Ashley Whitehead and Natalie Tin Yin Gan have been working together since 2012. Their history as friends and artists is apparent in their dynamic on stage. They easily take cues from each other and play perfectly off of one and others skills and talents, making use of their vastly different body shapes and sizes. The show is part musical, part dance performance, part stand-up, and all heart. These two women sweat on every inch of the stage and cleverly use various lighting techniques to create different settings and moods. Making sure to use inclusive language and calling out misogyny and general ignorance in a quirky, kind, and humorous way make this show a must watch for anyone who is pro vaginas. While they have your attention, these two might just teach you a thing or two. There is a bit of audience participation. You may find yourself getting quizzed on some anatomy questions and clapping along to some old familiar tunes, but mostly your laughter and enthusiasm seems to be what fuels the artists. For all of the extreme physicality of the show, the best part of their performance was the their facial expressions. Every twitch of the eyebrow is well planned to elicit laughter and groans. Speaking with the artists after the show, Whitehead and Tin Yin Gan shared that the show has been changing and evolving with each city. They warmly invited audience members to get online and share their thoughts and suggestions. This audience member feels like they have perfected so much of the show, but would have preferred to end with the running scene and bumped the final musical number somewhere in the middle, but I’m a sucker for symmetry. I personally believe that this show should be sold out for every performance. It is clever, entertaining, charming, hilarious, and generally wonderful. Through a combination of clowning, athletics, musical talent, and acting, these two performers have managed to tackle a taboo subject and make it inviting and fun. ~ reviewed by Brieanna Fiander
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Training of the Shrew by 1001 Steps Theatre Society is a cute concept that misses the mark. It adapts Shakespeare’s play Taming of the Shrew with a spin — instead of the Shrew not being marriageable, she’s not coachable (in this adaption she’s a violent, quick-tempered boxer). The use of boxing as the basis of the play certainly adds comedic elements to the performance, especially in terms of physical humour which the actors are all really good at. However, where the play is weakest is in its faithfulness to the source material. Some of the elements, like the sister not being able to marry until Kate, the Shrew, has a coach don’t make much sense in this context. The play also suffers from its location at the Picnic Pavilion at Granville Island. The boxing ring setup is certainly a cool idea, however with many of the actors rolling around on the floor, the audience members at the back can’t see what is going on. It’s also outside with no heating so on cold rainy days it gets quite chilly. In the end, though, I will say the cast have a lot of energy and they have good comedic timing which does lend for an enjoyable performance. If you decide to go see it, my advice would be to sit in the front and make sure to bring a coat! Training of the Shrew by 1001 Steps Theatre Society is playing at the Picnic Pavilion 6 - 16 September as part of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. ~ reviewed by Jenna Masuhara
Travel Theatrics is a show about finding oneself in the unknown spaces of a big, scary world. This autobiographical piece is full of characters lovingly rendered by the theatrical portraiture of Keara Barnes—locals, fellow-travelers, family. Every portrait is unique and fully inhabited, so there is never any question which one we are seeing. From childhood vacations to the first lone sojourn into Malaysia, Keara brings scenes and images of her past to life in a style that is warm, intimate, and full of humour. The script is lively and poetic, although viewers may be conflicted as to whether the internally rhyming style adds to the vividness of scenes or distracts from it. Keara’s performance is as much physical as it is vocal. She really manages to occupy the whole stage. I was especially impressed by her portrayals of two children in the first story: herself and a friend met vacationing in England. One often struggles to remember what one was like as a child, but Keara doesn’t seem to have this problem, inhabiting her past self with that uncritical, unselfconscious air that is wonderfully typical of children. Travel Theatrics by Standing Room Only Theatre is playing at Havana Theatre 6 - 16 September as part of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. ~ reviewed by Mattias Martens
Rachel and Zoe: Uncorked and Uncensored produced by PrettyUgly Theatre Productions performed at the Waterfront Theatre definitely gets pretty naughty at times. There’s nudity, sexual performances, coarse language, violent content, and of course, a whole lot of wine. For myself personally, some of the jokes and gags fell flat, but as the story progresses it turns out to get quite serious which for me made the performance much more enjoyable. This three person show portrays the effects dysfunctioning and abusive relationships have on one’s mental and physical health, and the performers, Hannah Gibson-Fraser and Jodi Morden, do a great job performing their emotional monologues. It’s not the show for everyone, especially if you’re uncomfortable seeing nudity up on stage and some of the dialogue feels stilted. However, it is an enjoyable performance, and Gibson-Fraser and Morden have created likeable characters that have a genuine friendship with each other. Rachel and Zoe: Uncorked and Uncensored by PrettyUgly Theatre Productions is playing 6 - 16 September at Waterfront Theatre as part of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. ~ reviewed by Jenna Masuhara
No Belles is a heart-warming and entertainingly education play. This show is expertly and passionately pulled off and deserves the great success it has received since its debut in 2014. I hope this show continues touring for the next 4 years, 40 even! I hope that one day the scientific community will give this theatre company more women in science to include in their show. The current version of the show features 8 scientists, each of whom is spotlighted in a separate episode of the show. Each episode follows a different format – including slam poetry/rap, skits, sock puppets, letters, and illustrations – such that each episode is presented in a manner as unique as the woman it spotlights. Sonja’s Favourite Bits: Hearing the actors relate to some of their favourite scientists, describing why/how much they care about these women – both as scientists and as people. Their passion for the content is infectious and makes me want to go out and learn more! No Belles by Portal Theatre is playing at the False Creek Gym 6 - 16 September as part of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. ~ reviewed by Sonja Cvoric
