reviews by Nancy Snipper
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Shows reviewed by Nancy Snipper
For more information regarding
programming, venues and tickets please go to:
http://www.montrealFringe.ca/
or call 514-849-FEST (3378)
{Last
update – Most recent entry at bottom of page: June 19 2016; Nancy
Snipper has seen 14 shows/events in all}
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Shows reviewed by Nancy Snipper
The
Passage
at
Freestanding Room, June 2, 6:30 p.m.
Impeccable
Performance of a Flawed Journey
In 1897,
27-year-old Nelly Garner from California, joined a group of men on an
impossibly difficult trek (to dig for gold) to the Klondike via
Edmonton. The play, written by the highly talented Adriana Bogaard
presented stunning language taken from Garner’s diary. A lot of
rewrites over a period of years went into the making of this
60-minute piece.
Actor, Jen
Viens was mesmerizing in her one woman show that relied on a few
props and projected images of harsh weather and barren landscapes
(created by Osheen Harruthoonyanon) on a huge tent cloth strung on
the back wall. Most importantly,Viens had a riveting emotional
connection with this feminist whose trek to the Klondike was ripe
with tragedy.
The lighting,
dark tone and sparse staging enhanced the rawness and courage of this
woman now made famous by this performance whose talents come together
in their company, Itinerant Tinker Theatre Collective.
The show
runs until June19.
Check the
Fringe program for performance schedule.
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Origin
at Freestanding Room, June 3, 6:30 p.m.
An
Intensely Interesting Ensemble of Vocal Dexterity and Voracity
Four
highly focused female actor/singers merge their voices to recreate
the beginnings of humanity. Symbolism with the eating of the apple
harkens back to Eve, and a lullaby sung takes us into babyhood and
the reality of growing up and the wonder of hurt, work and love come
together in over 30 acapella songs ranging
from blues to ethereal and haunting harmonies.
Director and
actor Caroline Gauthier revealed some of the songs were written a
long time ago, but the last song about freedom was written within the
last four weeks. The three other actors were: Melissa Toussaint,
Ingunn Omholt and Elodie Dupuy. All meshed well together. The rhythms
and interesting clapping and tapping in some songs added further
empowerment to the work. It’s no easy feat to take one hour of
acapella theatre style and move us, but these women did. Their
classes and connection forged at Straeon Acting Studio on Parthenon
Street in Montreal surely enhanced the comfort these women displayed
on stage. Caroline actually trained in opera. She left it to create
her own ensemble where writing and singing bring to life themes of
superb intensity. A performance of primeval implications morphing
into modern life that proved to be compelling and interesting. There
is nothing more powerful than the human voice.
The show
continues until June 19.
*********************************************************************************
Written
by and starring Jeff Gandell (Dr Berg) and Mariana Vial, this
entertaining snappy piece pits two characters in the same room
working on creating something very important that will put an end to
WWII. As Dr Berg’s assistant, she does not know that the brilliant
physicists’ work is about creating the atomic bomb. Set in Oak
Ridge, Tennessee (no accents for the actors in the performance), the
town of 75,000 residents was composed of women – most of whom had
no idea their secret reserve in which they were working was built for
this purpose alone. The pair accuses each other of sending secrets
about creating the bomb to agents in Russia and in America. It is a
case of she said and he said, and both end up bickering and falling
in love. Cute and fast-paced, the one-hour theatrical work with witty
dialogue is well-written. Moreover, despite its lightness and
entertaining value, it touches upon important issues; it deserves to
become a three-act play on the big stage.
A True
Confession
What a
wonderful sci-fi musical with an ensemble cast whose
characterizations are witty and most entertaining.
Atomic
City
at Freestanding Room, June 3, 6:30 p.m.
