Reviews: Titles "A" through "G"

1UP (BYOV N)
If you’ve never seen a Mostly Water Theatre production before, you’ve been missing Edmonton’s answer to Corky and The Juice Pigs (just with a lot more video). At one point they perform a song called “Lloydminster” (about a boy and a girl from different provinces falling in love) that rivals “I’m the Only Gay Eskimo” for the title of funniest song about Canadian idiosyncrasies ever. Ever!
Seriously—I couldn’t wipe the smirk off my face as these guys delivered one deadpan jab after another at the intricacies of Guitar Hero to Star Wars lifers to jock/geek standoffs in World of Warcraft. (Please don’t ask how I caught all these references; all those years with boyfriends and brothers who can’t pull themselves away from their gaming systems have finally paid off.).
The show’s highlight, however, takes on a much more highbrow target: the absolutely gut-busting “Jane Austen Drinking Game” sketch (originally written for CBC Radio’s The Irrelevant Show) is a must-see for anyone looking for an alternative to the hackneyed Sociables. “Spontaneous equestrianism! Drink!” “Loss of countenance! Two drinks!” Go. You will laugh. And you will probably spill beer all over yourself in the process.
—Fawnda Mithrush
4 STARS

2 QUEENS AND A JOKER (BYOV B)
With more than two glamourous decades of plays about powerful women under their skirts, Edmonton’s Guys in Disguise are naturals to put on a show about the deadly rivalry between Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I of England. Maralyn Ryan dominates every scene in which she appears as the male
messenger who is “caught between two queens.” The legendary Trevor Schmidt (as Liz) and Nick Green (as Mary) are appropriately self-absorbed and diva-esque, and their clothes, wigs, and make-up are fabulously overdone.
But the powerful royal drama behind this play never comes to full expression, getting lost among a barrage of bitchy witticisms that strike not at their target’s heart but at a somewhat lower part of the anatomy. Ryan’s rhyming account of the history of Liz and Mary’s two houses is as close as this play gets to conveying the momentous scale of the royal conflict. The show is entertaining, but the depth of characterization and snap of dialogue is a far cry from earlier Guys Fringe plays like the Joan Crawford/Bette Davis tribute Bitchslap!, a much grander and penetrating portrayal of female feuding.
3 STARS

25 PLAYS ABOUT... LOVE (STAGE 1)
Coming up with a rating for a show like this is a matter of pure mathematics: roughly 10 of these mini-plays are good, and roughly 15 are not.
With a premise this broad, you’d expect to see some creative (and even downright left-field) takes on all things amatory, but for the most part the show is surprisingly conventional. Only a few scenes take a real risk in their approaches, and only a few of those are successful at it—one of the best being a man’s monologue about his salvaged marriage, where the elephant in the room is the oversized pink elephant costume he’s wearing the whole time.
Too often, though, the playwrights (which include James Hamilton and Collin Doyle, whose Sterling Award-winning Nighthawk Rules presented a much more original love story than anything here) rely on familiar character types. There are the male nerds who communicate through videogames, the high-strung woman who leaves too many phone messages in a row, and the perpetually mistreated overweight guy. Skinny, bald Hamilton is consistently strong in all of his scenes, though; I love that guy! —Michael Hingston
2 STARS

THE ADVENTUROUS TIMES OF KEVIN GRIMES (BYOV K)
David Belke is back, this time with one of his most ambitious projects yet: an epic five-part live radio serial, beamed to you from the basement of Holy Trinity Anglican Church every night of the Fringe. Belkeheads will want to see all five installments, but for those with limited Fringe-going time need not worry about being dropped, helpless, into the story on night five—each show starts out with a speedy, hilarious recap, plus there’s a handy “Our Story So Far” leaflet in the program.
All the familiar conventions of radio drama are here, including live sound effects, and Edmonton herself plays a starring role. The entire troupe is delightful, but Andrea House gives a standout turn as Rowan, “an exotic woman with an eyepatch,” the Marquis de Sade, among many others. Tickets, as with every Belke show, are in short supply, but don’t despair if you are told at the box office that the show is sold out (as my friends were)—it turned out that some were still available at the door (cash only). If you still can’t finagle a ticket, I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re soon hearing the repeats on the airwaves for real. —Elliot Kerr
3 1/2 STARS

AFRICAN FOLKTALES WITH ERIK DE WAAL (STAGE 12)
Take your kids to see African Folktales. Heck, just take yourself, kids or no kids. Storytelling (real storytelling, performed by a flesh-and-blood human and not a talking box) is a dying art; we’re losing a valuable, rich artform to convenience and commercials.
But Erik de Waal keeps the art alive for a new generation each year at the Fringe with his captivating children’s shows. With the help of a cast of hand puppets, de Waal artfully weaves traditional African tales and well-chosen modern details, making them accessible to young 21st-century minds. De Waal’s use of simple interactive techniques like call-and-response skillfully holds the attention of his entire audience, young and old alike—in fact, the adults probably giggled just as much as the kids. He has a true knack for working with children, expertly quelling even the most boisterous members of the crowd.
The first story, a charming fable about a bully in Rabbit’s house, was enjoyable enough, but I was really impressed with the second tale, about a mythological cannibal who steals a boy’s little sister. (Now there’s something you won’t see in a Disney movie.) —Melissa Priestley
4 STARS

