I am not a reviewer, but do see a lot of theatre – 35 shows at this year’s Victoria Fringe Festival (and somehow I managed NOT to see all the shows from Victoria going on to Vancouver).
Here's a list of all the shows from the Victoria Fringe that are coming to Vancouver. The productions are uniformly excellent. However, my taste in theatre may not be yours. Caveat emptor!
Die Roten Punkte: Featuring the talents of German punk rockers via Australia, Astrid and Otto Rot. Hilarious. Unique. A must see. Get to an early show. They will sell out. Guaranteed. Awarded #2 by the audience at the Pick of the Fringe ceremonies, Victoria Fringe.
SHOSHINZ presents: A Day in the Life of Miss Hiccup: Solo physical comedy, dance and music. Miss Hiccup (Yanomi) had the audience in stitches at the Victoria Fringe preview. An all ages show with abundant physical comedy. Infinityliveproductions.com
Lucky 9 by TJ Dawe, a Fringe legend. Autobiographical monologue. Truly the current granddaddy of Fringe performers despite his young age. Will sell out from opening night on! Get there early. tjdawe.com
jem rolls: ONE MAN RIOT Another Fringe veteran, poet and spoken word artist Jem Rolls. Brilliant, mind boggling word artistry. Be alert if you’re going to his show – it demands your full attention. More storytelling than usual, explaining how Jem became Jem!
Poison the Well by Andrew Connor (of the Cody Rivers Show) and Elison Zasko (the Sputniks). A tense dialogue fueled drama. Something very different from two veteran Fringe performers whose previous performances I have admired. Stay alert and be prepared for twists and turns.
7 x 1 Samurai by David Gaines. A loose retelling of Kurosowa's epic film The Seven Samurai by a mime clown virtuoso. Incredible action and masks. Winner of Best Physical Theatre at the Victoria Fringe Pick of the Fringe.
Wanderlust by Martin Dockery. Storytelling that far transcends the usual autobiographical monologue. Many sold out shows at the Victoria Fringe. If you've travelled for any length of time, you know someone like Martin.
Antoine Feval by Chris Gibbs. Awarded #3 by the audience at the Pick of the Fringe ceremonies, Victoria Fringe. Few performers can stay so firmly entrenched in their character as they step off stage to offer water to a coughing audience member, or cope with squeaky chairs onstage. Hilariously funny dimwit: think Watson to Sherlock with humour and barbs. You won't be disappointed. Chris is a veteran of the Canadian Fringe and a most generous performer. After touring the country, he still found time to perform in "Gibberish" as a benefit for Intrepid Theatre, producers of the Victoria Fringe.
The Peter n’ Chris Show presents: Pete n’ Chris Save the World. Peter Carlone and Chris Wilson have performed with Atomic Vaudeville, Itsazoo Productions and the Phoenix Theatre. They were recently awarded “Outstanding Duo Performance” at the Ottawa Fringe Peer Awards. An excellent team of comedic performers with wonderful transitions, great physical comedy and an amazing story arc. Many sold out shows at the Victoria Fringe. See them early.
Fucking Stephen Harper: How I Sexually Assaulted the 22nd Prime Minister of Canada and Saved Democracy. A Fringe Title for sure! Rob Salerno, actor and journalist recounts (loosely) an episode when he was working for Xtra! (Canada's gay and lesbian newspaper) during the 2008 elections.
Titania by Frances Kitson. Imagine Titania, queen of the fairies from Twelfth Night, as she copes with marital discord and a crying baby. An imaginative retelling.
Moving Along by Chris Craddock. This "electrifying" show was performed at the 2009 Victoria Fringe. Unbelievable theatre artistry as the actor delivers his monologue and manipulates all the lights from a specially designed chair. I sat on the edge of my seat - spellbound - through personal revelation after revelation. Riveting.
Limbo by Andrew Bailey. A favourite of younger audiences from his performances with iconic local troupe Atomic Vaudeville, Andrew is a talented monologuist. Expect complete honesty. Limbo was presented at the 2010 Uno Fest and is the final piece in his trilogy - previous episodes were Scrupulosity and Putz. Familiarity with his previous work is not necessary to understand this tale.
Reviews of the Victoria Fringe can be found at Monday Magazine, the Times Colonist and Camosun College's Nexus newspaper.There was also a very active #yyjfringe stream on Twitter. You can search using #yyjfringe and the name of the show you are interested in for audience tweets and #ThreeWordReviews.
Unfortunately I did not see: Route 66, One Man Show and Misadventures of a Massage Therapist - my apologies to the performers. Too much Fringe, too little time.
