weird Al Karaoke!

Mass Debating - brought to the Fringe by 100% More Girls (the unification of Whizgiggling and Guys in Disguise) this was a really cute and funny musical about a junior high debate competition between an all girls school and an all boys school. Set in past (1970s?) there are many moments highlighting the expectations for girls vs. boys in the competition and in the world as a whole. In this production, the women play the boys, and the men play the girls.  It was very smart to choose junior high as there is perhaps the biggest gap in maturity between grade 7s, 8s and 9s than in high school grades and the show uses those differences to show us the internal and external relationships of the competitors with themselves. It's got the flavour and feel of Putnam County Spelling Bee and I think it could actually be something like that with a little expansion on the script! Also, there's an amazing tap number!! I had so much fun and I highly recommend - however, it might be hard to get tickets at this point! Written and directed by Trevor Schmidt with music by Mason Snelgrove. 

Weird Al Karaoke - I have been interested in this local company for a few year now and finally got myself to one of their shows. They perform throughout the year every third Thursday night at Grindstone. This show is a Greatest Hits of numbers from the past season. I had a lot of fun. The premise is that the comedian/performers select a song to which they create their own parody song. Favourites from the show included an homage to the movie Dune 2 (sung to the tune of Petula Clark's Downtown); a song about the slow build of the LRT Valley Line to Millwoods (sung to the tune of Midnight Train to Georgia); a veritable dictionary of Gen-Z slang in a song titled You're a Mid One, Mr. Cringe (for which I need to get the lyrics so I can understand what my students are saying!). A Very funny show and I hope to catch it in the regular season (and maybe even try it out myself?!). 

Tickets for all shows here. 

Monday and Tuesday Fringe Show Reflections! Fringe 2024!

So, I am a little late on this... it's a funny story why mostly having to do with my husband locking ALL his keys in his truck (both set for both vehicles that he drives) and then him having to take my van to work while I waited for AMA... It's all good and I am happy to report I made it to the Fringe Site on time for my shows!

On Monday I caught three shows!

Sheep Play - I booked this show because it fit nicely into my schedule and sounded intriguing... Sheep in a post-human world? Okay - let's see what this is! The sheep were hilarious with excellent Scottish accents that sounded very right for the show. There's the best Ukulele song (well sung, well played, and well suited to the piece)! There's also a bit of "What the heck is going on?!?!" but I was laughing (as was most of the audience) so it's all good. I was certainly entertained, even if I was a bit confused at times!

Microwave Coven - I try not to miss the Guys in Disguise shows and this one was a lot of fun, as always! I also took my sister and a mutual friend from high school so it was nice to show off the show to them. They were blown away by how well the 'guys' play women! This one tackles the supernatural/occult and the domestic life of wives in the late 1970s - the keepers of the microwave oven! It was very funny, irreverent, laced with inuendo, and it was fun to see how the roles were attacked! I particularly loved the voice that Trevor Schmidt chose for Carmen and the repeated magical gestures from Jake Tkaczyk!

Marv n' Berry - I know a couple of this sketch comedy group but outside of online videos I had never seen one of their shows! So I thought I would remedy that. I also got to check out the new Rapid Fire Space which, despite donating for the rebuild, I had never gone to! It's gorgeous! Wow! What a great job they have done on that space!! Anyhow, the show was very funny, although I felt a but old because of some of the references I did not understand. But this is clearly a group that knows each other very well and knows how to be funny. There's a quirkiness to the sketches and I really enjoyed that!

Today (Tuesday) I saw two more shows! 

27 Pictures - What a lovely script and it is very well done by this group. A couple on the verge of a break-up revisit their relationship through 27 pictures. Both young actors were very good and they had a terrific chemistry with each other. They created a beautiful and believable timeline of a relationship with ups and downs that made me care! I think these were both Grant Mac students or recent grads and I hope we see more of them on our Edmonton stages in years to come!