ALBERTINE IN FIVE TIMES (STAGE 9)
Michel Tremblay’s classic Quebec drama puts you through the wringer: it’s at once depressing and enlightening, wince-inducing and heart-felt. It’s the story of a Quebec woman, Albertine, at five different decades of her life, from age 30 to age 70, each version of her played by a different actress, all of them able to communicate with each other. As the five Albertines reflect upon the events of her tragic life, it’s hard not to be moved.
All five of the actresses make strong, distinct impressions, though Caitlin Schulz (who plays Albertine at 30), does stand out as the weak link. She’s not bad, but her inability to maintain a French accent does ruin the illusion that she’s the same woman the other four actresses are playing.
Downbeat, “serious” plays like this one are the hardest ones to market at the Fringe, where most theatregoers tend to gravitate towards lighthearted comedies and improv shows. But consider giving Albertine a shot. It may not have a happy ending, and it might even leave you with a sense of despair for Albertine in her old age, alone with her mistakes, but you will also be tremendously moved. —Ramin Ostad
4 STARS

ALBERTO THE DANCING ALLIGATOR
(STAGE 12)
Jan Taylor’s adaptation of Richard Waring’s award-winning children’s book will either enchant or repel you, depending on your penchant for bright colours and bubbly characters. It’s certainly a spectacle that entrances most children, though parents may need to brace themselves.
To be fair, the play does try to amuse parents with a few Shrek-inspired one-liners—though the frog hip-hop number (get it, get it?) is a bit much. Kim Bunka, who plays a host of characters, has excellent timing and delivery; her performance as the Italian-spouting rodent ringmaster of the “Circo di Slime” will draw giggles out of everyone.
The occasionally clumsy puppetry could use some smoothing out—although even the most slender-fingered performer might find it hard to maneuver the tiny baby Alberto puppet. Things improve significantly with the full-size grown-up Alberto, although I’m still not convinced having the character played by a puppet is the best choice. Then again, the alternative—a person in an alligator suit—comes dangerously close to the infamous purple dinosaur. —Melissa Priestley
3 STARS

ALOHA PINAFORE (STAGE 11)
Riding the waves of last year’s El Muchacho, Sherrard Musical Theatre delivers another zesty production. This Hawaiian spin on Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore is a parody of a parody—and the indiscriminate inclusion of songs from Pirates of Penzance, Carmen, and bits of musical theatre both highbrow and lowbrow will leave purists apoplectic. (G&S aficionados who enjoyed Edmonton Opera’s production of Pinafore last season will roll their eyes at the references to The Love Boat.)
But the same basic story of forbidden love between a young boatswain and the captain’s daughter is still here, and the enthusiasm of the large cast (which includes a wide spectrum of ages) is infectious. Operetta snobs, watch out. People looking for an undemanding good time, give it a try. —Jeremy Schiff
3 STARS

AMATEUR NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (STAGE 7)
Hardcore zombie fans looking for brains, blood, and cheesy one-liners better look elsewhere—none are to be found in this comedy from Calgary. Well, except for the one-liners.
Trevor Campbell lays the cheese on thick with one flat joke after another in this deadpan comedy set in The Laugh Hole, a decrepit 18 year-old comedy club that is closing down to make room for a Blockbuster outlet. Campbell plays the six comedians on the bill for the club’s final show. The headliners include a crazed Adolf Hitler doing Woody Allen impersonations ... and for those who don’t find Jewish jokes funny, there’s always Campbell’s Jesus Christ routine. (The biggest flaw to this character aren’t his tasteless claims that he’s a homosexual drug abuser, but the fact that the costume doesn’t include a beard.)
It was difficult to tell whether the stone-faced audience I saw this show with just didn’t find most of ANOLD funny, or if they were gorehounds disappointed to discover that the only actual zombie in the performance was “Guy Gravestone,” who specializes in Pee Wee Herman impersonations. —Andrew Paul
2 STARS

AMERICAN SQUATTER (STAGE 11)
I’m always wary of one-person shows—especially shows where the one person talkes about actual experiences from their lives. There is only so much navel-gazing a Fringegoer can take, especially when it’s someone else’s navel. Thankfully, Barry Smith (whose Jesus in Montana was one of the most memorable shows of the 2007 Fringe) is fully aware of this potential trap and happily walks in. As he begins his account of his journey from American suburbanite to proudly down-and-out London skater/poet/punk/squatter, he proudly proclaims, “Self-absorption had reached critical mass.”
Armed with a microphone, a slide projector, and a camera pointed at—surprise, surprise!—himself, Smith shapes his story through deft anecdotes and plenty of photos and video footage that he swears have not been Photoshopped. I believe him. Smith has a deft sense of self-satire that he expresses through seamless one-liners and well-placed images. He even demonstrates some sweetness and (eep!) character growth, fooling the audience into chuckling through one young man’s journey of self-discovery. —Caitlin Fulton
4 STARS

ANIME (BYOV J)
Anime isn’t so much a play as it is... well, play. Playwright/actor Keith Wyatt, director Stefan Dzeparoski, and an impressive cast have set out to recreate the experience of watching Japanese animation in real time, sans special effects. And they come very close to pulling it off. From the balletic fight scenes, the original score, and the existential themes, to the perfectly suited cyberpunk-influenced venue (namely, downtown’s New City compound), Anime brings a cartoon world to life, along with an appropriately cartoonlike story about a female cyborg searching for truth and identity, a life.
When it succeeds, it does so through the audacious force of the cast’s imagination, especially that of Wyatt and supporting actor Garett Ross. Unfortunately, this is the same area where it fails. Too often, Anime’s performers come off sounding like children at play, completely immersed in a world of their own creation and mimicking their favorite manga. The writing is full of trite aphorisms, pretentious pop-philosophy and obvious social commentary, not to mention toy guns. Then again, true fans of anime will probably really dig that. —Greg Hudson
3 STARS

