Bright Lights
Venue 11 Varscona Theatre
5 Stars
If you plan to see only one Fringe show this year, check out Kat Sandler’s award-winning Bright Lights. It is hilariously entertaining, slightly crazy and completely gripping.
The premise is simple. Four wacky individuals meet regularly to discuss their personal alien abductions. There is Laurel (Jenny McKillop), a slightly daffy sweet woman who became pregnant after a visitation. Dave (Rachel Bowron) is a hot-tempered, machete wielding psycho who claims quadruple probing.
Wayne (Oscar Derkx) is a has-been actor who believes his alien abduction took away his acting ability and replaced it with psychic powers. And finally, there’s Ross (Brayden Dowler-Coltman), the slightly mysterious group leader.
Ross invites Zoe (Mhairi Berg), a newcomer, to their meetings. She is encouraged to tell her story and at the end all hell breaks loose in a series of improbable yet farcical events. The stage explodes into absurdity and mayhem as characters analyze, distrust and question who they are and what they believe.
And lastly, kudos for director Luc Tellier for keeping the pacing of this energetic show on the rails as it winds through rapid-fire twists and turns.
