Ryan Woodward

Long-time bowler. First time Fringer. I was initially apprehensive about how the producers would set a play in a bowling alley, but the hyper-local story had me hooked. My apprehension remained as I found a seat on the lanes... but almost needless to say, within minutes of the show starting, I was immersed in two intertwined stories woven together by a character portraying the original owner of Plaza.

The whole bowling alley, walkways, lanes, till area and all is one big stage with the actors moving seamlessly through the crowd to create distinct moments between the characters and create a sense of action. There was definitely some bowling "magic" but a few genuine strikes from the actors got the crowd going in ways I wouldn't expect from regular theatre.

The main character does a superb job playing the narrator role of Laurie Stride, injecting moments of levity and humour, and the genuine chemistry of the other characters in each storyline is evident. The actors do a great job building up the momentum towards the big 12th strike.

It was a bit noisy at times with the pinsetter and ball return going, but for a play in a bowling alley, using only the available lights and sound systems, they sure made it work. It's part of the charm.

I'm glad I took a chance on this!