“ART” (STAGE 3)
Yasmina Reza’s much-performed play about three guys who destroy their lifelong friendship over a piece of modern art is vividly brought to life by director Kelly Reay and a top-notch cast. Serge (Philip Warren Sarsons) pays an inordinate amount of money for an all-white painting with white diagonal lines running down the middle; Marc (David Trimble) thinks Serge has turned into a pretentious, alien snob as a result; and Yvan (Eric Nyland) exhaustedly tries to see both points of view.
Even if you couldn’t care less about the merits of modern art (or the ideology behind it), you’ll be surprised at the emotions this production stirs up (even if it only makes you feel outraged at the pomposity of it all). You may or may not come away with new insight, but the giddy image of these three men, angrily bickering and circling the canvas like aesthetic vultures, ought to make even the stuffiest critic lighten up a little. —Michael Hingston
4 STARS

THE B-LIST (STAGE 7)
The B-Girls are fresh out of rehab and riding the Amy Winehouse train to international stardom. Unfortunately, a few things still stand in their way. Not only does Ivana, the sultry Latina sexaholic, still not have her Canadian citizenship, but the girls get trapped in a psychedelic musical time warp after eating some strange mushrooms while working for David Suzuki at a new health food catering service and cabaret.
Will Ivana become a Canadian? Will The B-Girls come back from this inconvenient relapse in time for their world tour? And what is the awful secret that the girls are keeping from their beautiful audience? The answers to these questions won’t be found in this review, but rest assured all the glamourous answers are revealed in The B-List, a bawdy pop-culture burlesque from Toronto actor/playwrights Michael Boyuk and Mark Peacock.
This kind of show is designed to be brassy, but they’ve definitely overdone it with the blaring volume. Unless the sound is fixed, I recommend sitting in the centre section of the Yardbird Suite. On the other hand, the extreme volume ensures that the crowd will have show tunes ringing in their heads for hours afterward. —Andrew Paul
3 STARS

BALLS! (STAGE 5)
See Battle!

BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL (BYOV L)
Bat Boy, as any regular reader of the Weekly World News can tell you, is a bald, feral teenager with big ears, pointy teeth, and skin paler than Moby. As this tongue-in-cheek musical opens, he’s shuffling around his cave on crouched limbs when he is discovered by a few local kids. By play’s end, he’s at ease singing and tap dancing along with the
family who took him in and domesticated him.
This show is inspired by supermarket tabloids, but its true inspiration is Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands: both are whimsical tales of an unusual boy who finds acceptance amidst a suspicious, conformist community—in this case, the tight-knit, God-fearing community of Hope Falls, West Virginia. In Bat Boy, these tensions frequently inspire the townsfolk to erupt into whimsical song (“Hold me, Bat Boy/Touch me, Bat Boy…”) that incorporate a mix of rock/pop, gospel, and even rap.
Unfortunately, the plodding first act robs this story of a lot of its potential charm. It’s only when the plot heats up in the second act and the colourful characters are given freer rein to be quirky that Bat Boy’s story truly takes... er... wing. —Janet Ngo
2 1/2 STARS

BELLIES, KNEES, AND ANKLES (STAGE 8)
Linette Smith, Karen Gurba, Amanda Scorge, and Kimberly Lang obviously all worked very hard on this play. They may not be the most experienced, virtuosic actors in the world, but they’ve got a lot of heart. Which is why it was kinda sad to see their efforts squandered on this script.
Playwright W.E. Hamilton gives us a strange mishmash of characters with relationships that pop up out of nowhere; even though these women have just met, they ask each other very personal questions right off the bat, and none of them seem unfazed by the presumptuousness. The play raises all the typical “feminist” issues that Hamilton apparently assumes all women will automatically relate to (waitressing, dieting, spirituality, mom/daughter issues, pregnancy, insecurities). But these tired conventions come off more as a cheap grab at audience sympathy and they do nothing to make these women seem like specific human beings. A play about these four actresses, on the other hand—that might be worth seeing. —Jill Stanton
2 STARS

’BETH (STAGE 5)
’Beth may be based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth, but playwright Andrea Rosenfield seems perfectly content to discard those complicated bits that made the original a delightfully psychological tale of ambition and the supernatural. Only the most basic plot points remain in this confusing two-hander, and those are pretty jumbled, just in case you thought your memories of studying the play in high school might help you figure out what’s going on.
Rosenfield’s story follows the treachery that crops up due to an unjust will, and the script is heavy on legalese and light on poetry. Some speeches that are paraphrased directly from the Bard into a peculiar modern English are particularly painful.
Actors Vladimir Cara and Angela Potvin each perform several scenes alone, playing both villain and hero with the use of a mirror, but while both actors work themselves into quite a state of emotional intensity, puzzling out the distinctions between characters and understanding their motivations is a
challenge. Still, it does create some striking visual images, and for all the barriers standing in the audience’s way, it does leave you wanting to explore its world further. —Elliot Kerr
2 STARS

BIG SHOT (STAGE 8)
Big Shot is the latest brainchild from young soon-to-be-a-superstar Jon Lachlan Stewart, who made a big splash a few Fringes ago with his manic one-man show Little Room.
Once again, Stewart is the sole performer in this “psychological thriller” about everyday tragedies and how they relate to the ones we see in movies or TV newscasts.
Stewart seamlessly shifts between six different characters (including an elderly Japanese man, a character Stewart went so far as to get language training in order to play). You literally cannot take your eyes off him; Stewart is a mass of creative energy, and his commitment to his craft is almost palpable. Words fail me… you’re just going to have to see this one for yourself. Do it! —Jill Stanton
5 STARS

