One more day, five more reviews, and more five star performances – the Saskatoon Fringe continues on!
Did you miss our first slate of reviews? Check them out here.
And check out our newest reviews below!
Jimmy Hogg: The Potato King
What we loved: Whether or not Jimmy Hogg is the Potato King might be questionable, but he was undoubtedly the king of comedy in his opening performance.
Hogg’s brand of storytelling is high-energy and frenetic as he flips topics and tracks through his stories. He blends together tales of his exciting (sometimes perhaps a little TOO exciting) romantic relationships, always juxtaposed against his deep love of fine cuisine. It’s an oddly compelling piece of storytelling, and while it’s not completely relatable (I don’t know how much of the audience has been to a “sex party”) the core themes about dating and building relationships hit all-too-close to home.
And just when you think Hogg might let the show settle into a saccharine-sweet ending that ties a neat bow on an otherwise bawdy set of stories, he subverts your expectations once again with his quick and insistent brand of humour. This was a bundle of laughs and food facts for the full hour, and the audience gobbled it all up. It helps that Hogg is the right amount of physical in his performance, adding another level to an already extremely fun show.
What we didn’t love: Hogg’s style of humour is high-octane, but that doesn’t mean it’s for everyone. There were certainly pockets of the audience howling with laughter while others were more muted. The level of raunchiness — while absolutely hilariously presented — does come a bit out of nowhere, so perhaps folks were surprised by that. But make no mistake: these are such minor nitpicks. Go in with an open mind and you’ll have a great time.
Verdict: A great show, top to bottom. If anyone is going to make you laugh so hard that you cry, count on it to be Jimmy Hogg.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
– Matt Olson
***
Goose!
What we loved: The apocalypse is upon us, in all its winged and beaked oblivion.
That’s the premise of “Goose!,” anyways: climate events have destroyed the grass that geese eat, and so they turn their beady eyes to humanity as their prey. It’s a truly ludicrous premise, and what’s more ludicrous is how well the performers pull this off. Combining elements from horrors and thrillers you know and love, this show turns the zombie apocalypse into, well, the goose-y apocalypse.
This show works because of how completely, 100 per cent bought in both performers (Alexandra Chubaty Boychuk and Andrew Broaddus) are to the premise. The actors (and the audience) are survivors in a safehouse with all the doors locked — and since geese don’t have thumbs to turn doorknobs, it’s a temporary safe haven. Pamphlets on strategies for surviving encounters with geese are even distributed to audience members upon arrival, to really sink the immersion in. And the monstrous geese are scary because we’re made to believe they’re scary through over-the-top recollections of murderous goose attacks, played as straight-faced as you could imagine.
If it sounds absurd, that’s because it absolutely, wonderfully, is. This is side-splitting parody of epic proportions, monsters and melodrama wrapped up in a zany package. Who could’ve guessed that a universal disdain for geese would be such an effective device to galvanize a Saskatchewan audience?
What we didn’t love: It would have been great if the actors were just a little bit louder at the start. That’s about it.
Verdict: Creativity is deserving of credit. But what sets great Fringe shows apart from the good and sometimes not-so-good is when that creativity — no matter how ridiculous — is well-executed. This is not the finest piece of theatre I’ve ever seen. But it is unequivocally the funniest and most unique bit of nonsense to grace the Fringe in a long time, and how can you not love that?
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
– Matt Olson
***
Adventures in Canadian Parking Lots
What we loved: Jem Rolls is compelling and energetic as always, with his knack for creativity and storytelling on full display in “Adventures in Canadian Parking Lots.” One-man spoken-word shows like this can feel empty, but with a speaker as impassioned and emotive as Rolls it’s easy to forget that context and find yourself immersed in stories about future humans loathing of our (to them) ancient excess or simpler tales about writing poetry and living up to past success. It’s a testament to his charisma that even the more abstract or whimsical pieces land with impact, carried by sheer force of presence.
The range of stories shared during “Adventures in Canadian Parking Lots” means at least one of them will tickle your fancy, and Jem Rolls’ engaging style of writing and dynamic delivery keep you hooked on the rest.
What we didn’t love: The show dragged a touch through the middle, not enough to negatively impact the show, just enough to ask if it might have been stronger with one less story included. Rolls’ frantic performance sometimes causes stumbles in his delivery and make the stories a little more difficult to follow, but these moments are infrequent.
Verdict: A selection of strong stories from across his illustrious fringe career, “Adventures in Canadian Parking Lots” is Rolls at his best. His personality driven style does mean that if you have seen and enjoyed a Jem Rolls performance in the past you’re going to enjoy this experience too.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
– Zachary Knuttila
***
The Prehistoric Wildlife Rescue Centre
What we loved: The show’s clever “Steve Irwin meets The Land Before Time” premise is a wonderful approach to children’s theatre. The cardboard puppets Graeme Hopkins uses to portray the show’s spotlight dinosaurs are adorable and just kitschy enough to be charming without crossing into tacky.
The audience participation sections were a hit with the children in the audience, and Hopkins was excellent in managing them.
What we didn’t love: While the premise is great the show is very short, and not in a way that feels quick and concise. Instead it feels lacking for content. A larger audience with more children to involve in the participation sections would certainly have made the show longer, but not richer.
The show consists of five featured extinct animals, and spending an extra three or four minutes fleshing out more substantial educational material for each and interacting with the incredibly charming puppets has the potential to raise “The Prehistoric Wildlife Rescue Centre” to new levels.
The core is strong but some development and reworking is needed to take this show from its current state to a genuinely good piece of children’s theater.
Verdict: The idea is great, Graeme Hopkins has a strong stage presence, and the puppets are dripping with charm. “The Prehistoric Wildlife Rescue Centre” has a lot of promising aspects, and it’s clear that with a bit more substance and structural development, this could grow into a real gem of children’s theatre. Unfortunately, in its current form, it falls short of delivering on that potential.
Rating: ★ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩
– Zachary Knuttila
***
1 Small Lie
What we loved: Martin Dockery is a masterful storyteller. You think “1 Small Lie” is going to be essentially a comedy as Dockery begins spinning his tale of finding an injured deer and deciding to nurse it back to health. But the events that follow — all spiraling off the first lie Dockery tells to the police — lead the audience down a trail of mystery, kidnapping, intrigue and blood.
It’s so refreshing to see the space at the Broadway Theatre used in its full scope. Dockery’s array of smart-bulb-equipped lanterns gave him the control to shift from scene to scene using colored light, and a nonstop sound track kept the show moving forward at a steady pace. It’s a smart storytelling device that Dockery uses well.
And Dockery’s delivery is strikingly powerful, generating both humour as well as thrills and chills as we explore the dangers lurking around the corner of sleepy Montauk, New York. Dockery said he was working on a dramatic podcast — based on this performance, I’m excited to hear it.
What we didn’t love: The story takes almost a full hour, and it felt like it maybe didn’t have to. Dockery’s story, while well-told, meanders a little bit in the middle before accelerating towards a harrowing conclusion.
And when the dialogue between characters began to flow faster, it was occasionally hard to separate out which character was delivering what line. It’s one of the potential pains of a one-man show and only came to the forefront sporadically.
Verdict: The gripes are small. This is a fascinating show, and we are sorely in need of more dramatic one-person productions that can match Dockery’s caliber. For now, we can happily say “1 Small Lie” is a fast-paced foray into the costs of pride and lies, and is a Fringe must-see this year.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
– Matt Olson
The Saskatoon Fringe Festival runs through August 9. Information for all shows, tickets, and the full festival program can be found at 25thstreettheatre.org/fringe-theatre.