The Lady Show – A Comedy Thing is smart, sexy, self-aware, and side-splittingly hilarious! It really delivers on the show’s tagline – “Putting the joy in feminist killjoy”. The creative team artfully and positively dissects topical discriminations in the news, pop culture, and society at large to unending laughter from the audience. In the past I have had numerous emotionally draining experiences lamenting the patriarchy, racism, sexism, and misogyny; often enlightening but draining nonetheless. Before seeing this show, I never thought I could come out the other side of this topic feeling as enlightened and uplifted as I did leaving The Lady Show. I was in such high spirits leaving this performance and the positivity and hilarity has stuck with me. I am so thankful and excited to have discovered this comedy show! Can’t wait to see what the comedic genius of Fatima Dhowre, Diana Bang, Morgan Brayton, and Katie-Ellen Humphries brings us next. Sonja’s Favourite Bits:
Missed the Mark for Sonja:
~ reviewed by Sonja Cvoric
Playwright and performer Shawn O’Hara is spectacular as Brad Gooseberry, Field Zoology professor and adventurer. Everything about this performance is carefully crafted to appear a though it were thrown together. The music playing when you first enter sets the stage for what is 60 minutes of comedic genius. You will be entertained by classic cartoons, tales from some familiar and local wildlands, and some improvised and often physical Q and A. Nearly every line elicits some reaction from the audience, most of them good. O’Hara leaves some time at the end to improvise answers to questions from the audience, would have liked to have seen more performance from him and to have shortened this section up. Shawn O’Hara is a local writer and actor coming from Victoria. With experience in animation and voice over, O’Hara brings his various talents to the table to create the University course we all wish we took. This is not his only performance at the Fringe, you can catch him and Abdul Aziz at Fake Ghost Tours. Field Zoology 101 by Shawn O'Hara is playing at the Revue Stage 6 - 16 September as part of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. ~ reviewed by Brieanna Fiander
Virginia Jack is a comedy improv play crafted by the company of the same name. On Friday, September 7, during their 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival opening night show, improv comedians Briana Rayner and Shawn Norman created a one-act play on the spot. I was there, along with a handful of others, to witness and judge. Creating an entire play based on an audience-suggested location is incredibly ambitious, and both Rayner and Norman seem to be quite skilled. However, I really felt like the show could have used more energy and enthusiasm from the players. Much of the dialogue (particularly during the last half) was meandering, and the plot points and character elements often felt “played out” or cliché. The description for Virginia Jack cites “arthouse cinema” as an inspiration for this show, and describes it as “fantastically bizarre.” This feels misleading. The LGBTQ tag also seems slightly beguiling. Yes, this show garnered a few authentic laughs, but I was expecting something more zany. The set was simple (two chairs and a black stage), but I’m thinking that the actors could have drawn some inspiration from a few props. Perhaps they were disappointed by the small crowd size. (And the audience-suggested locales definitely lacked imagination.) It is worth noting that, this year, Norman was replacing Virginia Jack founding member Nicole Passmore. I wonder how much experience Rayner and Norman have playing off of each other. All that said, this was my first live improv comedy show. Perhaps all of the above is just part of the improv experience. Please chime in if you have a differing (or similar) perspective. I love a good argument. Virginia Jack is playing at the False Creek Gym 6 - 16 September as part of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. ~ reviewed by Reija Jean
5-Step Guide to Being German 2.0 Paco Erhard's comedy is internationally hilarious. You don't have to be German to appreciate his humour but if you are, there seems to be a touch of Mario Barth influence. There is a reason this show has been sold out around the world since 2011. His show is a look into how the world sees and stereotypes Germans and how those cliches have come to exist. His explanation with diagram, of a particular Autobahn problem will have you in tears. His delivery is energetic and he is a great storyteller. Get your tickets for this one soon because they won't last long. 5-Step Guide to Being German 2.0 is playing at Waterfront Theatre 6 - 16 September as part of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. ~ reviewed by Ferne Brown
This was a really enjoyable show. A touching look into our treatment of old people in our society, especially those with dementia and Alzheimer's as well as how the system treats those who look after them. Patients with these illnesses can so often get violent and aggressive. This, combined with the stresses and lack of support for nurses who care for them, can really burn out caregivers and de-humanize them who, in turn, de-humanize their patients. It is an important show to make us more aware of the sensitivity that is needed and how much systems like the NHS need to change. This is not just relevant to the UK treatment systems though. I liked the Whodunnit aspect, it made it a little more entertaining and humourous, but I think once it was established it was put aside a little, to establish the other characters and possible suspects in a way that almost made you forget the whodunnit part and get lost in the new characters. Perhaps there is a way of introducing them that still feels much a part of the whodunnit mystery. Gee uses music and lights to add depth to some characters and scenes. Worth seeing is his detective character that speaks in idioms and proverbs that are completely mashed together with other similar meaning idioms and proverbs. This performance is flawless and just when you think you won't laugh at it again, you find yourself chuckling again at his delivery. A must see whether you have any connection the Alzheimer's or not. Forget Me Not - The Alzheimer’s Whodunnit by Rob Gee is playing at the Revue Stage 6 - 16 September as part of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. ~ reviewed by Ferne Brown
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