BIG WINNER (STAGE 5)
Romance! Intrigue! Timmy’s! Big Winner is a homegrown gem. This romantic dramedy by Ellen Chorley about a pair of Red Deer roommates and their quest to win big in the Tim Hortons Roll-Up-the-Rim-to-Win contest is an absolute charmer, capturing those elusive connections between friendship, intimacy, and love with subtlety and grace, never once sinking into sap or didactic monologizing.
I am now a newly converted fan of Chorley’s playwriting, and I liked her acting a lot too—she stars in the show opposite Brian Bergum, and together, the two have the kind of chemistry and comic timing that lesser thespians have actually killed for in drama programs across the nation. Big Winner is perfect fare for a sunny afternoon with an ice capp—check it out, and see if you don’t add the phrase “yellow light splooge” to your vocabulary the way I have. —Elliot Kerr
4 STARS

BIGGER THAN JESUS! (STAGE 8)
Inflatable Buddha is a band from Leeds, England, and they begin this show by promising to deliver “philosophy you can dance to.” Such a heady statement! I couldn’t wait to hear the result. Well, Bigger Than Jesus! turned out to be an amateurish version of Saturday Night Live, only lamer and with more audience participation. None of the jokes go together, and they’re all a little bit here and there.
The show is also like SNL in that there is a super-surprise musical guest (Susanna Starling), who, between snippets of frontman Steve Larkin’s crazy facial gestures and acquired-taste humour, gives us little peeks of beauty with sensual songs she performs while accompanying herself on the upright bass. Some real talent here! Go for the guilty pleasure, if not for the fact that everything sounds funnier with a British accent. —Jill Stanton
3 STARS

BOBBY GOULD IN HELL (STAGE 9)
What if the fate of your immortal soul was decided not on your actions, but your thoughts? Does performing nothing but virtuous deeds absolve you of the sinful ideas running through your head at the same time? Those are the questions posed by David Mamet’s little-known short play Bobby Gould in Hell, although it never takes them terribly seriously.
That Bobby Gould is so funny is a blessing and a curse; it’s always a treat to hear Mamet’s trademark profane humour (and this play is a relief from the pressure-cooker drama of Oleanna, another Mamet play the same company is staging at the same venue), but the comedy arguably detracts from a story that poses some fascinating questions about what being a “good person” really means. I say this reluctantly, but I probably could have used more philosophy and less gruff humor from the devilish Interrogator (Bradley Bishop) and his Nazi assistant (Cody Porter, who steals the show despite having the fewest lines). —Ramin Ostad
3 1/2 STARS

A BODY OF WATER (STAGE 9)
Lee Blessing’s play has a familiar Twilight Zone-ish premise: two amnesiac adults who cannot even remember their own selves, let alone their surroundings. But Blessing isn’t primarily interested in solving the mystery about how or why Avis (Coralie Cairns) and Moss (John Sproule) arrived at this situation; instead he focuses on how they cope with the fact that, each day, they will awaken with no memories—the slate wiped clean once again. In fact, I would have been happy if the mystery had never been solved at all: with the introduction of Wren (Beth Graham), the couple’s daughter, caretaker, and the only person who has all the answers, A Body of Water descends into unsatisfying cliché.
That said, the performances are, as you would expect from this cast, top-notch. Cairns and Sproule are both extremely convincing in their parts—Avis nervous and distraught, Moss curious and witty. And Graham is excellent as Wren, seamlessly mixing anguish and rage with love both feigned and genuine. —Ramin Ostad
4 STARS

BOOM (STAGE 3)
There are a lot of one-person shows at the Fringe, but few of them plunge you into a strange, densely imagined world as quickly as Andrew Connor’s Boom. Within only a few minutes, Connor introduces to a cross-section of the citizens of New Rockwell, who hope the spaceport they’re building on the outskirts of town will rescue their crumbling city. We meet the incompetent mayor who has blithely signed over control of all the municipal institutions to the corporation erecting the spaceport; the smug, oily, underqualified spaceport CEO; a tetchy older couple; a precocious little girl; and her uncle, an ethical bomb-builder whose creations can rid cauliflowers of butterflies and make Frenchmen unable to pronounce their “r”s properly... everything, really, except explode. (Exploding bombs, he explains, represent bombs in their crudest form: “There’s always a more elegant solution,” he says.)
Boom reminds me of a highly verbal version of a Nicola Gunn play in the way it moves swiftly among its cast of eccentric characters, the connections between them only gradually becoming apparent. The story runs a little bit out of steam near the end, but this is still a delightful Fringe discovery, teeming with inventive ideas and playful verbal wit. Kapow! —Paul Matwychuk
4 1/2 STARS

BUSTY RHYMES WITH MC HOT PINK
(STAGE 2)
Globetrotting Fringe favourite Penny Ashton (aka MC Hot Pink) blazes fire across the stage in all her big-breasted glory in this racy one-woman show. A genre-busting performance poet, singer, dancer, and savagely funny raconteuse specializing in tales of relationships and inevitable heartbreak, she confronts, pummels, and overcomes over and over again. At the same time, Penny never forgets that she’s a lady, even when discussing her huge “norks” or the multi-species dating scene in her particular corner of New Zealand. She educates as she gyrates, putting bad men in their place without sinking to their level. She loves men, but she does have a lot of advice for them.
In less talented and more earnest hands, her messages could alienate, but at the performance I attended, she charmed our pants off whether she was exposing her vulnerabilities in measured tones or dancing up a butt-slapping hip-hop storm. The finale alone is worth the price of admission. —Barry Bristman
4 STARS

