The Buzz – Reviews

Family Magic Show

Evan Morgan / The Magic of Evan Morgan—Kids Venue: MTYP – Mainstage

With a large focus on potty humour, teasing and group participation, this is a great show for anyone looking to spend some time with their kids this Fringe. Keeping things at the level where young ones are able to follow what’s going on, and ribbing them to make sure they’re paying attention, Evan Morgan clearly shows his experience with young ones. The tricks might be a bit simple for caregivers, but you probably knew that going in, anyways. Definitely a great option for the Kids Venue.

Josh Fidelak

I Ruin Things For A Living

The Placeholder Show—Dave Barber Cinematheque

J.D. Renaud is back at the Fringe, this time with a bit more introspective show. He is trying to determine why he is feeling a little bit out of sorts and brings the audience along while he digs into what is bothering him. He is a great storyteller and he uses his simple, but hilarious, line animations displayed on a screen to add another dimension to the stories he tells.

The stories are heartfelt and personal, but ones that most of us can relate to, and there is plenty of laughs to lighten the mood. If you don’t already know of him, this would be a great way to get introduced to one of our Fringe gems.

Murray Hunter

ParaNorma PI

BadPuss Productions—The Studio at Le Théâtre Cercle Molière

Hooray! I’m a Certified Private Investigator of the Paranormal Variety…

…but it was a close call!

What happens when a classroom of students aspiring to be ghostly PIs are thrown into action before they’re ready because a demon escapes and disables the teacher? Come find out as this epic battle between evil and humankind gets revealing…!

Ray Yuen

Forbidden Cabaret

Melanie Gall Presents—MTYP – Mainstage

Melanie Gall opens with a Verdi opera aria “Addio del Passato” to set the stage for a tale about a young Canadian Opera singer who is a newcomer to New York City in the 1930s. She discovers the forbidden cabaret, a byproduct of the harsh Cabaret Laws that tried to ban unsanctioned entertainment, where she creates a second hidden life singing banned songs.

It had been a while since I had heard her belt out an actual opera piece, and it was nice to hear her in full opera voice. She then starts to get into the story, and begins regaling us with some of the banned songs. They are full of double entendre and are great fun, and very well sung. There is another opera piece and a couple other well known songs that are less raunchy.

As long as you are not very easily offended, this is a great offering highlighting Melanie’s great voice and a great story.

Murray Hunter

By the Spit of Your Tongue

Buried Seeds Productions—MTC Up the Alley

Two women compete for the attention of the tongue god their cult follows, in order to join him as a taste bud. One of those classic wacky Fringe shows featuring comedy bits, purposefully absurd dance choreography, and high levels of audience interaction or harassment depending on how you feel that day. Running a tight 40 minutes, for any fans of this genre it’s definitely a good option for filling out the ol’ itinerary.

Josh Fidelak

Cabaret of Murder

Blair Moro—CCFM Salle Pauline-Boutal

I wondered how much I would like this concept. People everywhere revel over the music of Michael Jackson and personally, I don’t think we should celebrate the work of a kiddie-rapist. I know; the courts found him not-guilty. However, in the interviews with the jury members afterwards, they all said they knew he did it, but in the eyes of the law, there was not enough evidence to convict him.

Now we have this show celebrating the “artistry” of convicted mass murderers. I come into every show with an open mind but I was fully prepared to hate the work, simply because I hate the authors/writers/poets, and I despise observing the work of societal maniacs.

Then I find the cast calling the works of these heinous people “shit,” and other colourful adjectives. I’m still curious as to how they came about the idea of displaying the “art” of these monsters, but all right, if we’re going to mock them for being poor efforts, I’m on board.

Unexpectedly, they call out Michael Jackson for the child molester that he is! Okay, now you won me over and I can just sit back, relax, and have a good time—and despite the macabre background, there were some good times.

Ray Yuen

Racism from the Eyes of a Racist

Squid Eye Lens Productions—Planetarium

In the interest of transparency, Ray Yuen is an actively involved member of the Jenny staff.

In this show, Ray Yuen explores the racial, sexual and gender hierarchies that were forced upon him by his immigrant parents, in a way both alien and all too familiar for many Canadians steeped in the racist histories of the British Empire. Heartfelt and clearly coming from a place of deep concern for addressing the implicit biases people hold from their social and material circumstances, most clearly demonstrated by the quiz handed out to audience members before the show began. While the storytelling and visuals could do with more polish, this show definitely works to address some of the societal issues we all face.

Josh Fidelak

GO

Pitchin’in Productions—Théâtre Cercle Molière

Dandy little actress. Good story . Perfect execution, she’s very lithe and nimble, and her tale is interesting and humorous. One thing that made me wonder is why someone who’s constantly falling and injuring herself thought it was a good idea to go on a solo hike of that incredible length. But she obviously survived and learned something about herself. I’d like to see her in another work.

Lisa Campbell

What the Hell Was That?!

LST Entertainment —The Output

Part mental breakdown, part classically-trained musical revue, skill meets lunacy in this eclectic, operatic, multi-lingual rock/blues/pop extravaganza. Completely chaotic, pretentiously self-centred, and built on an abundance of talent, you will not be permitted to forget for a second that everything in this show has meaning and this is all your fault. Is music philosophy? Does capitalism degrade art and overcharge for toilet paper? Are Laren Steppler, Tenor’s endlessly patient accompanists sufficiently compensated? What the Hell Was That?! delights in dangling the answers to these questions just out of reach, and then throwing them out the window for good measure.

Ashley Frantik

Tales of a Reluctant World Traveler

Randy Ross—Dave Barber Cinematheque

Come along with Randy Ross on a highly amusing and interesting tour of some of the world’s most dangerous, emphasis on terrifying, spots in the world. This timid traveler says he’d rather be at home but his interest and depth in examining these foreign locales gives some doubt. I really enjoyed this interesting and sometimes horrifying multimedia show; though I must admit I hate his book cover. Yes, he wrote a book. Comfy venue, excellent show, what’s not to love?

Lisa Campbell