Joan & Olivia: A Hollywood Ghost Story - This one
sounded interesting as it featured Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland as ghosts continuing their life long feud into their deaths. This affects two living sisters in the house they are haunting. I thought the 'ghosts' did a great job portraying the dead actresses with their vocal cadences and mannerisms. They are contrasted by the two modern day sisters who aren't very happy with being manipulated. A nice tight show that made me want to read up more on the legendary actresses!

I'm enjoying this Fringe and all the fabulous and varied shows that I am seeing! I hope you all are too!

WORD OF MOUTH - Fringe 2024 - Tuesday, August 20th!

This is actually the last two days of collected Word of Mouth Recommendations! Once again, I have not see all these shows but rather people have recommended them to me as shows that they think were great shows that people should see!

Rob and Chris (Bobby +Tina)
Ingie's Fingies
Bright Lights
Portrait of Elisa Graham
OWEaDEBT
Centre of the Universe
What the Hell Was That?
The Bells
Local Diva: The Danielle Smith Diaries
Silence of the Lambs Jr. Edition
Chase Padgett: Grab Bag Cabaret
The Kid Was a Spy
1nce Upon a Lie: Paul Strickland
Martin Dockery: Truth
Keith Brown - 100% Wizard
Everything In New Orleans Is A Good Idea
Cabaret of Legends
Rat Academy
Microwave Coven
Mass Debating
The Show Must Go On
El Diablo of the Cards
Batman, Bob and Bill
The S.P.O.T.T.
Binding

Whatever you go see, I hope you enjoy your Fringe!

Fringe tickets: https://tickets.fringetheatre.ca/ 

Fringe 2024 - Sunday, August 18th - WROL, Silent Lambs and Perfect Pitch!

Caught three shows today! My feet are not thrilled with the walking, but they are adjusting! To be honest, it's more the standing in line that's tough on them... but that's where I have the best chats with folks, so I suffer (or my feet suffer) for my brain!

WROL (Without Rule of Law) - Caught this show at the Westbury first off! It's a new work form Michaela Jeffrey about grade 8 girls forming their own offshoot girl scout group in order to prepare (prep) for the end of everything. Emily Marisabel’s Light in the Dark production does a good job capturing the angst and anxiety of grade 8 girls (I teach junior high and it felt very 'right' to me). Think Greta Thunberg warning of the dangers of what is coming and feeling like no one's listening. Between them they create videos to educate, classroom presentations, school apologies (sorry not sorry) for misguided demonstrations. These flashbacks are peppered throughout their discovery of a hideout possibly a clue to explain a disappeared commune from years past. There's a lot of debate and argument between them tapping into their anxiety and the feeling that no one is listening to them. The flashbacks serve to add humour to the situation, so there's many moments of laughter in the show interspersed with their search for answers.

The Silence of the Lambs Jr. Edition - A complete change of pace for this hilarious piece presented at the Grindstone by Cousins-in-Law Productions. Playwrights Lauren Boyd & Jesse Harlton have re-envisioned The Silence of the Lambs as a show for the little ones (but this is NOT really a show for little ones). It is screamingly funny. We learn, we participate, and we definitely laugh inappropriately. There are puppets, and teachable moments, and did I mention it's a MUSICAL?!? It's best if you are familiar with the source material as most of the audience I saw it with definitely was. So funny and original!

Practically Pitch Perfect - Top Bunk Theatre takes on the Pitch Perfect movies with this parody production. Taking inspiration and direct plot points from the films and amping them up, the show pits an all-female a cappella group (who only does Taylor Swift songs) against a male a cappella group. The cast plays the ideas big and creates some great musical moments. Familiarity with the source material is handy and they do a good job channeling the energy of the film and taking things up a notch. The Taylor Swift reference is important and leads to a very funny and somewhat mystical ending. 

Tickets for all Fringe shows: https://tickets.fringetheatre.ca/events/

Fringe 2024 - WORD OF MOUTH - Sunday, August 18th - Find Your Fringe!

Sometimes - when you go to a different Venue - you get totally new suggestions! So that's why it's good to get around to the different sites at the Fringe! Today I was at Grindstone for a couple of shows and got so great new Word of Mouth recommendations!

