Absolute Magic was definitely magical. Keith Brown did everything right, his magic was believable, funny, and engaging. If you enjoy magic or you are looking for a good show to take your kids to, I would recommend this one. Keith has been doing magic for over 10 years and he has performed in over 22 countries. His passing resemblance to Harry Potter (although Keith is proclaimed to be hotter) makes it seem even more likely that he might make you levitate, or at least confuse you by reading your mind. Absolute Magic by Keith Brown is playing at Studio 1398 September 6 - 16 as part of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. ~ reviewed by Annina Engelbrecht
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Adjunct Professor of Law at Washington and Lee University. CEO at Westmoreland Coal. CEO at Telescpectrum Worldwide. President and CEO at Jackson Hewitt. President and CEO at Farm Fresh Inc. This is not the CV of a Fringe performer. At least not usually. But this year Keith Alessi has come to Fringe to show as that even a recovering executive might have something to offer the arts. This show is exactly the kind of intimate and vulnerable performance we come to the Fringe to see. I am not particularly a banjo fan, but after seeing this show I now understand the appeal. Alessi weaves beautiful stories for us, some moving, some funny, but all are accompanied and enhanced by the 3 banjos he has on stage with him. For the banjo enthusiasts in the group you will be tickled by the occasional banjo joke and Alessi’s solo performances of some very famous songs, and one at least he wrote himself. Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me But Banjos Saved my Life has toured Canada’s Fringe scene from Toronto, through Edmonton and now in Vancouver. Next Alessi will be taking his show international and heading over to Australia. Working with a very talented group of performers, Alessi may be a newcomer to Fringe, but I don’t think it will be his last time charming an audience from the stage. Check out his website TomatoesTriedToKillme.com to enjoy some of Alessi’s favourite places, banjo builders and music. He is also offering comp tickets on his website, so if you feel like you need to see this show, but are tight on cash, you can email them and request one. Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me But Banjos Saved my Life is playing at Carousel Theatre 6 - 16 September as part of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. ~ reviewed by Brieanna Fiander
Cory Thibert received a standing ovation from the audience after his hour long show at The Cultch, a venue that he manages to fill with his presence and his storytelling. Through the seemingly simple story of his parents needing to move house, he is able to give us glimpses into his life and his parent's life and to make us reflect on the systems in place for treating people that society think are different. The main lesson to take away from his story is how little our society cares about the smaller people. While I mean this to mean that people that aren't considered the 'norm' are overlooked and neglected, I also thought this was most prevalent in the story of the mouse. People should not be allowed to buy pets spontaneously without being prepared for them, having researched their needs. There must be a better way to stop this from happening. Those animals are completely reliant on us. Age is not an excuse for being ignorant of how to look after animals and if you cannot continue to look after one, then don't put it out in the wild to die. Find someone who can. The mouse story definitely overshadowed the whole show for me and I found it is the thing I think back on the most after the show. The audience audibly had reactions to the story of how teachers treated his mother at school but nobody seemed to have a reaction to him putting his mouse in -20 degree weather to die. I definitely feel this should make us think more about how pet stores enable this lack of responsibility and don't ensure potential owners are prepared enough. The show I saw had an ASL interpreter which I thought was a wonderful addition to the show. However not all the shows have this. You'll definitely enjoy this show and completely drawn in to his charisma. ~ reviewed by Ferne Brown
It turns out that “fancy brains” can belong to funny people. Francis Brian Shaw is one such person. This show is his fifth instalment of Fancy Brain. This instalment is subtitled The Reckoning. Francis is said to have performed hundreds of stand-up comedy shows all across Canada including major city shows in places like Calgary and Toronto. Shaw has excellent stories. He shares in a way that is personal, human and relatable. His stories are unique and his jokes are vulnerable. He shared a lot about how the comedic brain works. I felt this great theme tied the show together and could have been even stronger. I wanted more physicality in his storytelling. If he had savoured the stories more, the audience could have absorbed them better. The Fancy Brain Show: The Reckoning is playing at the Revue Stage 6 - 16 September as part of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. ~ reviewed by Annina Engelbrecht
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
Wastelands is the story of the last human on Earth, Hero, and her last 3 years in “plastic purgatory” otherwise known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The performance begins with a tragedy, one which only seems to really matter to Hero, but we are brought along to help find the perpetrators and bring them to justice. Hero introduces her collection of garbage puppets, Wilsonesque (Castaway) creations of hers, who act as treasurer, secretary, Vice President, and the chair of recreation committee. With these creations and a plethora of swear words she tells us about how they ended up on the island and why it’s pointless to try to leave. Highlights of the show include the acid rain, national anthem, and the wonderful puppetry that brings the other 4 characters to life. Savanna Harvey builds a fantastical world for us and while the story is often funny it is unexpectedly sorrowful, frustrating, and intense. The work Harvey did with puppeteer coach Lindsey Zess allows the 4 