Robert MacGillivray
Just your average Fringe Fanatic. It's the most important week of the year for me, so I take the week off and buckle in for as many shoes as my wallet (and sanity) can afford.
As always, a gut busting set that also leaves room for some poignant introspection. There's really not a lot more that I can say, but I implore anyone to check out this act whenever it comes to town - even outside of Fringe!
I've been following Marv n' Berry around long enough to have seen every sketch they included here. While it may not have been the exact set I would have chosen, it was a fantastic performance as always. I hope we can continue to laugh at their shenanigans for years to come!
But damn, my favourite Marv n' Berry t-shirt is getting close to a decade old itself. They gotta stop selling out of the things before I get a chance to snag one!
An absolutely hilarious follow up to Accidental Beach. You can go into this one blind as it's a prequel, but you'll miss some of the winks and nods to fans of the original production. They've somehow managed to capture that improv energy while being able to improve on the story and music with a regular production.
Definitely one of the highlights this year, and easily the show where it seemed like everyone involved in the production was having the most fun!
The singing was fantastic, and the production quality overall was well beyond what you typically expect from a Fringe production! The premise was great - following two friends as they fall into very different scams that mirror each other in many ways was a great way to tell this story; it created some natural tension as they ran into the age-old problem of trying to recruit someone to an MLM when they've already got their own thing to try and recruit you into.
However, as much as I liked everything about the show, there was just something missing to propel it to "must-see" for me. Maybe it was something about the music that could have been polished - none of the songs were really catchy enough to get stuck in my head. Or maybe it was the lack of a revelation, no matter how minor. The story kind of happened and ended, but perhaps almost felt like it could have been a part 1 of 2 sort of thing?
Whatever was lacking for me aside, I think this is definitely worth checking out if the premise interests you and you've got some free time!
It's a classic for a reason. Do yourself a favour and check it out! Even if you're not typically a fan of improv, the masterclass performances these folks put on every year is sure to impress.
A delightful story about love from an era I can only relate to through the stories I remember hearing from my grandparents. I think, if you've got parents or grandparents in their twilight years, or maybe if you are that parent or grandparent, this story will strike a chord with you.
The performances were phenomenal. I've seen some of Jimmy Hogg's stuff before and have fallen in love with his storytelling, but he captured this character in different eras of his life brilliantly. Alex Dallas was also fantastic as Evie, bringing a lot of charm and depth to the role without being overshadowed, as she easily could have been, by the boisterous energy of Hogg.
I don't typically catch a lot of burlesque, but I got so many recommendations for this one that I had to give it a shot. I'm really glad I did! The way the show was framed was fantastic, with a top notch performance from the MC. The dance numbers and costumes were absolutely fantastic, with a specific vampire costume being a real standout. Even if burlesque isn't really your thing, I could recommend this show if the spooky premise intrigues you!
Incredibly impressive what they were able to pull off so efficiently. The way the three actors flow between characters was perfect, with obvious tells as to who they were inhabiting in any given scene - and, in some ways, there weren't even really scenes. The entire story unfolds with naught a pause or fade-to-black in sight, with the actors and lighting seamlessly moving around the stage in real time, sometimes changing characters (including subtle costuming hints) between lines. And the use of some simple poles to paint scenes was far more effective than I would have thought possible. Really, truly, impressive. I've also never felt like I was so close to a bonified cult leader - that performance was eerily impressive.
If I have any complaints, it's only that some of the messaging was a bit on-the-nose, and some of the parts that were a bit more open to interpretation felt like that uncertainty didn't actually add anything to the narrative. If I'm going to have to bring my own interpretation to events, I'd prefer that the exercise of exploring those interpretations with my friends after the show would help illuminate the themes a bit more. Instead, we found ourselves slightly confused by certain scenes.
That being said, this also didn't take away from the show in any way, really. This is certainly a show to watch if you're interested in Fringe artists pushing the envelope with minimalist costuming and props!
This was a phenomenal bit of storytelling delivered with Jim Loucks' entrancing southern accent. I was transfixed the entire time, and surprised with the depths the story ended up going to. Definitely worth seeing if you have the chance!
This was a great show! There are a couple of notes I could make about either the direction or the writing - I think there are lines that either need to be re-written or delivered differently - but they clearly put a ton of work into this show. The premise is fantastic and, if you're a genre buff, you may know exactly where the story's going but you haven't gone there in this setting before! The nods to theatre throughout give this show an added delight.
Definitely worth checking out if you have time, and I can only hope that their other shows are more packed than mine was! They acted their hearts out for the relatively small crowd, something that can be incredibly difficult!