Anything
but a Bomb
Written
by and starring Jeff Gandell (Dr Berg) and Mariana Vial, this
entertaining snappy piece pits two characters in the same room
working on creating something very important that will put an end to
WWII. As Dr Berg’s assistant, she does not know that the brilliant
physicists’ work is about creating the atomic bomb. Set in Oak
Ridge, Tennessee (no accents for the actors in the performance), the
town of 75,000 residents was composed of women – most of whom had
no idea their secret reserve in which they were working was built for
this purpose alone. The pair accuses each other of sending secrets
about creating the bomb to agents in Russia and in America. It is a
case of she said and he said, and both end up bickering and falling
in love. Cute and fast-paced, the one-hour theatrical work with witty
dialogue is well-written. Moreover, despite its lightness and
entertaining value, it touches upon important issues; it deserves to
become a three-act play on the big stage.
The show
continues until June 19.
**********************************************************************
Me,
the Queen, and a Coconut
Black
Theatre Workshop, June 09 06:00
A True
Confession
Andrew Bailey
had a gifted loving grandfather who was a classics scholar and a
religious figure. Midway on his religious journey, he loses his
beloved granddad.
Andrew
was greatly influenced by him and wanted to be a priest. In fact, he
was the serious sachristan carrier of the huge cross wearing his
cassock in church and did other tasks associated with that
responsibility.
He ended up at Windsor Castle living in Cloister 3 there performing similar duties. This play gives us a confession about his non-belief in God and the love he had for his grandfather and being torn between wanting to be a priest, working in the church in London and both following and rejecting his grandad’s beliefs.
He ended up at Windsor Castle living in Cloister 3 there performing similar duties. This play gives us a confession about his non-belief in God and the love he had for his grandfather and being torn between wanting to be a priest, working in the church in London and both following and rejecting his grandad’s beliefs.
A
one-man show of great interest that shows Andre’s marvellous
ability to hold our attention, his knowledge of the church and his
final confession that leaves him in a stable place spiritually and
emotionally. Funny and also serious, the piece is meaty without being
preachy or pedantic as Andrew shares his deepest struggles with
humour, sincerity and self-deprecation with the audience.
The show continues until Sunday, June 19th.
********************************************************
Shake
Petit
Campus June 09, 7:45
Aussie
Beauty Sends Up Her Own Burlesque
Becky
Lou is an awesome Burlesque queen who sends up moments in her own
strip-down bare act. Dazzling us with over 7 different ways to take
off the glitter, striking poses and moving with her own funny
comments about her own act, Becky is a brilliant Marilyn Monroe
look-alike (save for Becky’s gorgeous red hair), and she has the
same come-and-get-me girlish vulnerability and comedic nuance of the
late actress. Becky shares with us how she loved – as a little girl
– to roll on the floor, strip down at the waist, and how she came
into loving her own body and being proud to “bare it all” –
curves and all with the audience. She’s a global sensation; she’s
not just beautiful on the outside, but on the inside as well, as this
reveal-all show proves.
The
show continues until Sunday, June 19th.
Don’t
miss it!
*****************************************************
A
Perfect Picture
MAI,
June 10th,
12:00 p.m
One-man
show with freeze-frame pictures.
A
small group of photographers in South Africa captured poignant
pictures of the savagery going on the during the Apartheid period.
Lively actor Laurent
McCuaig-Pitre
highlights the Pulitzer Prize winning
photo taken by Kevin Carter whom McCuaig-Pitre emotionally portrays. It shows a vulture that has just landed and is about to feast on a baby who is alive but starving. A lot of flashbacks and
fast forwards with audio sounds to key us in prove confusing. The
play is a pastiche of the photographer’s life and what it means to
be out in the field. A noble heart-felt performance that holds our
attention, but too abstract for my taste.
*************************************************************
Get
Lost
Mai,
June 10th,
1:00 p.m
Knowing
oneself can only happen when lost
A
super speedy witty delivery by Brit, Fringe favourite Jem Rolls. In
this unique, says piece, he travels to hundreds of exotic places,
offering descriptive vignettes,
without any intention of ever staying or finding specific landmarks
in each one. He believes in the wonder of getting lost and the
feeling he gets of liberty by doing so. What he feels and perceives
is utterly insane and exhilarating. It’s all part of being human.
