Hunter Lafleur
Gerald, written by Lauren Brady and Edward Macdonald proves itself as a comedic juggernaut, Following the slapstick duo of Gill and Bill, the audience is put through a series of absurd scientific tests as the two aliens attempt to determine the fate of the human race. Jam packed with dedicated performances, unmatched chemistry and an unexpected splash zone, Gerald creates a world that is as absurd as it is carefully constructed.
Lauren Brady and Edward Macdonald redefine what actor chemistry can look like. Through choreography, rhythmic speaking, physicality, and consistently precise comedic timing, the two work together flawlessly, what makes their dynamics specifically impressive is how intentionally disconnected their characters appear. Gill and Bill behave as though they are unaware of each other, but every pause, interruption and reaction feel perfectly synchronized, this creates an interesting contradiction that becomes the show's driving force, and its biggest comedic strength.
With splashes of pale whites and blues, the visual design further establishes the show's wacky and unconventional approach to aliens and science fiction. The set and props don't just provide a backdrop for the actors on stage, they are active parts of the performance, often being used to push the story. The design embraces the ridiculousness of the premise while remaining committed to its world.
In the end, Gerald was able to create an absurdly comedic show, when it understood that absurdity works best when taken seriously, it was at its strongest. The result is a comedy that draws its audience in with interactive tests and games, making the audience feel like part of the performance.
If you choose to see this show, sit in the first two rows you will not regret it.
Tita Jokes, from the top of its show, establishes itself as an Edmonton fringe “must-see’. combining musical sketch comedy with the everyday antics of filipinos, Tita Jokes creates a show that is deeply rooted in Filipino culture and humor whist still being accessible to everyone, even if you are not familiar with the term ‘Tita’ the show makes sure that every joke and detail lands with its audience
From the top of the show the so called “Tita Collective” brings an incredible amount of energy to the stage, this energy is completely embodied through all their choreography, acting and vocals. Their pure enthusiasm and drive is gripping the audiences, making it difficult not to have a good time, at certain points it felt less like a rehearsed performance, and more like a group of friends riffing around. That pure chemistry between performers is one of Tita Jokes’ largest successes.
The show also features a pleasant variety in a lot of its sketches, the different scenes constantly shifted in duration, subject matter and style, successfully keeping the audience engaged throughout the show, however towards the climax of the show it felt as thought the performers were running out of material to riff about, the later sketches did not have the same spontaneous fun as the previous ones did.
Overall, Tita Jokes is an energetic and welcoming production that proves cultural comedy does not have to be exclusive.
The Naked Philosopher presents burlesque as more than just the art of the striptease, turning the performance into a playful and lively philosophy lesson about art, pleasure, and the nature of burlesque itself. Written and performed by Violette Coquette, the show embraces its lack of a fourth wall, making the audience a part of the performance rather than simply observers.
Violette Coquette has the impressive ability to consistently command the audience's gaze throughout the show. Her choreography stays in sync with the music, but what makes this particularly effective is how deliberately she uses timing and movement to control the audience's attention. Instead of just moving from one part of the routine to the next, she creates moments of anticipation, using pauses, gestures, and changes in movement to make the audience wait for the next moment. In burlesque, where the audience's gaze is the most important aspect of the performance, this control becomes one of Violette's greatest strengths.
What makes The Naked Philosopher particularly effective, however, is its central theme of using burlesque itself as an alleyway to philosophy. Having Violette present the art form as a philosophy lesson allows the audience to have another way of engaging with what they are watching. Instead of asking the audience to enjoy the spectacle, the show encourages them to think about why burlesque is enjoyable, what makes performance pleasurable, and the massive role art and extravagance can play in our lives.
In the end, The Naked Philosopher succeeds because it understands that burlesque can be both playful and thoughtful. Violette Coquette's control of her choreography, music, costume, and audience creates a performance that is confident and engaging, while the show's philosophical premise gives the spectacle something more to ponder about. Instead of simply showing the audience what burlesque is, The Naked Philosopher invites us to consider why we enjoy it
A colorful splash of fun! See what I did there? It was funny, right? No? Okay, nevermind…
PocBS: People of Color Broadcasting Service graciously invites its audience into the world of a fictional broadcasting studio, blending sketch comedy with live music, puppetry, stand-up and the chaos of putting the show together in a political world. The result of this is a lively and human show that truly embraces the unpredictability of live performance.
Tokunbo Adegbuyi is commanding, charming and everything you need from a show host, his performance brings a tremendous amount of energy and presence to the show, and the audience clearly feeds off of his energy. Abegbuyi also has amazing audience anticipation, playing with the audience's reactions, making even the small interactions feel spontaneous and hilarious. His confidence and stage presence give the show an anchor and keeps the audience engaged as we move from segment to segment.