CARROT JUICE COMEDY (STAGE 2)
Rapid Fire Theatre improv veterans Joey Lucius and Andrew Torry join Neil LeGrandeur in a half-hour of carrot juice and ’80s music-fueled comedy. The trio mixes short action sketches with slice-of-life confessional tales and some audacious choreography most of us would be embarrassed to perform outside our own showers. LeGrandeur stands out as the best performer of the three, but the entire Carrot Juice team is consistently energetic, enthusiastic, and genuine, throwing themselves wholeheartedly into each new character.
The problem is that a lot of the material just isn’t that strong, and many of the sight gags, stories, and character types are a little too familiar. And while I’m a huge fan of filthy language, it’s no substitute for a real joke or a genuinely funny story. Also, exaggerated faces and loud delivery can only do so much to cover up a less-than-fulfilling script. But I would love to see these three a few years down the road, when their writing has caught up with their acting. —Barry Bristman
2 1/2 STARS

CELLMATES: THE MUSICAL (STAGE 1)
An absolute mess—and not in an endearing way. This ramshackle story of two hapless prisoners trying to make parole starts off questionable and quickly drops into outright nonsense, with reference points that span from awkward (dildos disguised as lamps, a Shakespeare quote encouraging suicide) to extremely awkward (Ed Stelmach and Barack Obama Photoshopped with cartoon googly eyes). Then there are the songs ... and really, the less said about them, the better. None of the actors are trained singers, and even one-note melodies tend to come out flat and breathy.
The biggest problem, though, is the general sloppiness surrounding this production: characters laughing in mid-song, or yelling at the audience, out of character, during a blackout—each of which took upwards of 30 seconds to complete—and just general confusion surrounding lighting and music cues. Darrel Stephenson has good overall comic timing, and Caitlynn Legris is understandably nervous, as she’s still in high school, but the rest of the production seems like one massive and baffling mistake. —Michael Hingston
1/2 STAR

CHIMPROV (BYOV B)
They’re a perennial favourite on the Edmonton improv scene, but Rapid Fire Theatre’s Chimprov got off to a rough start at this year’s Fringe. Tad Hargrave and Jamie Cavanagh tried valiantly to draw the audience into Knifefight, but they shot blanks for the first few minutes. Although things picked up slightly from there, the act dragged its heels from there on, the less-than-inspired banter evoking only sporadic laughter, not the hour-long belly laughs we’ve come to expect from this company.
The performance seemed more like a training demonstration for improv artists than it did an actual show, with Hargrave and Cavanagh unnecessarily and continually explaining the mechanics of various acting techniques. Hargrave also had a problem staying in character, killing the scene’s momentum as he experimented with different accents.
Improv is tough if the audience isn’t into it, but that’s part of the challenge. Hopefully Chimprov’s other players will have better luck during the rest of the Fringe; give them a shot if you’ve got time to kill. —Melissa Priestley
2 STARS

CINDERELLA (STAGE 12)
You know a family show is good when even the preteen boy seated next to me utters, “That was cool” once it’s over. This version of the familiar fairytale has all the right ingredients: exuberant young performers, plenty of audience participation, and enough twists to keep the older ones interested.
As we enter the theatre, we’re greeted by a cheerful good-morning from our fairy godmother Britannia, who serves as the show’s emcee. Meanwhile, the performances by Chris Scott and Brad Bergeron as the evil stepsisters will hopefully help prepare young audience to take in their first Guys in Disguise show a few years down the road. A subplot involving the stepmother is a nice touch, as is the orchestral version of “Stairway to Heaven” that plays during the ball scene. The young actors’ energy at times hovers dangerously close to shrill, but it’s infectious, and kept me almost as engaged as the kids surrounding me. —Caitlin Fulton
3 STARS

CLOSER (STAGE 2)
The first time I tried to see Closer, the performance was canceled due to a “technical malfunction.” Having now been inside the sauna-like Strathcona Community League and seen the show, I’m sure the culprit was plain old heat.
This adaptation of Patrick Marber’s ultra-cynical 1997 take on love and fidelity (which was adapted to film by Mike Nichols in 2004) uses music and a never-at-rest projector so often that I’m sure the 34-degree weather simply short-circuited the whole system.
This version of the play takes the two intertwined couples (Alice and Daniel, and Anna and Larry) and further complicates the already-knotty storyline by having two actors (Shomee Chakrabartty and Savanna Harvey) play the four of them. Some of it works seamlessly, in particular when Harvey does double-duty as Anna takes Alice’s portrait, but most of your mental energy is devoted simply to figuring out who’s onstage, doing what, and to whom. The blunt dialogue—“How does your cunt taste?” asks Larry of Alice, apropos of nothing—is an extra shot to your focus, and comes across here as accidentally jarring, rather than intentionally so.
Teenagers, beware: like the film, this is not a show you’ll want to watch alongside your parents. —Michael Hingston
3 STARS

THE CODY RIVERS SHOW PRESENTS:
STICK TO GLUE (STAGE 3)
Mike Mathieu and Andrew Connor know their art very well. This pair from Bellingham, Wash., has been doing different “episodes” of The Cody Rivers Show for
almost four years now, and it’s easy to see why they’re still at it. Their remarkable vocal and physical rhythm throughout their performance, for instance, is just a joy to witness.
Without spoiling too many of the surprises in store for you in this show, let me say simply that you’ll be seeing Mike and Andrew play everything from two farmers pondering the different types of people in the world to a pair of humanoid aliens battling gigantic space slugs. It’s amazing how they move from Sweden to Colombia in a matter of seconds.
Stick to Glue is meant to be one thing and one thing only: fun. Actually, let me put an exclamation mark at the end of that sentence: fun! It’s creative, clever, and even comes with whimsical songs and silly little accompanying dances that will send even the grouchiest Fringer home happy.
Note: due to their busy schedules, The Cody Rivers Show only runs until this Wednesday, so get on it! —Alejandro Moreno
4 1/2 STARS