puppets to become unquestionable characters with their own personalities and opinions on the situation as it unfolds. The venue presented its own unique challenges as bring your own venue stages often do. Positioned in a parking lot Harvey is at the whim of the weather, people cutting through the alley, business sounds and the Fringe Bar down the road. She did not let any of that distract her though and should be applauded for making the best out of a tough spot. It should be noted that the provided seating is garbage themed and as such not particularly comfortable. There are chairs in the back for those with mobility challenges. The venue accommodates about 30 people, so it’s a very intimate experience. Lighting is particularly tough in this area as early evening showings take you from dusk to night. Harvey has positioned bare bulbs around for light. Although thematically appropriate, they are tough on the eyes. Finding your check in spot and venue is a bit tricky so the instructions are in my video. Check in occurs at the BYOV c tent on the north side of Cartwright St. Wastelands by Pretentious Productions is playing in the Micon Parking Lot 6 - 16 September as part of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. ~ reviewed by Brieanna Fiander
Are there Vampires in Barcelona? Join Brian Cochrane as he takes you on a journey that includes love in Paris, train rides through Europe and maybe even some vampires hanging out at a bar in Barcelona. The story builds slowly as the narrator recounts Brian’s younger years and his adventures which started innocently with Brian following a girl to Europe. For proof Brian has some photographs that he projects on screen at random points throughout the show. Honestly, I didn’t think they added that much and would have loved to seen them used as the conclusion as ‘proof’ once the story had ended. Arts Umbrella is a small intimate theatre quite well suited to storytelling with the black walls and lack of intricate set allowing us to conjure up our images of the array of characters Brian meets along the way. One of my favourite parts were Brian’s asides, when he needed to add details the narrator didn’t share with us. A charming story that builds slowly and doesn’t disappoint. Vampires in Barcelona is playing at Carousel Theatre 6 - 16 September as part of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. ~ reviewed by Melody Owen
Devon More is always a joy to see perform. In Flute Loops, as ever, musical talent, verbal skill, and physical grace are interwoven into seamless fabric. The simplest, clearest demonstration of this comes from the pedalboard, which is used to create the titular “loops”. More integrates the working of the pedals with her physical performance, controlling the sophisticated arrangement of samples through motions that seem effortless, accidental—to the point that we can almost believe the opening conceit of the show, that this entire performance is spilling out of her spontaneously as she waits for her boyfriend’s band to come on stage. Prospective theatre goers might be wondering about the educational content. This is about as deep a dive into quantum physics as a one-person symphonic orchestral poetic performance incorporating flutes and physical comedy can reasonably be expected to be. Devon’s descriptions of physical concepts are accurate up to a point, but they are mostly being used as the vessels of a more central creative idea, one that explores the role of science in the modern world and the objective of the human search for knowledge. (I discuss this more in the video review, which contains spoilers.) I did feel a little uncomfortable around the performer’s handling of Stephen Hawking. Perhaps the honorific of “Saint Hawking” and the imitation of his distinctive robotically synthesized speech patterns were meant to be affectionate, but to me both came off as sarcastic and perhaps a little in poor taste. I’m sure opinions will vary. Overall, I would recommend this as a fun, witty treatment of physics that informs and moves, even if it doesn’t (and probably can’t) explain things at a deep level. Also, if you’ve yet to see Devon More onstage, don’t miss this because Flute Loops is Devon More in top form. Flute Loops by Devon More Music is playing at the Cultch Historic Theatre 6 - 16 September as part of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. ~ reviewed by Mattias Martens
If you are looking for a poetic and nostalgic look at Vaudeville theatre, Charlie Petch has created a show that will take you both on stage and backstage of the Vagabond Theatre. This show is reminiscent of a time when theatre was the mainstay of entertainment and acts could be polished and tight or weird and wonderful. Mel Malarkey interacts with the audience pulling them in, teasing them and enjoying their reactions. This is a performer you can have fun with. Tell me what you think of the unusual instrumentation. Mel Malarkey Gets the Bum's Rush is playing at Performance Works 6 - 16 September as part of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. ~ reviewed by Melody Owen
This one woman show by 17-year old Laurel A. Trueman is packed with laughs that anyone of any age can relate to. Confident, silly, and at many times endearing, this young actress shares with you all the funny ways she put off creating the show she’s on the stage performing- a grandiose apology of sorts that truly is something worth watching. Before I saw Trueman on stage, I felt skeptical about the show, questioning the value of an adult acting out teenage drama. But this all changed once I saw Trueman on stage, and realized that she herself is actually a teenager. This isn’t an emo teenage drama- this is the story of the way we all justify procrastination, and is most keenly told through the lens of a teenager’s honesty with herself and with us. So I recommend this show for both teens and adults. But even if you don’t see Trueman in this year’s Fringe Festival, I guarantee you’ll be seeing her on the screen and on the stage for many years to come. Hardly Trying is playing at the Revue Stage 6 - 16 September as part of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. ~ reviewed by Elizabeth Goode
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