The less successful parts of the show resided within its exploration of its central concept. With PocBS marketing itself as a “People of Color Broadcast Service”, Instead of engaging with that idea much of the material felt more focused on political commentary than on the broader experience of creating a fictional broadcast service centered around people of colour. The political material certainly has a place within the show, but at points I wished the production had pushed further into the depth of its premise.
The performers who took over the in-between segments were also somewhat uneven. While the variety of performances kept the show moving, and their performances were genuinely great. Some of these transitions felt less polished than the sections led by Adegbuyi, interrupting rather than building on the momentum of the show.
In the end, PocBS: People of Color Broadcasting Service is a lively and playful variety show with a host who’s amazing at commanding rooms. Its strongest moments come from the interaction between Adegbuyi and the audience, where the spontaneity of live theatre really comes out.
Unsex Me Here @LadyM takes Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth and places her in a contemporary world of legal careers, public image, and digital relationships. Following Lady M after life altering surgery, Unsex Me Here explores ambition, identity, and the ways the people around us can shape our lives even when they are not physically present. Unsex Me Here’s boldest choice was the inclusion of digital actors. Each of the performers brought a large sense of presence to their roles despite being pre-recorded, and more particularly each actor creating depth surrounding the world that Lady M was living in. However, the production's reliance on digital performance consistently affected the show's pacing, in certain moments it felt closer to watching a film rather than a live theatrical performance, which created a disconnect between Lady M and the audience. While the digitalization of the other characters was bold and creative while discussing the topic of connection and isolation, the show needed more theatrical immediacy. Keri Bennett was particularly effective in some of Lady M’s more reserved and quiet moments, her performance was open, vulnerable and had a sense of restraint that was very compelling. As Lady M’s journey progressed, however, her character arc was under pronounced, that later moments in the play did not feel as emotionally developed as the ones earlier in the play, and relied heavily on thematic resonance. Bennetts establishes an intriguing approach to Lady M, and it would have been interesting to see her play more than her character evolution following the climax of the play. Taken together, Unsex Me Here puts on the table an interesting and contemporary reimagining of William Shakespeare’s more iconic characters
This is so much more than another show about ‘finding yourself’
Based on a true story, Flora Le’s Sadec 1965: A Love Story follows a journey through Vietnam that starts as an adventure and slowly morphs into something so much more personal. An attempt to understand familial history and the stories that are passed generation through generation, what makes this show remarkable is not its spectacle or performance, it is the way it explores a journey without forgetting the person at the center of it.
By far, the most mesmerizing aspect of Sadec 1965 was its fluid and dynamic staging. Flora Le seemed to float alongside the words she was speaking, moving effortlessly between separate locations, moments and memories. The transitions between time and space were easy to follow and were helped immensely by the lighting design and Guy Kelly’s underscoring. Instead of making the show feel cluttered, these aspects worked together to allow the past and present to move freely within the theatre. The Simplicity of Le’s movement also gave the show a large sense of intimacy . Rather than feeling like you're watching a play, it felt as though you were invited into Flora Le’s personal thoughts and self discovery. As a direct result, the emotional points in the show landed with greater impact.
Guy Kelly’s underscoring invokes intense emotion, and is another driving force of Sadec 1965 . Kelly’s music does much more than accompany Le’s storytelling, it aids in establishing the emotional landscape of each scene, Kelly consistently creates a sense of wonder and imagination through the movement on stage, as well as adding weight to the memories and revelations being explored.
Knowing Sadec 1965 draws itself from real history and lived in experience, makes it all the more impactful. In the end it is Flora Le’s performance that makes this show feel so immediate. Her acting never made the events of this show feel like history or fiction, instead the production lays its attention onto Le’s personal experience regarding her journey of unfolding her fathers past. What makes this show shine is that it is intimate and uniquely human.
Sadec 1965: A Love Story is a gripping and beautifully staged piece about family, memory, and the difficult process of, not finding yourself, but more so finding what you’ve inherited, I highly recommend seeing it at the Edmonton Fringe, and taking a look at the show's website afterward to learn more about the story behind the production, you will not regret it.
Good ol’ Shakespearean existentialism!
Evelyn Gray’s Hereafter follows a lone gravedigger during the Black Plague as he reflects on life, death, and nature. Blending contemporary prose with remixed Shakespearean-style poetry, the show finds an unusual balance between dark comedy and existential reflection.