COFFEE DAD, CHICKEN MOM, AND THE FABULOUS BUDDHA BOI (STAGE 5)
Holy Buddha! If you don’t go to this show, you may miss your only chance to see a levitating Trevor Schmidt—not to mention what is surely one of this year’s most fabulous Fringe set and lighting designs (courtesy of Daniela Masellis). Nick Green’s capable, clever script is full of witty fun, including possibly the greatest-ever riff on the old riddle of which came first, the chicken or the egg.
But Coffee Dad struggles to provide any substantial dramatic meat (or should that be tofu?) for Schmidt to sink his formidable chops into. He creates the three characters of the title with his usual engaging skill, but these 20-minute monologues smack more of caricature and camp than a meaningful interpretation of possible worlds. When an authoritative voice-over intoned, “This isn’t just about an emo teen hiding out in his basement,” I realized I must have missed the point, because New Age teen angst was all it added up to for me. —Elliot Kerr
3 STARS

COUNTERPART (STAGE 11)
The minimalist set, lighting cues, and props put the actors and script front and centre in The Saucy Fops’ Counterpart. Meet Jordan, who’s in a steady relationship while his counterpart, a woman also named Jordan, goes through a string of awkward first dates. The play follows these two Jordans as they each search for their better half, dissecting the urban dating scene in the process.
There are a few amusing observations here on romantic mores, from how to make a good first impression, to public washroom etiquette. At the same time, the production leans a little too heavily on its dialogue, making minimal use of the stage and the lighting cues that might have made the action more dynamic. The result is a production that falls far short of its potential. —Jeremy Schiff
2 STARS

CRUDE LOVE (STAGE 7)
Crude Love is a romance, but it’s an unusually topical one, set in Fort McMurray in the not-so-distant future. It’s 2012; the U.S. military has occupied northern Alberta to protect the oilsands from terrorists who creepily resemble present-day environmental activists. Abbie Waxman (Russell Bennett) is one of those terrorists, and during a protest stunt, he chains himself to a dump truck operated by Phyllis McCormack (Gillian Bennett). Their awkward meeting kicks off a wild romance in the futuristic wasteland of the Alberta oilfield.
The two Bennetts, who also wrote the script, use these characters’ relationships as a (somewhat diagrammatic) way of presenting both sides of the tarsands equation. Phyllis is a Newfoundland girl just trying to get her slice of the pie, while Waxman is a former Greenpeace activist who sees Big Oil not as an employment opportunity but a destructive, tyrannical force that needs to be dismantled immediately. Both characters are lovable and easy to identify with, regardless of your opinion on the oil industry. (Although come on, people. Have you seen those tailings ponds?)
Crude Love is a sweet little play that successfully argues that no matter how different two people might appear to be, love conquers all... that is, unless the oil industry is involved. —Andrew Paul
3 1/2 STARS

CRUSOE: ALL WASHED UP (STAGE 9)
Armed with nothing but an accordion, a blue sheet, and a whole lot of imagination, actor/playwright Fergus Rougier embarks on a comic retelling of the story of Robinson Crusoe. Staving off hunger, delirium, and loneliness, Crusoe must find a way out of his desperate, lonely predicament on his desert island and return to the luxuries of the real world and the comfort of human contact. Hilarious, right?
Actually, there are many enjoyable moments to Crusoe. Rougier is a high-energy storyteller and a flamboyant mime, and his comedic timing is often spot-on. But it’s not quite enough. Many of his pantomimes are mystifying, and while Rougier usually explains what happened immediately afterward, those explanations are only necessary because his body language, and his constant character switching, are too ambiguous to understand them clearly the first time. —Ramin Ostad
2 1/5 STARS

DEAD LOVER’S DAY: A MUSICAL (Stage 11)
Don’t let the morose tile or the theatre company’s ominous name (“Terrible Trouble Productions”) deceive you: Dead Lover’s Day is actually a sweet story about dealing with loss and moving on. Frank and Edith are in love ... but when Frank dies he winds up in a world of dead lovers, able to watch Edith jealously from afar as she continues on without him. Think of Truly, Madly, Deeply, only with a bland rock score ... and without Alan Rickman.
The pasty-faced, zombie-like actors make a marvelous contrast against the creepy set consisting of stark, leafless wire-frame trees, but these visual pleasures are drowned out by the overamplified music and voices—this show is way too loud for this moderate-sized theatre space. The racket is enough to raise the dead. —Jeremy Schiff
2 STARS

DEATH’S GODSON (STAGE 3)
Having taken his mother in childbirth, Death feels an unexpected pang of conscience and volunteers to become the infant’s godmother. (Shades of TV’s Reaper!) When the boy, Sebastian, comes of age, she marks the occasion by giving him his choice of bequests—and he chooses to become a great healer. In other words, to visit people on their deathbeds and help them get well again. It’s kind of amazing that nobody sees the mother-son conflict coming.
This musical by Paul Morgan Donald and Michele Brown, based on a Spanish folktale, will come as a surprise to people who recall Donald’s sexy, jazzy earlier shows Kink! and Reefer Madness: not only is Death’s Godson as sombre as they come, but the low-energy songs are  disappointingly unmemorable. However, Brown cuts an imposing figure—literally!—as the scythe-wielding Grim Reaper. —Paul
Matwychuk
2 1/2 STARS

DIAMOND DOG (BYOV B)
Nine top local actors plus one valuable pooch equals one very satisfying piece of theatre. Diamond Dog, playwright Belinda Cornish’s crime caper, tells the increasingly violent story of a motley crew of unwise wise guys whose attempts to pay back the money they owe to their deplorable, yet oddly paternal boss Uncle Larry (Kenneth Brown, who also directs) only mire them deeper and deeper in trouble. Cornish and Brown were obviously inspired by the films of Guy Ritchie (you know, the Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels/Snatch guy), and they’ve even gone so far as to set up a video screen on one side of the stage, a “cinematic” touch that’s distracting and largely unnecessary.
But that’s just about this show’s only drawback; this is a remount of an independent production from last May with mostly the same cast, and the experience shows—if I were to describe this show in a word, it would be tight. The potentially confusing plot unfolds cleanly under Brown’s crisp direction and the actors capture every profane nuance of Belinda Cornish’s quick and dirty dialogue. It’s a true ensemble piece—every character gets a chance to shine, whether they’re listing their digestive ailments, losing drinking contests, petnapping, or just getting caught in any number of compromising predicaments. —Caitlin Fulton
4 1/2 STARS

