The Saskatoon Fringe keeps rolling onward, and so do PodSask Fringe reviews!
We’re past the halfway point with this batch of reviews – and don’t you worry, we’ll have a review of every show on the website before the week is out.
Check out our first batch, or our second batch, as well as this newest and biggest batch of reviews!
Dear Me, Sincerely You
What we loved: “Dear Me, Sincerely You” is a relatable coming-of-adulthood story about a woman staring down a quarter-life crisis … and a letter she at 15 wrote to herself, intended for her to read at 25.
Julia Kowalski is an authentic storyteller in this one person show. While clearing out her old room after her parents sell their house, her character wrestles with potentially finding out she’d be a disappointment to her angst-filled younger self.
It had its funny moments, mainly in Julia’s flashbacks (well indicated by the lighting changes), and Kowalski pulls off the quick-switch between teen and adult Julia.
What we didn’t love: The storytelling seemed to sideline its storyteller late into the show, focusing more on her being an observer of big, global events.
By then, the show has built up a relationship between the audience and the affable, persevering Julia. We know that she’s graduated from university, is at the start of her career and has moved out of her parents’ home. We needed more time seeing and hearing about her wins amid a world gone wrong.
The verdict: The concept is promising, that someone as an adult, finds a letter written when she was younger that is addressed to her adult self. It speaks to the regret and “what-ifs” that come with looking back at earlier, loftier, goals.
Kowalski, delivers a likeable Julia, someone the audience can’t help but root for, and the audience needed more time with her story in full focus.
This show is a kind of needed cathartic scream- into-the-pillow in unsettled times.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩
– Thia James
***
Prufrock
What we loved: Eusebius Scribante’s earnest, heartfelt, oft-impassioned portrayal of a man trapped in purgatory remembering his brief, unforgettable, romance was heartbreaking.
Prufrock, the eponymous character, inspired by a T.S. Eliot poem, and his monologue in this one-performer shoe is beautiful.
Scribante is convincing as Prufrock, who admittedly struggles in social situations, self doubts and has a rich inner life, in life. The moment in which Prufrock reveals how he dies — the how is the carefully-guarded mystery — Scribante is at his most wrenching, and it comes after he describes how his reunion with his love interest should have gone.
The show itself sprinkled in hints about Prufrock’s fate: his repeated trouble with remembering own name.
What we didn’t love: The stage was too deep for Prufrock to shrink back towards the furthest point upstage, where the curtains in the Cosmo Senior Centre starts to muffle the performer.
It pulled the character too far away from the audience, after he spent time in the house and interacting with the audience and intentionally breaking the fourth wall, in this intimate show.
The verdict: It is a heavy show and a heartfelt eulogy to an incomplete life, cut short. Prufrock has his own personal story cruelly cut short, almost mid-sentence.
The art of the lines pause and make you think, and sit with them for a bit after the end. It is high-brow art, indeed, and the venue can be tough to stage a performance in.
The message is clear: do not put off to tomorrow what you can do today, because tomorrow is not guaranteed.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
– Thia James
***
A Kid Napping
What we loved: Goofballs Collective’s “A Kid Napping” is a madcap that is slapstick as it should be, with leads that play so brilliantly off each other.
Birdie Burke’s Nikki and Marissa Sauve’s Ricky are a bumbling pair of criminals who take a class full of affluent Kindergartners hostage for ransom. But the pair in crime and in love can’t help but bicker as their plan goes sideways. And the unseen kids, their lines delivered by voice actors in recordings, are wise beyond their years, doling out relationship advice.
It’s fast-paced, frenetic and doesn’t slow down until it’s nap time. Really.
Burke was solid as the comedic foil to Sauve’s Jersey-accented, tiger print-wearing over-the-top Nicky.
What we didn’t love: You would be very hard pressed to find a flaw in the show.
One may want the knots in the skipping rope used to tie Ricky and Nikki up to be out of the audience’s sight so it would appear harder to get out of (it’s meant to be loose so the off-stage children can quickly release them). But that’s nitpicking and easily waved off, the show was so entertaining.
It’s too bad the house (The Refinery) wasn’t packed, but it was a very hot day.
The verdict: If you like good physical comedy that is both fun and rapid fire, this is for you. Burke and Sauve are a well-matched comedy pairing, and the “kids,” they say the darndest things.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
– Thia James
***
Anything Boys Can Do…
What we love: Lisa Krol shares the story of overcoming stereotypes about girls in the world of magic and illusion, complete with tricks and trompe d’oeil in MagicbyLisa’s “Anything Boys Can Do…”
With the help of her young protégé, Jessica, who also doubles as Lil’ Lisa in flashbacks, she brings the audience in to her story about working hard and proving herself as a budding illusionist.
Krol’s story is compelling and the illusions she and Jessica perform are fun and worthy of the oohs, aahs and applause.
What we didn’t love: At times during the show, there is background music, which is particularly frustrating when it drowns out Krol and Jessica more than once.
It’s unfortunate, because it is an uplifting story that needed to be highlighted, and not overshadowed, by the audio.
The verdict: It can’t be emphasized enough how refreshing it is to see an illusionist show where the magic is part of the story, helps support it, and doesn’t overtake it.
The audience was into it from start to finish. It’s a fun way to spend part of an afternoon.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩
– Thia James
***
Erika MacDonald: Tea Time
What we loved: Erika MacDonald is at times enigmatic, always charming, and beautifully heartfelt as she marshals the audience through the moments of tea making and the various metaphors held within it.