Word of Mouth - Sunday, August 18th!

SeaMAN
Who's Afraid of Winnie-the-Pooh
WROL
Goose!
Local Diva: The Danielle Smith Diaries
LARRY
Naked Lady
Murder She Improvised
Die-Nasty
Sweet Jesus - The Gospel According to Felt
What a Young Wife Ought to Know
JON BENNETT vs JASON DONOVAN in DUMB TRIVIA
yegDND
Silence of the Lambs Jr.

I'll be on the main site tomorrow - so let me know your recommendations if you see me!

Fringe 2024 - Saturday, August 24th - Young Wives and The Bells!

I saw two shows on Saturday. I'm pacing myself this Fringe so I might not hit my usual 30+ total! But despite the slightly overcast weather, it was a nice day - not too hot and my feet could handle the walk to Sugar Swing and back to the main grounds!

What a Young Wife Ought to Know - This was a very well done production of Hannah Moscovitch's script. I had not seen the show when it was done in the city in 2018 but was glad to catch it here at the Fringe. It deals with the challenges and trials of a young (a very young) wife in 1920s Ottawa dealing with managing her fertility despite a lack of support both socially and medically. This is pre-birth control pill times; this is back alley abortion and throw yourself down the stairs to end a pregnancy time; this is the time when women frequently dies in childbirth. This is the time when you are looked at with disgust and judged when you ask for help for how to prevent a pregnancy. Anyhow, the show was very well done. The cast of three were all strong and handled the script well. A special shout-out to Abby MacDougall, who plays the young wife Sophie. She was mesmerizing and I was blown away by her onstage. A talent to watch!

The Bells - A musical about the Brontës - Charlotte, Emily, Anne and Branwell (the brother). I have seen a few shows about the Bronte sisters over the years and though this would be a cool one to check out! It was! The music was really good and this cast can sing. The script is new and has room to grow a little, but the bones are definitely there. The music is outstanding (written by Cassie Hyman and Emi Gusdal - who also play Emily and Charlotte respectively) and modern (they rock out!) and the cast can all sing excellently. There are some fabulous moments that demonstrate terrific harmony. Those Brontës sound really, really good together! Definitely worth checking out!

Fringe 2024 - WORD OF MOUTH - Saturday, August 17th - Find Your Fringe!

Many of the folks I ran into on Saturday were seeing their first show that day, but I did gather a few suggestions from people on the grounds!

638 Ways to Kill Castro
AWOL
Trial By Jury
Murder She Improvised
Fool's Gold the Musical
Accidental Beach (Which might be sold out - but it's at Grindstone so fingers crossed for a holdover?)
Rob and Chris (Bobby + Tina)
What a Young Wife Ought to Know (Caution: topic might be challenging for some audience members)
Bright Lights

I've seen a couple of these but these are all recommendations from other people on the grounds! So if they were on your 'maybe' list, or if you are looking to fill a hole in your schedule, these are options! 

Tickets: https://tickets.fringetheatre.ca/events/ 

Fringe 2024 - Friday, August 16th - A Terrific Afternoon of Shows!

I caught three shows yesterday afternoon and had a wonderful time!

Bright Lights - So funny and so well done! This script is hilarious but it only works because the acting and directing is so excellent! I mean, you have to figure those that attend a group for Alien Abduction "experiencers" are going to provide opportunity for huour but I was laughing so much! Great to see some of our finest local actors in this piece and some in roles you wouldn't expect to hilarious effect! See it!

ROB AND CHRIS (BOBBY+TINA)-A NEW MUSICAL - Another excellent show. This one a new musical based on Collin Doyle's Let the Light of Day Through (perhaps the best new script I have seen ever and I think of it often...). The musical is the same but different, as it is a musical. But it is excellent. Doyle worked with Matt Graham to adapt the piece and it still has it's humour and heart break, but now with wonderful songs. I would avoid spoilers if you haven't seen the play as I think the reveal is important. If you have seen the play, you're prepared. Great chemistry between Rob (Garret Ross) and Chris (Jenny McKillop) and excellent voices. Kate Ryan did a great job directing it so it moves beautifully. 

