Last but absolutely not least – the final batch of PodSask reviews from the Saskatoon Fringe Festival!
What a haul of shows it has been, as well. Great magic shows, charming comedies, compelling dramas. Musicals. Card tricks. Seniors. Rats. If you can imagine it, that Fringe has got it.
Absolute Magic
What we loved: There’s smooth audience work, and then there’s Keith Brown smooth.
“Absolute Magic” is pretty self-explanatory — Brown is a talented magician who leads the audience masterfully through a set of a variety of magic, from mentalism tricks to sleight-of-hand shenanigans.
Where Brown really sparkles is through his audience participation. Whether it be older viewers or very energetic kids (and in this performance, there was one very hyped-up child called up to the stage) Brown had everyone laughing and having fun. As both a storyteller and a showman, Brown does a great job engaging a diverse group.
A magician typically has to be a people-person to really excel, but it’s hard to emphasize just how good at the soft skills Brown is. Plenty of magicians can do magic — it’s only the best ones that make it a spellbinding performance.
What we didn’t love: Brown sort of slow-plays the audience to start the show off, and it takes a bit of time to get into the meat of the show. Part of it is taking the time to build an audience rapport, but it does mean the highlights take a significant amount of time to reach.
The final trick (without spoiling it, a sort of full-audience group mentalism) was probably the best and most unique of the whole show. Wanting to end with a bang makes sense, but it would have been exciting to have a little more flash early on.
Verdict: Based on the magic alone, Brown would deserve accolades. As a performer, he’s among the best. “Absolute Magic” is absolutely a superb show for magic fans of all ages.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
– Matt Olson
***
Full Metal Comedy: Fourth Time’s A Charm!
What we love: Imagine getting a chance to sample performances from some of the best up-and-coming local comedians in Saskatchewan in a one-hour show and having an impossible time picking which one made you laughed the hardest.
Full Metal Comedy is back for another year with Shawn Cuthand, Danny Knight, Ryan Moccasin, Cheyenna Sapp and Matt Donlevy, and the stars didn’t disappoint.
Cuthand’s set kicked things off with sexy cheesecake talk, the “badonkadonk” and watching wrestling in a risqué way, and Donlevy, a plumber by trade during the day who donned a pair of blue jeans as neckwear, followed up with jokes about touring the small town circuit to cut his teeth in stand-up.
Knight brought the house down with his blend of physical comedy and impressions. Land acknowledgements and algorithms didn’t go unscathed. The one about the hip replacement to close his set was gold.
Moccasin kept the joke about land acknowledgments going, but his opener on ancestry sites was top notch topical commentary, and was the source of some of the best zingers of the evening. Sapp’s jokes about barbecued meat and levels of done-ness hit right on the nose.
Cuthand, Knight and Moccasin are on the team behind comedy series The Feather News, which airs on the APTN lumi streaming service and Sapp is a star of Acting Good which airs on CTV.
The Cosmo Seniors Centre was a good choice for an intimate setting.
What we didn’t love: While a few jokes didn’t land and the difference in experience in stand-up did show a little, it was overall good fun. When they landed, they landed.
Verdict: It’s easy to see why Full Metal Comedy was a fan favourite last year and why it’s so popular that most of the seats were filled at the late Sunday evening show.
And if it’s your first time seeing Knight in action, he’ll turn you into a fan by the end of his set.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
– Thia James
***
Night Sweats
What we loved: An emotional, up-close and personal look back in time to the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s. “Night Sweats” follows a small-town Saskatchewan boy who moves abroad and discovers the vibrant and liberal world of London’s gay community, only to have it threatened by “the gay plague.” The show covers serious and, for some, painful themes such as homophobia, finding one’s identity, fear during a pandemic, and grief. It’s not all sad, though. There are plenty of jokes throughout the performance that bring a little levity to an otherwise serious topic.
Commanding a stage for 60 minutes with only the support of the tech crew is no easy feat, but one that actor Brad McDougall takes on successfully. Besides performing as the protagonist, McDougall also jumps in and out of several other characters (and various British accents) near seamlessly. Paired with some highly entertaining physicality and light-hearted audience participation, McDougall is an excellent host on this emotional journey.
What we didn’t love: McDougall seemingly needed a few vignettes to warm up and settle into the show, as demonstrated by his stumbling through lines a few times. Once settled, however, he put on a commanding performance.
The ending to the performance came rather abruptly. While it brought up the moral takeaway sweetly, a more gradual finish would have been appreciated.