He’s a true peripatetic traveler who aha cast aside all earthly
possessions to live in the here and now in a plethora of different
lands. An occasional stumble on lines on his part, but what else can
you expect when you are lost? I suggest that this actor use some
slides with him striking some funny pose for some of the places he
mentions. It would enhance the humour, and give us a visual reference
to what place he refers to.
*******************************************************
Messy
Bitch
Black
Theatre Workshop, June 10th,
4:00 P.M.
More
Maven Madness Than Messy
Cute
life-size mannequins manipulated by actor Jessica Rae who uses one to
be an apologetic gal, and the other to show her assertive, feisty
side. A short show that is amusing and entertaining. Rae is a dancer
too, and it shows.
A breath of
fresh air, this silly, fun show with its personal message with
universal female truths makes this show a delight to watch.
***********************************************************
Captain
Aurora
La
Chapelle, June 12, 02:30 p.m.
What a
wonderful sci-fi musical with an ensemble cast whose
characterizations are witty and most entertaining.
The
plot of course is about good versus evil, specifically an
extraterrestrial planet whose super powers and tech wizardry have
allowed them to colonize Earth. They want to control SkyGuard –
good heroes who are led by Dawn AKA Captain Aurora, backed by her
heroic team; they have extraordinary powers themselves.. They must
fight against the evil powers, and with the help of The Phantom –
creator of the original SkyGuard team of super heroes who have now
vanished – this new group may indeed conquer the mighty force of
The A’aru, led by President Aria, who now heads the Republic of
Earth, is stunningly played by Nadia Verrucci.
Written and
directed by Trevor Barrette, this musical offers a great trio of
musicians, colour and special effects that simply dazzle and
entertain. It’s funny, wondrous and the singing is excellent.
However, I would have liked to have seen Rosie Callaghan project her
singing voice more; after all she is the leader. Zachary Creatchman
as Talos and then benevolent Ben was excellent as was David Noel in
the role of Jack. Kenny Wong wrote the music with Trevor, and band
leader, Luce Belanger also was part of the music at the end of it
all. A fun Fringe Show for the entire family!
*******************************************************
Thunderfoot
La
Chapelle, June 12, 4:30 p.m.
A play
that needs more than a giant to save it
Too bad
this ridiculous waste of Aaron Malking’s talent was lost here; he
played James in “High Tea” performed in last year’s Fringe’s
famous duo of James & Jamesy. Unfortunately, “Thunderfoot”
was lame in story and limp in impact. As Aaron’s first solo show,
I was disappointed and confused, and at times, he seemed to be so, as
well. For example, he spoke in his regular voice to the audience for
reassurance asking if we were following him – stepping out of
character when he did this. At times he seemed a tad confused. His
eccentric characters are great in vocal and movement execution, but
the story whose crux comes late in the play when a giant and a little
boy meet was silly. Finally, when the ending comes – it seems to
all make sense, but the ending should have come a lot sooner.
************************************************************
Bushel
and Peck
La
Chapelle, June 12, 6:15 p.m.
A
peek into a pair of mesmerizing misfits living in symbiotic weirdness
The
show displays the ingeniously dexterous interplay of movement and
vocals between actors, Alastair Knowles and choreographer, Stephanie
Morin-Robert. It’s an unclassifiable collage of two strange
entities that tease, mimic and torment one another using a huge
plywood board, a light bulb in a small lamp stand, a balloon, a
stapler and a book. I loved how they used their shirts to create
characterization and tallness. There is no real plot to this virtuoso
piece, but I was wowed by the dancing and acting of Stephanie and how
well Alastair played off her. Their impeccable timing, fluidity and
feats of balance (watch how they manage that big board) rank these
two-of-a-kind stage performers as tops in my “pecking” order.
For
Alistair, it was an unusual, daring piece. “Performing
Bushel and Peck is wildly exhilarating. For the past 5 years I have
performed over 300 comedy shows as part of James & Jamesy, but
this collaboration with Stephanie Morin-Robert requires me to perform
in ways that terrify me on a personal level. It's wonderful to feel
my capacity as a performance artist swell.”
