The Edmonton International Fringe Festival ends this Sunday and that means there's only two days left to catch those must-see shows. The bulk of the festival takes place in Old Strathcona with a humongous smorgasbord of shows ranging from cabaret, drama, children's theatre and musicals to clowning, comedy, dance and improv/sketch comedy.
If you're stumped for ideas, check these out.
10330 – 84 Ave.
Christopher Shinn's Pulitzer Prize nominated Dying City is an unsettling play that mines the murky, complex psyche for answers. And it leaves you with more questions than answers.
Directed by Amy DeFelice, this 90-minute three-character drama is a tale of grief and violence set against the backdrop of the Iraq war. A year after her husband's death in military zone, Kelly (Kristi Hansen) is packing to leave New York.
The licensed therapist has been living in a cocoon of media-saturated numbness since Craig died. Peter (David MacInnis), her husband's twin brother and a mediocre actor on Broadway, unexpectedly visits. They have not seen each other since the funeral, and from the moment Peter arrives, there is an awkwardness that highlights a silent power struggle between them.
As their secrets are revealed, Kelly's vulnerability surfaces. However, it is Peter's passive aggression that disarms with friendliness, and then much like a rocket launcher, hits and dismembers its target.
Shinn writes spare dialogue leaving much of the subtext for the actors to fill in with facial expressions and body movements. There are many moments in the play when the emotionally stunted characters are unable to express themselves and their deliberate silences are more forceful and confusing than spoken words.
Hansen and MacInnis, who plays the dual role of Peter/Craig, display a bracing chemistry that borders on the disturbing. Paired together, they create a powerful dynamic and it is possibly their strongest performance of the year.
This play inflicts ugly betrayals and emotional cruelty. Prepare to be puzzled and provoked.
Anna Borowiecki
8627 91 St.
From the producers of The 'L' Word (and with great representation from the St. Albert Children's Theatre including artistic director Janice Flower) comes the alphabetical sequel of the summer.
The 'M' Word is another variety series of skits, musical pieces and even an interpretive dance number, all of which are variations on the theme of provocative words that start with 'm.' Yes, that means masturbation, menstruation and 'man-atomy,' but also topics of serious discourse including masks, modern technology and metamorphosis. There are 13 different chapters in total so there's something for everyone.
The songs were twice as enjoyable as the sequences requiring acting. There were only four of the six Friends-like performers whose acting made an impression. That's not bad, but Kerry Johnson needs practice on projecting and giving energy back to the audience. On the other hand, someone like Jason Hardwick could have commanded the entire show by himself — he lives on the stage.
What we're treated to is a whole lot of playful pretending where we see how well men would do if they had to suffer through that time of the month and what the world would be like if genders had opposite traits (i.e., if men acted like women). This kind of mirror image of the sexes has been done before — and maybe better too — but it still had tons of humour. Sadly, they just went on too long. We get it. The men are acting like women. Let's move on.
The few faults were forgotten during the analysis of a douchebag (including a hilarious ditty) and the absolutely fantastic musical sketch about miscommunication during the cell age. "You're breaking up." "We're not breaking up." Classic!
Scott Hayes
10330 – 84 Ave.
If pop culture media is to be believed, many young North Americans view sex and love as an interchangeable commodity.
But Louis Catron's 1968 popular one-act, Where Have All the Lightning Bugs Gone? harkens back to the sweet moments of an innocent first love.
Two teens encounter each other briefly in a park and start flirting. Whether they know each other or not is left for the audience to decide. However, through a continuous stream of games and role-playing, they learn to touch as humans rather than as sexual beings.
Erika Moore and St. Albert Children's Theatre actor Luc Tellier have an unbridled, fun chemistry that injects this whimsical comedic romance with authenticity.
Clocking in at 35 minutes, possibly the shortest fringe show, Lightning Bugs is a gentle production with something for all ages.
– Anna Borowiecki
