The Buzz – Reviews – 2016

The Neighbourhood Watch

The Neighbourhood Watch – Improv—MTYP – Onstage at Pantages

There is a very even split between world building and actual performing and in a 45 minute show that can be death. It really was a shame because when they were on a roll they really were on a roll. Certain performers definitely have better chemistry than others and some were simply stronger than others but all in all it was well performed and a lot of fun. Exactly what you would expect from an improv show.

Arden Pruden

Heavenly Bodies

Bad Weirdo Co—Son of Warehouse

The guide description doesn’t provide much for the contents of this play and I don’t want to give anything away here. Let’s just say that it opens with some humour about a taboo topic. As the dialogue develops, you can articulate the subject from several perspectives—all of them with a gruesome slant.

Patterson tells a great story although she doesn’t quite sell it as the predator. Despite that, this is still a gripping tale that’s well worth the watch.

Ray Yuen

I do I don’t

Winky Productions—The Cinematheque

While I found there was the beginning of a show here some of it truly fell very flat in my opinion. It was a cute show but failed to have an enormous effect on me. At many points I found myself bored by it, but it had its ups as well. Her portrayal of multiple characters was solid as long as she had her props to help her, but during the portion of the show that she removed all props I had trouble distinguishing between the characters. I felt like she was stretching to fill time, and the show ran short regardless. It could have easily filled a 45 minute time slot seeing as it was tight and simple, and felt forced towards the end. Just like this review.

Arden Pruden

Vasily Djokavich: Russia’s #1 State Approved Comedian

Morgan Cranny—MTYP – Richardson Hall

This idea tickled my curiosity as I saw Mike Delamont directed this and he doesn’t do ‘bad’. I also know he’s from Victoria so I strongly suspected the Russian thing was just a front.

Morgan Cranny has perfected the engaging persona of a cowed, tragic and and endearing Russian on an exciting cultural exchange. He has some very funny, and downright silly observations of Canadian and Russian culture and has the audience enjoying every minute. His crazy tale of how Russian comedians are selected and trained was particularly far -fetched and humorous. I love how he never cracks a smile, looking over his shoulder in fear at being “shot in the face” by some unseen government force.

When he promised Russian vodka to a willing volunteer, I jumped at the chance; hoping it was the excellent Russian stuff I was taught to drink straight, with appreciation for the smoothness. Like his act, it was the real thing, it went down easy and left a great taste in your mouth. I will be looking for him in the future.

Lisa Campbell

One Woman Sex and The City: A Parody of Love, Friendship and Shoes

Yellow Flamingo Productions—The Playhouse Studio

Kerry Ipema is the energizer bunny. That is the only way she could possibly keep up that much energy by herself for 60 minutes. This shows takes a beloved franchise and turns it upside down and inside out. What falls out are bang-on impressions, hilarious puns, and a little audience participation for good measure. Ipema is able to completely embody these characters in the blink of an eye and transitions between them at a breakneck pace. Even I understood who she was talking about without having watched the show. As a non fan a few of the jokes and references went over my head but I still had a few genuine laughs. Everyone in the audience (including the men) got right into the show and the back and forth between audience and performer was electric. This show is definitely worth checking out and I would highly recommend it!

Kaitlyn Kriss

Mike Delamont: Mama’s Boy

Mike Delamont: Mama’s Boy—MTYP – Mainstage

Mike Delamont has his fingers in 3 out of the 5 pies under MTYP’s roof this Fringe. Besides the fan favorite, ‘God is a Scottish Drag Queen lV, which is selling out, he is also soloing in this play. He also directs ‘Vasily Djokavich : Russia’s #1 State Approved Comedian’. Quite the busy man.

When I heard Delamont was doing a serious play, I couldn’t wait to see what this extremely talented man had crafted. I knew it would be great to see him out of drag and show a complete turnaround from his screamingly funny role as God. Here, he does not bounce off the audience as he usually does. You can sit back, relax and hear him relate the supposedly true (you never know with this guy) tale of his upbringing. I’m not going to repeat the program; the plot is there. Just know you you will remember this for a long time. Many female audience members left streaming tears. He will just keep gaining more of a following as he does it all sublimely, comedy, drama and for the first time in a decade he sings beautifully on stage. He has the theatrical Midas Touch.

Lisa Campbell

The DnD Improv Show: NINE

DnD Improv—Gas Station Arts Centre

The phenomenon is back with a brand new saga to offer to hungry nerds (like myself). The concept is simple, an adventure story is told through long form improv. If the characters sense something is amiss or get in a fight, two gigantic twenty sided dice are rolled to see how good or bad the outcome will be for the various characters. The cast is handpicked every year and features some of the best improv artists in the entire city. They are masters of their craft and leave you hanging on their every word. What is most interesting to me is that the show builds upon the last ‘episode’. Each night further develops the story, which means that you have to keep coming back if you want to find out what happens next. This formula has worked well and continues to add to this troupe’s overwhelming success. This is a definite must see for any fringer looking for a little nerdy action.

Kaitlyn Kriss

Girl’s End: A Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse

Current stage—Tom Hendry Theatre at the MTC Warehouse

Fringe isn’t Fringe for me unless I see a good zombie apocalypse show. This is a good show but I wouldn’t quite categorise it as a zombie show. You can substitute any calamity that locks the
protagonist in a steel box and create the same character actualisation. Still, zombie it is and that’s just fine.

The show, the music and the singing are also fine, with one huge glaring problem: Abrahamson’s keyboards are so loud that I could not hear Warriner’s lyrics—and Warriner’s got some pipes, so you can just imagine how loud the keyboards are. Since half of the character development comes from the lyrics, I missed much of what’s happening. Don’t get me wrong—the tracks are good and they support the show very well, but in the end, it’s supposed to be support.

Ray Yuen

Lantern Town

Make/Shift Theatre—The Playhouse Studio

Make/Shift Theatre is back with a brand new show about a small town and the relationships within it. The play follows Clip and Es as they explore their feelings, Clip’s parents struggle to keep hold of theirs. The play is non-linear and interchanges the past and present as Es reflects on what’s happened in her life. The relationships between the characters are believable. Kristian Jordan, as Hope, had some spectacular one-liners that reminded me of my own Grandpa. The writing was good but I found the pace to be incredibly slow. While I was interested in the dialogue, My mind started to drift off into la la land. I appreciated the subtle sci-fi mystery that underlies the characters relationship problems. The folk lore of the town is spooky and completely pulled me in. The play ends with a little bit of mystery, but with enough resolution to keep me satisfied. All in all a good story told by a really talented cast.

Kaitlyn Kriss

zahgidiwin/love

Happy Sunflower Sunshine Hour—Onstage at Pantages

Oppression, subjugation and domination pervade through the theme as the characters time-jump into various historical persecutors. We’re not sure the future’s any brighter than the present or the past, and we’re also not sure whether any given societal segment wouldn’t become tyrants if given the chance. The journey to find out is sprinkled with a few giggles, slick costume changes and competent acting.

Ray Yuen