DIE ROTEN PUNKTE: SUPER MUSIKANT! (STAGE 8)
Wow. How to describe this one? Astrid and Otto, a brother-and-sister musical duo from Berlin, guide you through a one-hour set of their own material, parodying several musical genres along the way, all the while giving us some insight into what can happen to your relationship with your sister when the two of your are also members of a hardcore punkte band.
Smeared lipstick! Tiny instruments! Insults directed at The White Stripes!  German straight-edge flashcards! It’s all part of the fun at this very clever comedy. And to top it off, there is a chance at the end of the play to purchase commemorative band t-shirts and pins, all of which are actually really awesome! You have to see this one to believe it. —Jill Stanton
4 1/2 STARS

DON’T MAKE FUN OF JESUS (STAGE 9)
This one-woman comedy routine by Sherri D. Sutton is an irreverent retelling of her life as a lesbian Catholic from the poorer side of Georgia, including the not one but two times she came out of the closet.
Sutton has obviously never been one to feel sorry for herself; indeed, her jokes work as well as they do because of her constant optimism. Don’t Make Fun of Jesus could easily have settled for sarcasm and bitter humour, but instead Sutton delivers her story without a hint of anger or resentment. To her mind, even her setbacks and tragedies were more like unfortunately-yet-hilarious moments that helped to define who she is today.
Not all of it flows perfectly—one monologue about racism lasts a little too long, and the final third feels unconnected to the material that preceded it—but Sutton’s message is so uplifting that the flaws hardly matter. This woman will make you laugh. Even Jesus would get a kick out of her. —Ramin Ostad
3 1/2 STARS

ELEANOR (STAGE 8)
Jon Lachlan Stewart strikes again this Fringe (he’s also doing a solo show called Big Shot at the same venue), but this time he’s brought a couple of very talented friends along with him: Leah Doz and Vincent Forcier, both of whom are quite brilliant. The story, set in a brothel during the Paris Commune, is ripe with love, lust, politics ... and typewriting.
The plot takes a little while to get going (and the story requires some concentration to sort out), but once you connect one dot they all start connecting and the rollercoaster ride barely lets up. Does it sound like a backhanded compliment to say Eleanor is so well-done it barely feels like a Fringe play? In any case, suffice it to say that you’ll be kicking yourself a few years from now to think that you once could have paid $12 to see Stewart onstage instead of $50—he’s unmistakably a talent on the rise. —Jill Stanton
4 STARS

THE ETYMOLOGY OF IROQUOIS (STAGE 2)
Fringe veteran and prolific author, artist, and educator Timothy J. Anderson returns to the stage with a story that challenges conventional perceptions of other cultures and our understanding of what makes history. The Etymology of Iroquois is an engaging, interactive, multi-disciplinary lesson that travels back and forth across the Atlantic in search of an accurate account of an unfortunate label that doomed an ancient nation.
Historical plays always run the risk of turning into dry recitations of facts, but Anderson’s plaid-shorted, high-socked Professor—part historian, part linguist, part classroom crusader—holds the audience’s attention throughout the play. In some ways, he’s the history teacher you wish you had, though this instructor doesn’t mind making his students squirm in their seats.
It’s a shame that this show may not attract the numbers it should, as the title makes it sound like fodder for academics, which it definitely isn’t. Anderson and Karyn Mott, who plays an obstreperous student just as interested as her professor as in finding the truth, bring the past alive with equal amounts of humour and outrage. —Barry Bristman
3 1/2 STARS

THE GENGHIS KHAN GUIDE TO ETIQUETTE (STAGE 4)
Stand-up poet and perennial Fringer Rob Gee returns with an updated installment of his Genghis Khan spoken-word series. This time around, the British wordsmith offers what he calls a “poetic celebration of social skills.” In practice that means a solid 60 minutes of astonishing tongue-morphing, packing rap chops on par with Eminem (and with a notably more diverse vocabulary). Touching on his troubles with love, weed, cops, and a twinge of cheese, Gee’s shtick lies somewhere between the playfulness of Shel Silverstein and the self-deprecating pessimism of Larry David. Gee’s right: he does make Morrissey look like Shirley Temple by comparison.
As he jumps from poem to poem, Gee throws in a few explanatory asides to clear up any possible cultural confusions—he pauses mid-stanza in his poem “Every Man Should Read Cosmo” to explain the phrase “Not tonight darling, I’ve got a Prozac.” The asides are a welcome complement to the fast-paced verses, which can sound a bit muddy to relaxed ears. If this show is any indication, Gee could charm his way out of any scrapes with the cops—in fact, they’d probably end up taking him to the pub afterward to see how his tongue holds up after a few beers. —Fawnda Mithrush
3 STARS