The Black Widow Gun Club - A new show from Whizzgiggling Productions written by Trevor Schmidt and starring the trio of Kristin Johnston, Cheryl Jameson and Michelle Todd. One thing about watching these perennial favourites is that it really shows how diverse these three actors are. Each show has them playing vastly different characters! This is a dark but funny, film noir piece about three ex-wives and one dead husband. Who killed him? Striking lighting, and a fabulous aesthetic is the setting. Johnston channels a Joan Crawford-like heiress, Jameson is a wisecracking Bette Davis artist, and Todd is a Marilyn Monroe- inspired waitress. It's a lot of fun and there's a delightful twist at the end that every good Film Noir demands!

Fringe 2024 - WORD OF MOUTH - Friday, Aug 16th - Find Your Fringe!

Word of Mouth

I asked folks in the line-ups and beer tents if they had any shows to recommend. These are shows they enjoyed and thought people would like. I have not seen most of them and your tastes may vary - BUT if you like the idea of the show and it's on this list, it's probably a good bet! I've added disclaimers where they were provided by the provider!

Rat Academy (which might be Sold Out but I heard a rumour it may play in the city after the Fringe)
Oddball Cabaret
Let's Not Turn on Each Other
Alison Wunderland
Heartstrings: An Improvised Theatre Experience
Brother Love's Good Time Gospel Hour (Only for those not easily offended)
Naked Mennonite
That's What She Sang
Bright Lights
Rob and Chris (Bobby and Tina)

Fringe 2024 - FIND YOUR FRINGE! Begins! Kicking it off with Regression (Cathexis Theatre) at the Playhouse!

It's time for the Fringe Festival - the Edmonton Theatre Community's most special time of year! I successfully purchased my Double Fringer Pass and after sorting through the 200+ offerings on hand in the Program I booked myself 20+ shows and waited anxiously for the kick-off last night!

The Theme this year is "Find Your Fringe!" and that is what I encourage all of you to do. With 200+ shows, you can literally construct a Fringe that is custom made for you. I personally like a mix of shows, but this year I am comedy heavy as I wanted choices to lift my spirit, but if you are into historical, drama, improv, clown, experimental, quirky, political, musical, drag, burlesque new works - you can design a Fringe that fits you like a glove!

I caught an 8 pm show last night - a new work and a musical called Regression by local company Cathexis Theatre. Cathexis has been producing new musicals at the Fringe for several years and this one explores the impact and inspiration of the past (particularly dead white men like Shakespeare, Van Gogh and Mozart) on what we create today. As a playwright, I connected to this struggle as I have often dreamed of writing something as significant as Shakespeare! The show occurs in Prior, a community obsessed with all things from the past, and three young artists (writer, musician, and painter played by Kara Adams, Pauline Miki, and Chrissie Palacios) must find inspiration from the afore-mentioned long-dead Shakespeare, Mozart and Van Gogh to create their work at the Annual Faire (or lose their funding!). I really enjoyed the music in the show. The three artists sound wonderful together and Kara Adams, whose story seems the most central, has a fantastic voice. The three 'saints of inspiration' (played by Colin Bluekens, Tom Blazejewicz, and Dave Froland) provide a lot of the humour to the show. I loved the line about Shakespeare (Bluekens) after he repeatedly demonstrated his misogyny, that he was "Progressive - for his time!" Other artistic struggles include wanting to be original, trying to escape repression and suffering perhaps too much for one's art. It was a fun show to start my Fringe!

What's Next? Today I will be seeing Bright Lights (Blarney Productions), ROB AND CHRIS (BOBBY+TINA)-A NEW MUSICAL (Plain Jane), and The Black Widow Gun Club (Whizzgiggling)! I think it will be a terrific afternoon!

IF YOU SEE ME ON THE GROUNDS - Tell me what you liked as I will once again be posting my "Word of Mouth" posts. I cannot get to every show so I have to rely on other people to tell me what's worth your Fringe dollars!