Verdict: Watch this show. It’s a great reminder of a moment in history that is still relevant for several reasons; audiences can better understand homophobia which still exists today, relate to the fear and uncertainty of a new disease (2020, anyone?), and learn about what it means to be compassionate to those different from you.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
– Heather Hataley
***
Songs Without Words (or, The Mendelssohn Play)
What we loved: A strong script telling the story of two musically gifted siblings, the renowned composer Felix Mendelssohn and his lesser known sister Fanny. “Songs Without Words” features Jennifer Vosters as both characters. Vosters is able to switch from sister to brother and back both periodically and within seconds. While the siblings do come off as two distinct characters, Vosters is also able to portray character similarities that makes the audience recognize them as brother and sister.
A simple and symmetrical set consisting of a piano bench and two music stands allows for physical blocking to differentiate between Felix and Fanny, and also poignantly represents their well-being.
Many relatable themes are explored in “Songs Without Words.” Felix and Fanny are both so emotionally entwined that they claim to share a soul, yet at the same time suffer from sibling rivalry and jealousy at the gifts the other has. In a time where upper class women are not meant to work outside of the home, Fanny wrangles with her obligation to raise her child and run her household while wanting to pursue her talent and passion. One sibling is constantly battling their fear of making a mistake in their search for glory, while the other battles with the loss of their creativity and identity in their inability to reach for more. This play is rich with familial, social, and personal conflict.
What we didn’t love: Honestly, no complaints from this reviewer.
Verdict: Entertaining. Poignant. Relatable. Heart-wrenching. Beautiful.
“Songs Without Words” is teeming with complex themes that are explored beautifully through the eyes of Felix and Fanny as they, two musicians who ought to have had similar lives, go down two different paths and fight their own demons for it.
Did I forget to mention the beautiful music as well?
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
– Heather Hataley
***
THE KID WAS A SPY
What we loved: Jem Rolls’ rapid delivery, often bordering on frantic, did a lot to heighten the tension in his telling of Ted Hall’s life and the story of how the Soviets got the plans for The Bomb. In a story of such important questions and anxious moments of espionage, this intense style of storytelling brought the unsure and panicked emotions Hall and his co conspirators lived through to life on the stage.
While only presenting an incomplete picture of the breadth of what was happening around Ted, keeping the writing of “THE KID WAS A SPY” focused on the one figure and his role in the KGB’s efforts to instead of attempting to explore or explain a larger portion of that convoluted web of subterfuge was another effective creative choice from the show’s writer/performer.
What we didn’t love: That same frantic, sometimes chaotic, delivery that served the emotions of the story so well also made the story more difficult to follow in some moments. On top of that, maintaining the energetic pace of speaking had Rolls stumbling over his words during some of the show’s more intense moments.
Verdict: By providing a focused narrative in the middle of one of the most complex and important moments in contemporary history, Rolls had shone a light on a lesser known but no less important figure, Ted Hall.
It’s a compelling story, told with care and an evident excitement about the subject matter, all the while leaving you wrestling with the tough to answer question. Did Ted Hall do the right thing?
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
– Zachary Knuttila
***
Super Funtimes Magic!
What we loved: “Super Funtimes Magic!” proves clown and magician Chris Bange to be proficient at both art forms. Clever prop work, novel versions of classic sleight of hand tricks and captivating stage presence lay the groundwork for an enjoyable performance.
Increasingly absurd versions of Bange’s tricks build up to humorous crescendos taking simple, at least in concept, magic tricks and prop work to new heights. All the while his silent, slightly adversarial crowd work and energetic slapstick elements helped keep the audience entertained during the time it takes to prepare for the next series of tricks.
What we didn’t love: The Broadway Theatre was too large and the lighting too dim for many of the more subtle sleight of hand and prop tricks to have the impact they could have had for much of the audience. A smaller venue would have been a better fit given the show’s focus on hand magic.
The show could also have benefited from dropping a few of the less successful segments in favor of a quicker pace and a tighter focus on the trick sequences which were more successful.
Verdict: While the venue presents some challenges for a performance of this style, Bange manages to overcome most of those issues with a solid performance and a keen comedic eye.
If you like magic shows, slapstick comedy, and clowning you won’t find a lot to dislike about “Super Funtimes Magic!” — just be sure to sit close.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩
– Zachary Knuttila
***
The Saskatoon Fringe Festival runs through August 10. Information for all shows, tickets, and the full festival program can be found at https://25thstreettheatre.org/fringe-shows/.
