Henry Russell
This was a truly incredible theatre experience. The concept was brilliant and the execution definitely did it justice. Beautiful original music with lyrics full of truth, heart and wordplay. The choreography and blocking were on point, and the ensemble did a phenomenal job - I can’t think of a time I’ve seen everyone in an ensemble have a distinctive character and also blend into a single entity. I laughed, I cried, I gasped, and I whoop-whooped! A real standout of this festival.
This play was excellent. The story and the acting were compelling, and set a chilling tone. Every step was as familiar as it was sinister. There was a raw honesty in the writing and the performances that really drew me in. LOVED the end- it gave me a lot to think about. What and who can a person depend on in this world? We can, at least, depend on seeing ourselves reflected in performance art like this.
The theatre was packed and it seemed like lots of people laughed, but it I couldn’t Camembert it. The cheese puns were abundant but didn’t take it far enough for me to set an absurd tone that I think they were goating for. The other humor grated on me: “body count matters” and poking fun at a woman’s perceived promiscuity, someone is gay or not gay (“surprise!”), men=bad, social influencers are vapid, saying the word penis… healing from trauma jokes clashed with a story where women were being targeted and sexually harassed… the justice system not believing or protecting women played entirely for laughs without self awareness. Was the overall joke that everyone was terrible? The characters’ behaviours were inconsistent so I felt nothing about them. I was bored. I wanted to like this because I love absurdity and mysteries, but this didn’t land for me.
A week later, I am still thinking about how moved I was. This writer and cast were able to capture what it’s really like to live in the grind, and meet your friends for a fantasy break where you can be heroes together. Every member of the cast was a loveable and believable character (or two), who didn’t overact and compelled me more than many I’ve seen at Stratford and Shaw. The use of the stage was great, using simple props and some creative and delightful blocking choices. I can’t rave enough about the writing - how is this young person so skilled?! The queer characters were real people living real world struggles from banal to tragic. I hope I get to see more from this playwright, and if this ever gets performed on a large commercial stage I’ll be the first to buy a ticket. What an incredible story, brought entirely to life! Truly excellent work. If I could see it 10 times, I would.
A hilarious tale of the pursuit of fame and fortune, and ultimately friendship, Ooga Chaka surprises with a steady parade of audio-visual gags and superb physical comedy. The right sprinkling of puns and referential humour to set a light tone, and strong character work to bring a healthy scoop of heart. I highly recommend it - you won’t even want your pebbles back.
A very heartfelt and charming one-person show! I wasn’t sure what to expect because I haven’t seen something in this format before. I appreciated the performer’s authenticity and humour, and the pacing was good. Thanks to the artist for sharing what it has been like for her to navigate the world with autism and be the subject of inspiration porn in such an engaging, tongue-in-cheek way.
Stellar performances and chemistry between the performers! The script was interesting, with a fresh concept, great pacing, fun character moments, and I even learned something. Excellent use of the stage and a minimalist set. I was hanging on every word and laughed a ton.