**********************************************************
Rashômon
MAI, June 17th, 1:30 pm
(in French)
What a lovely
show! What a dark story!
Seven suspects (not including the
final supernatural one) are interviewed by the inspector of
a Japanese village. He discovered a corpse on the mountain. No
ordinary case, each suspect claims to have seen the culprit on the
road with a woman on a horse, but each tells a different witness-like
tale with testimony ambiguity. Like a puzzle with missing pieces,
these suspects don’t reach the same conclusion. Where lies the
truth?
What makes this production
so interesting is the ensemble of performers who create ritualistic
kabuki/yoga/tai chi movements – all synchronized in graceful harmony
wearing traditional
Japanese costumes.
Each
ensemble player also doubles as a suspect, and each actor is
convincing. The witch at the end eerily reenacts the different
versions with truthful conviction. Still, at the end, we doubt that
what we heard and saw is indeed truthful.
Elegantly directed by
Miguel Doucet, the play with its stylized performance is based on the
short story, Dans le fourré, written by the Japanese writer, Ryūnosuke Akutagawa.
“We started rehearsing
in March, but the idea to turn the story into a theatre piece took
its genesis about ten years ago,” said Miguel. This director has a
great talent, and the actors he used to bring murder lies and
intrigue onto the stage were compelling.
Now in its tenth year as a
theatre company, Théâtre Globe Bulle Rouge creates a unique stage
production based on texts by foreign authors. This original company
is gifted at transforming written stories into the theatrical
vernacular.
************************************************************
The
Jupiter Rebellion
Black
Theatre Workshop, June 18th,
5:30 p.m.
Shooting
for the stars: a galaxy of great acting
This is a
ridiculously far-out zany plot with a brilliant delivery of a
multitude of characters working on a moon station where miners are
collecting asteroids and getting bored out of their wits in their
private pods. It’s all being filmed. The only fun part is the
drinking in the Milky Way Bar. Things perk up though when miner, Zak
Zultana – played by Jeff Leard, the entertaning solo actor
presenting this sci-fi space fantasy.
Zak meets sultry Alex in the
bar – who-just happens to be the big cheese’s wife; he owns this
space mining asteroid collecting company, so when Alex and Zak have a
sexy space ride in more ways than one in Alex’s own space ship, and
her hubby finds out, things go from sky heaven to hell. Zak is forced
to work in the waste collection department, and he deteriorates from
the heavy loads and chemicals. However, a rebellion, led by him –
who is now called Zak the space gigolo, brings it all to a happy
conclusion.
Aside from
Zak Zultana, Leard has so many character voices; and his hilarious
facial expressions border on classic comic-book style fun. His
movement is deliciously controlled, and his non-stop fast-paced
talking is amazing. The play – a collaborative writing effort
between Ron Fromstein and Leard, and directed James Leard, needs some
cutting though; it goes on too long in some parts. Nonetheless, the
lighting was spot on and Jeff Leard soars sky high with his stage
presence.
******************************************************
Naked
Ladies
Montreal
Improv Theatre, June 19th,
4:15
Nakedness
in true form, yet lies and secrets lie hidden
Naked
she is as are the other ladies shown on the projection – famous
ladies from famous paintings. The actor explores the subject
displaying a range of emotions: vehemence, tears, pathos and
vulgarity the difference between the nude body and the naked one –
the former always objectified and used.
Her own
personal testimonial, but disconnected episodes about her feelings of
nakedness and how she got into it are also revealed. Yet, we leave
the room questing to understand what this lady is really about. Full
of thematic irony, wit and dare, brash and bold actor, Thea
Fitz-James, Naked Ladies seeks to answer
the question why women get naked on stage. A combination of
performance art, history lecture and storytelling, the compelling
show speaks to the crisis around the naked female body, trying to
understand its contested position between stigma and celebration.
Naked or not, Woman will always be “secreting” in both ways. It’s
a mystery.