One standout feature of this show is its clever and unique language choices, being heavily inspired by William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the dialogue frequently shifts between modern prose and a remixed ballad format, this choice gives Hereafter its own stylistic voice. Hereafter is most impactful when its Shakespearean influence and its modern voice work together, adding more depth to themes, as well as creating a surprisingly touching blend of comedy and existential thought, however it felt as though the occasional musical numbers were disconnected from this heightened language, while the humor in said numbers was enjoyable, I sometimes wished the songs had more room to explore the deep and emotional themes that made the dialogue in the show so gripping. If this were done the musical numbers would have felt less like interruptions in the show, and more like extensions of its storytelling.
Evelyn Gray’s performance in Hereafter is explosive. Gray had a strong and comedic stage presence, particularly in their interactions with the audience, Gray's awkwardness in these scenarios was effective because instead of feeling forced, it felt playful and dynamic, constantly bringing the audience in and making them feel like a part of the performance itself. Gray's ability to maneuver through comedy and existentialism was crucial in maintaining the show's unusual style.
Object of Divinity the abstract puppet play by Calla Wright and SILKROAD is a visually poetic piece surrounding the themes of gender, religion and object-hood. With the combination of puppetry, poetry and burlesque, Object of Divinity leaves its audience with an interesting, unsettling, yet thoughtful taste in their mouths
The most striking element of this show was its underscoring from SILKROAD, from the first moments of this show to its last, SILKROAD sustained an eerie, abstract score that lured the audience in with its mystery. The underscoring heightened the gut wrenching and raw emotion in this piece, using music they were able to command both the audience and the performers within the theatre.The score fits the shows themes and intensity very well, creating an atmosphere that at times felt more important than the action itself. However, the score overpower the actors on stages, resulting in them being hard to hear and points of the plot potentially being missed by the audience.
Object of Divinity has a plot that is heavy with rich material to explore, and its abstract nature leaves lots of space for thematic interpretation. But, the large amount of symbolism and ambiguity made it difficult to nail down exactly what the production wants its audience to resonate with. While the confusion may be intentional, I occasionally found myself more focused on trying to understand the story than engaging with the ideas behind it. Still, the production’s willingness to embrace ambiguity makes it a piece that lives in your head a while leaving the theatre.
The price of knowledge is malaria, and many other dangerous situations. Fedor Ikelaar’s No Die! - Or: How I Left Amsterdam and Almost Died in Africa uniquely blends stand-up comedy with traditional storytelling, recounting Ikelaar’s absurd and comedic experiences with travel. As the show progresses the audience gains insight into how sometimes the most chaotic and wacky circumstance can result in a new perspective.
From the onset, No Die! establishes a conversational tone with the audience, which is effective in retaining their attention. At moments, this begins to derail the storytelling, but this is not entirely a bad thing. Ikelaar’s spectacular timing makes his unhinged rants feel like a running gag with your best friend. His ability to break from the story and engage directly with the audience adds to the intimacy of his stand-up, making even his most ridiculous experiences feel like stories being shared over a drink rather than a rehearsed performance.
One catching aspect of this show is its unmatched specificity and uniqueness. Each story is well executed, and Ikelaar’s ability to turn wild and bizarre experiences into comedy keeps the audience's gaze. At times, however, I found myself wanting the show to explore its deeper and more thematic ideas surrounding Ikelaar’s stories. The stories raise multiple questions about how travel could change our perspective, but, outside of a quick gag, Ikelaar's personal transformation stays unexplored. No Die! tickles the idea of a larger story about putting ourselves in unfamiliar and maybe dangerous situations, and it would have been interesting to see that idea linger a little longer.
In the end, Ikelaar’s conversational style, sharp comedic timing, and willingness to embrace the chaos of his experiences create an intimate and interesting show. While I found myself wanting a little more thematic reflection, Ikelaar’s unique stories, unexpected turns, and effortless comedy keep the show entertaining, without the audience having to contract malaria themselves.
Who knew the most Jewish show at the Edmonton fringe could be so hilarious yet so touching? Noam Osband’s Canadian debut of his solo show Circumscribed: A True Tale of One Father, Two Sons and A Thousand Foreskins is a moving account of Osband’s struggles surrounding the passing of his father, a Mohel (Jewish ritual circumciser), and the complication relationship with his sons, tradition and grief.
Noam Osband’s performance is commanding, vulnerable and effortlessly comedic. Through a rollercoaster of absurd and chaotic stories, He brings an unexpected softness to the show. His spoken storytelling, paired with a digital collection of moments from his life, brings each story to life and makes the performance feel deeply personal. The combination of humour and vulnerability allows Osband to explore grief without letting the heavier moments overwhelm the comedy, Osband's greatest achievement is that he did not treat grief and comedy as opposites, more so he treats embarrassment, family history and humor as ways of confronting loss.
If you are looking for a lighthearted comedy with more than a few Jewish jokes, Circumscribed is the show for you. A surprisingly touching story about family, loss, and the strange ways we find humour in difficult moments.