THE GOOD THIEF (BYOV B)
The biggest challenge of Conor McPherson’s one-man show in which a “paid thug” tells the story of a job gone very wrong, is to find a way to keep the nameless protagonist from falling into a sentimental pit of despair over the crimes he’s committed (and dragging the audience down with him). You also have to convince the audience that this man would never deliberately set out to commit cold-bloodedly murder, but that he is the kind of low-life who could easily “make a mess.” This is the type of man who will call his ex-girlfriend a slut one minute and wonder if he’s “at the centre of her thoughts” the next.
This production succeeds beautifully on all fronts. Frank Zotter (who was nominated for a Sterling last season for playing a different sort of lowlife in Stuck at Workshop West) resolves all the character’s apparent contradictions, drawing us into his pool of light as if it’s an intimate confessional. There are no extraneous characters here, no mimed re-enactments, not even a set. Instead, director Wayne Paquette wisely trusts McPherson’s words and Zotter’s impeccably distilled performance. —Caitlin Fulton
4 1/2 STARS

GORDON’S BIG BALD HEAD: NEW WORLD HORS D’OEUVRES (STAGE 1)
It’s kind of a shame that Gordon’s Big Bald Head is doing improv this year. Their Fringe sketch comedy shows have always been absolutely top-notch: sharply written, stylishly performed, tightly paced, uproariously funny.
Yeah, yeah: boo-hoo-hoo. What a tragedy! To be “merely” stuck watching three of the city’s finest improvisers (Jacob Banigan, Mark Meer, and Ron Pederson) ply their craft for 50 hilarious minutes!
The concept of New World Hors d’Oeuvres is simple: an audience member picks a play out of the Fringe program at random, which Messrs. Banigan, Meer, and Pederson proceed to act out, based on the title and what they can glean about the plot from the program blurb.
On the night I attended, the selected title was The Adventurous Times of Kevin Grimes, which the trio spun into a tale of a morose young man who monologizes his way through life, searching for his missing father, and trying to make his dreams come true. The plot was surprisingly coherent, despite the numerous side trips involving cocaine addiction, Ogopogo attacks, and drunken Tommy Banks fans. It all looks effortless—but great artistry always does. —Paul Matwychuk
4 STARS

GRACELAND (STAGE 2)
Beautiful, emotionally resonant performances build on superb writing in this pair of complementary one-act plays. Cyra Stolz is simply incredible as “Rootie” Mallert, an innocent, self-deprecating young woman abandoned by the man she loves most and later by the man he entrusts with her care. Rootie competes with worldly-wise fellow Elvis devotee Bev Davies for an exclusive chance at redemption through The King. Their potentially vicious rivalry transforms into mutual affection as the older woman slowly lowers her guard.
Bev is played by Stolz’s mother Diana-Marie, and the two women portray their bond with great authenticity and tenderness—Diana-Marie brings great dignity to a role that could easily have become a caricature and delivers an utterly believable and sympathetic performance. Angus Wilson is also excellent as Rootie’s beloved older brother Beau, who seems as lost in the world of adult men as his sister. Director Wanda Reinhardt brings it all together into the best play I’ve seen in years. —Barry Bristman
5 STARS

GRAY/GREEN PARADISE (STAGE 9)
Gray/Green Paradise—at 45 minutes, one of the shortest plays at this year’s Fringe—examines the relationship between two roommates with very different views. Nate (Colin Munch) is an environmentalist whose life’s mission is to make the world more eco-friendly; Charlie (Robin Toller), while not unsympathetic to Nate’s views, believes in the “real world” of televisions and electricity. The story plays out in three acts—the first showing the two men’s similarities, and the other two the differences that drive a wedge between them. The third act, where the two finally part ways, is inevitable but appropriately awkward.
Within this plot outline, every line of dialogue is improvised. Munch and Toller have amazing chemistry together, and their timing and dialogue feel so natural that I didn’t even realize it was improv until they informed the audience afterwards. The story is touching, the acting is solid; Paradise may not be Fringe nirvana, but it’s good for anyone looking for a quick, hearty laugh. —Ramin Ostad
3 1/2 STARS

THE GREATEST STORY NEVER TOLD
(STAGE 12)
This is an improv show, so what I saw will not be what you see. What will likely remain the same, however, is the tall charming guy (Luke Falconer) who sits and casually chats with you before the show, careful to work his way around the intimate space before he and his partner (Anne Wyman) begin the show proper.
So what to do with a somewhat shy and quiet audience? I caught this show on a low-energy afternoon, and I had to wonder if there were ways that the actors could prepared better for such a scenario—and I know that might sound oxymoronic given that this is improv.
In any case, once they got going, Wyman and Falconer made the most of the enthused kids in the audience and even taught them a few basics about improvising. They are both as terrific at connecting to “the big kids in the back” and the small ones up front without overdoing the spastic energy (an annoying habit common at outdoor venues).
It’s also important to note that this is an all-ages show (I watched it with kids as young as four) and not just for kids 12 and over, as the program erroneously claims. —Caitlin Fulton
3 1/2 STARS

GREEN EGGS AND KEROUAC (STAGE 6)
Wow. Considering it combines two of the biggest possible red flags for Fringe mediocrity—Dr. Seuss and the insufferable Beat poets—Green Eggs and Kerouac really has no business being as good as it is. If you rolled your eyes at the title like I did, don’t worry! It’s actually kind of amazing!
The script by Bohdan Tarasenko (who also plays Kerouac, here simply called Jack) is remarkably nimble, and avoids all of the groan-inducing gags one might fear. It’s essentially one long lucid dream by Dr. Seuss (here referred to as Ted, and played by Jonathan Durynek) in which he discovers Jack and his garbage-eating buddies hanging out in a parallel universe that shows up next door. Both Ted and Jack are suffering from writer’s block, and neither of them is sure how to fix it.
Ted and Jack are both developed well beyond caricature (no easy feat), and the subplot where Ted’s pixielike muse falls in love with Jack’s friend Slim feels like the work of a seasoned pro. Tarasenko surrounds himself with a solid cast, but he’s clearly the one in control here. So keep an eye on this guy—he’s going places. —Michael Hingston
4 STARS