Roy & Janet is produced by Theatre Terrific, which is a company that celebrates diversity and inclusivity. It is playing at the Woodward’s Atrium in downtown Vancouver. Roy & Janet is reminiscent of the plot of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and has a message of love from mother earth mixed in. This performance definitely utilizes the Woodward’s Atrium to it’s full advantage. The performance incorporates abstract props, staccato music, movement formations and dance to reveal a deep and beautiful message of love, hope, and confidence. The performers are multi-abled and truly beautiful to witness. This performance will make you feel warm and fuzzy and that anything is possible! Roy & Janet by Theatre Terrific is playing at the Woodwards Atrium 6 - 16 September as part of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. ~ reviewed by Selene Dublanko
0 Comments
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
The Shape of Things is a dramatic small ensemble, produced by Heckin’ Good Theatre, and playing as part of the Dramatic Works Series at the VanCity Culture Lab. This show is very long, with a 100 minute running time, and it feels unnecessarily dragged out. The opening set design was captivating, with a naked statue on a pillar, in what is clearly a museum or art gallery. A series of blocks were creatively used throughout the show, in probably the best set design I’ve ever seen at a Fringe show. Unfortunately the actors spent an inordinate amount of time setting them up between scenes. The last third or quarter of The Shape of Things is excellent and fascinating, but it’s a shame that the road to get there was so protracted and clunky. Your mileage will vary on whether you think the ending is worth sticking it out for. The purpose of the piece seems to be an examination of the concept of performance art, and where to draw the line between art versus other forms of behaviour. There are also interesting ideas here about boundaries, the need for connection and acceptance, and the negative/positive dichotomy of change. Unfortunately, the clear want to explore these ideas is lost in the execution, which does not substantively address its central topics until the very end, despite some early flirtations with these ideas. As a result, by the time there is any real engagement in these ideas, the show ends, and one is left to wonder what the first 75 minutes were spent doing. The Shape of Things has some great ideas and themes, but they are buried under significant structural problems, very unnatural dialogue, and a severe lack of clear character motivations. Marissa Burton, who plays Jenny, admirably manages to overcome these difficulties and imbue her character with naturalism and believability. I would go back to the drawing board with this piece and try to mould something new out of some great concepts. The Shape of Things is playing at VanCity Culture Lab 6 - 16 September as part of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. ~ reviewed by Vanessa Marshall
My video review above addresses the trigger warnings for this show. Be aware of topics such as child sexual and physical abuse, abuse denial, and acts of violence such as yelling, throwing things, and overall family trauma. Carriage opens with Evelyn Lynden preparing for her daughter’s wedding. Her daughter in law, Grace, and son, Daniel, enter and the dynamic is made clear immediately. Evelyn does not like or respect Grace and dotes on Daniel. She consistently undercuts Grace in a variety of subtle and direct ways. Grace, played by the playwright Elise McRae, swallows her reactions out of consideration or her husband. The affection between the two characters is beautiful and sweet, the way they touch each other and lean into one and other communicates that these two have been together a very long time, we find out later they were high school sweethearts. Lucy, the bride to be enters with her fiancé, Simon, and the drama begins. What follows is 60 minutes of vulnerable, raw and highly emotional content. Almost every relationship in the small group is blown wide open, and not every one gets put back together. Technically this play was exceptional. The stage is well utilized, very basic stage props are used, lighting is consistent, the acting is really allowed to speak for itself. The play is beautifully written and executed. The actors have taken the time to craft their interconnected relationships in a way that they feel completely authentic. The action comes together in a way that is so believable it is possible to forget you are watching a performance. Kudos to McRae for tackling such a poignant topic with such aplomb. ~ reviewed by Brieanna Fiander
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
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
Trigger warning: sexual assault/abuse, rape Redemption is a one-man show, written and performed by James Walter Charleston (also known as Jim Sea, his stage name). I was one of six people who caught his performance on a rainy Sunday night at the 2018 Vancouver Fringe (although, in my video I state there were three of us, which is incorrect). Charleston cites his wife’s death and his own history with abuse as inspirations for this show. It aims to end rape culture by making a case for prevention and recovery, and centers around three characters - the offender, his therapist, and a bureaucrat - which Charleston portrays with the ease and ability of a seasoned performer. Indeed, this is a topic that he is quite passionate about bringing attention to, as well as, it seemed to me, a deeply cathartic journey for him. As a woman, I was concerned that a man would try to present as an authority, rather than an ally, concerning the issue of women’s sexual safety (a fear that was, for the most part, assuaged). I also found it problematic that a white man would portray an African American woman (why?). With Redemption, I feel like Charleston is coming from a well-intentioned place. But I was left feeling conflicted about some of his choices. Redemption by Breaking the Cycle Films Ltd is playing 6 - 16 September at Studio 1398 as part of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. ~ reviewed by Reija Jean
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
With the stage presence of both a touring magician and a mad scientist, Louis Pezzani did not let a relatively small matinee audience discourage him from making the absolute most of his production: Mind Magic. Pezzani skillfully demonstrated his ability to not only influence the minds and read the behaviour of the audience as promised, but to use his natural charisma to captivate and lead audience members to believe in that which seemed impossible until it was before our eyes. In some ways the experience of Mind Magic left me with more questions than answers, but with that came a feeling that anything is possible with the power of clear and directed intention. Mind Magic by Louis Pezzani is playing at False Creek Gym 6 - 16 September as part of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. ~ reviewed by Madisen Steele
The Bridge was a beautifully crafted script. While it is initially humorously situated, the dark undertones gradually take hold of the plot until the reality of a post-apocalyptic future breaks through. The whimsical elements of the show engage and mislead the audience into thinking this may be a happy story. I’ve never seen a dystopian setting like this on a stage before. This is a show that belongs on Netflix- one of those discoveries you binge watch, cry about when it’s over, and then inflict on your friends through constant reference until they watch it too. It is relevant and poignant (a word I enjoy writing, because it’s so hard to speak). The Bridge by Green Eggs and Ham is playing at Studio 16 September 6 - 16 as part of the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. ~ reviewed by Annina Engelbrecht
|
SPONSORED BY:Categories
All
|