This is a performance piece that includes audience participation and the simple act of tea-making while MacDonald repeats lines like “It doesn’t take forever, but it does take time” and “It might seem silly to you, but it matters to me.” This leads into heartfelt stories about her nephew, mental health, and the beauty of finding something you love and sharing it with others. Her discussion of depression is significant but easily navigated within the humour and lightness of tea. It is both a moving and beautiful play.
What we didn’t love: It’s hard to find fault with such a successful work of art. The worst and best thing that can be said about it is that it is unconventional and perfectly delivers heart and humour.
Verdict: See this show and sit close to the front. You might get to hold a bag, ask a question, or sip a cup of tea. Even if you do not wish to participate, it is a treat to have a human encounter with a simple action that connects people in a profound way. Her five year old nephew once asked her, “Auntie Erika? How long is a moment?” While the question goes unanswered in any measurable sense, she does point out that moments are all any of us have. Take a moment to pause, reflect, and experience Tea Time.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
– Bobby Williston
***
No Die! – Or: How I Left Amsterdam and Almost Died in Africa
What we loved: Fedor Ikelaar is a Dutch comedian and travel junkie who uses standup to weave tales of his naive youth when he believed he could singlehandedly save the world. His presence is both energetic and grounded, with quick speech and a clear understanding of the world (such as an awareness of white male privilege).
The large crowd on Sunday evening’s performance was engaged and laughing quite quickly and for the duration of the set. His mishaps and errors were exciting and engaging including a motorbike taxi ride in Thailand (where the child driving him told him “No die!” before speeding off) and his adventures in Sierra Leone in a village where the children had never seen a white person. He had a few callback jokes that were well placed, and it was both easy and fun to watch. He talks quickly and the time flies by.
What we didn’t love: He threw in a dig at Regina, which was funny the first couple of times. By the fifth Regina reference, it felt a little old and forced. There were also some brief slow moments in the stories where details and setups were a little long. However, the number of laughs per minute were impressive and the flow was fairly consistent overall.
Verdict: Definitely do not miss this show! It will make you laugh and give you a little something to think about. It is an easy and entertaining time, and it will definitely be time well spent.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
– Bobby Williston
***
A Tall Mark Show: EAT IT ANYWAY
What we loved: Weird artists doing what they love in a fantastic suit!
Not only is Tall Mark, well, tall, but he is a witty musical storyteller who can connect with an audience. Through a series of songs and vignettes Tall Mark stirs the pot on important issues like pineapple on pizza, modern medicine and hundred dollar hot dogs. Along the way this Vancouver-born entertainer shares his story reinforced with the message that no matter what life serves up, we should eat it anyway.
What we didn’t love: The Broadway Theatre is a big venue. This show would do well with a larger audience or a more intimate performance space
The Verdict: “EAT IT ANYWAY” is an entertaining menu served up by a quirky folk singer on the hunt for a moose. As someone in the audience suggested during Sunday night’s show, Tall Mark’s dishes are food for thought and if you are hungry for satirical songs with a side of authentic storytelling your order is up.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
– Lorna Batycki
***
The Funny Thing About Men
What we loved: Mandy Williams is a likeable artist with a quadruple threat skill set as an actor, singer, musician and dancer, using songs and dance (yes, there is a tap number) to tell her story.
“The Funny Thing About Men” is a one-person show that delves into the stereotypical ‘guy – gal together for a long time’ relationship. Using music to punctuate points, Williams garners laughs with relatable, albeit predictable situations. In one song she lists all the things her partner has taught her about sports and classic rock that she didn’t need to know. When she turns the tables, she discovers that instead of listening to her, her partner has fallen asleep.
What we didn’t love: For the first part of the show Williams seemed to be trying hard to be funny instead of just telling her story and letting the audience find the humour. As the piece moved on, she did settle into a nice conversation with the audience and the funny moments were genuine and appreciated.
The verdict: As an artist, Williams’ likability makes this is a solid outing, and if you are from the “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus” generation you will relate to the humour of a women who loves her guy, but is often frustrated by his behaviours. Williams doesn’t offer anything new to the age-old argument that a women’s work, both professional and at home is never done, but her songs and stories offer a reprieve from the grind for anyone who takes a time out to enjoy her show.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩
– Lorna Batycki
***
Lady Penelope in Quarantine
What we loved: Elizabethan sonnets and red high tops!
Lady Penelope’s world is filled with sonnets and satirical songs and she welcomes quarantine because it makes her feel normal. Dressed in an Elizabethan gown, running shoes and armed with a ukelele we learn that no matter how clever the sonnet or how funny her songs, Lady Penelope has to overcome her fears or risk losing her family.
Penny Peyser delivers a high energy and polished performance as Lady Penelope, creating a funny yet vulnerable character who openly shares her mental health journey as she tries to find the strength to share herself with the world again.
What we didn’t love: The pacing at the top of the piece was a little uneven, but then the show settled into a wonderful rhythm, building to the end.
The verdict: Lady Penelope’s self-imposed quarantine sets the stage for a tale of avoidance by hiding in one crises to avoid another. It’s an interesting story punctuated with humour and heart.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
– Lorna Batycki
***
The Saskatoon Fringe Festival runs until August 8th. You can find more information at 25thstreettheatre.org.
