Breathe Normally

August 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 2012

Artpoint Gallery

http://see.calgaryfringe.ca/events/368-breathe-normally

 

Breathe Normally is quite likely the most honest show at the Fringe Festival. Yes, the show is comprised of first-person stories that performers Keira McDonald and James Judd claim to be true – or true enough for the purposes of entertainment. But so are half the shows at the Fringe this year. What makes Breathe Normally so honest are the performer’s attitudes towards the stories and their audience direction on how we should view them as well.

Coming out on stage together, McDonald and Judd tell us that while the tales they are about to relate are true stories from each of their lives, the anecdotes aren’t earth shattering or life changing and they certainly won’t keep you up at night. “There is no arc, no “aha” moment and no, we won’t make you cry”, they claim.

And while this is all true, what they don’t tell you is that their storytelling is perhaps one of the most compelling and interesting shows of the festival in its simplicity and elegance.

Both McDonald and Judd are veteran Fringe actors who have decided to join forces, not to perform together, but to trade off telling stories solo on the stage while the other waits backstage for their turn. In total, there were 4 main story sketches in the one hour show with each performer commanding the stage in 15 minute increments.

Things start off with Judd, a campy, energetic performer, talking about his family, his childhood, the reason he became an actor and the time his lapsed Mormon father, prudish mother and desperate for a suntan sister all canoed down a river where there was a nudist colony nearby. Of all the pieces in the show, this is the weakest, as it seems to go for the obvious funny set up and release rather than really painting a full and complex picture. And while it was amusing to a point, I was concerned this was all we were going to get from this pair.

With MacDonald next on stage, things don’t look to be getting much better as she launches into tales about her past lovers, quips about penis size and a boyfriend with erectile dysfunction. But before you know it, MacDonald has morphed her story away from the obvious punch lines into a more complex and subtle tale about her own insecurities. The scene ends abruptly with a lovely metaphor concerning a dog that takes a moment to sink in, but when it did I was impressed with the story’s narrative journey and intellectual payoff.

Wasting no time, MacDonald then launches into what I felt was the best story of the show. A comedic tale of finding lust and love with a Navy officer tinged with a tragic tale of dual loss. The less I say about this the better as this story really needs to be experienced fresh, but I will gladly applaud McDonald’s understated and extremely talented ability to go from bawdy humour to self-revelatory narrative to grief to calmness in the span of one 15 minute story that keeps us in the palm of her hand the entire time.

The show ends with Judd coming back on stage and at first it was a little jarring to be witness to his camp delivery after such a poignantly personal piece. But quickly we are happily along for the ride as he launches into an utterly engaging and wonderfully performed story about making his first friend in New England that involved a Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender diving group and a shark cage that may or may not be safe. It’s a superbly crafted piece of storytelling that is both hysterical and comically touching at the same time.

Breathe Normally is not a plot-driven, bells and whistles show. It is simply two really compelling story tellers standing on stage telling short tales to the audience. And while they are right that their stories didn’t change my life, I will be thinking about them both long after the show is over.

 

RATING

For the guys – The comedy will grab you first, and you’ll be grateful for the substance underneath it. SEE IT

For the girls – It will be McDonald’s stories that will really stay with you, and you will be grateful for the comic relief Judd brings to the show. SEE IT

For the occasional theatre goer – It’s not a play, a traditional solo show or a stand-up routine, which may be hard to wrap your head around. But the stories are compelling and the performances strong. MAYBE SEE IT

For the theatre junkie – These are two confident and talented performers working with only the strength of their writing and acting. Sometimes simple is best. SEE IT

Photo Credit: Kelsey Krogman

She Has a Name

August 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11

Lantern Church Sanctuary

http://see.calgaryfringe.ca/events/374-she-has-a-name

I missed the world premiere of She Has a Name when it played in Calgary last year, but I certainly heard good things about the show from many sources. So I was quite pleased to get a second chance at seeing what all the fuss was about at the year’s Fringe Festival where She Has a Name was playing as part of a cross Canada tour. And while a play about human trafficking told via a narrative concerning an abducted young woman who is forced into the sex trade in Bangkokisn’t exactly the light Fringe fare most people are used to, I for one was excited to have something substantive to chew on this festival.

That is until I saw the play. Let me be clear for anyone that is unsure, there is a great distinction between an important and powerful emotional play and an important and emotionally powerful issue. In tackling the selling of minors into sex slavery and shipping them like cattle across borders, She Has a Name certainly deals with vital and gut wrenching subject matter. But the way in which the play deals with the subject, from playwright Andrew Kooman’s forced and stilted dialogue, to the painfully melodramatic staging to the pulpy acting by much of the cast, results in an overwrought piece of theatre that neither does justice to the subject at hand nor the art of storytelling in general.

The plot showed promise – Jason, a Canadian, visits a brothel in Bangkok and pays to be with #18, a very young girl with no name but the number she is has been given by her pimp. Unbeknownst however  to the boss of the whorehouse, John just wants to talk to her and take pictures. Turns out Jason is an undercover agent working for a non-profit organization looking into human trafficking for the purpose of sex slavery. He is hoping that #18 knows something about a horrific smuggling incident across the Malaysian border and he works to gain her trust so he can convince her to testify.

Much of the play concerns Jason talking with the outwardly sexual but obviously traumatized 15-year-old girl in her brothel room as he attempts to get her to open up to him. When not with #18, Jason either Skypes with his wife back home who is trying to not let the stress of their separation put a strain on their marriage or he meets with the head of the nameless organization he works for.

Pretty much as you’d expect, Jason gains #18’s trust, he plans to both rescue her and shut down her captors and of course, nothing goes as planned. Or in this case because the plot does nothing to divert from the obvious story arc , everything goes as expected. Frankly I’d be ok with the formulaic model if the acting and dialogue kept things interesting. But this is where She Has a Name inexcusably falls apart for me.

The entire cast felt as if they were delivering lines they had yet to internalize and at worst the actors were so stiff and unnatural that the dialogue felt like a first reading of the play. Perhaps the biggest offender was Sienna Howell-Holden as the mamma-San of the brothel. With her sometimes on, sometimes off Thai accent and a delivery so stilted and laboured it was painful to watch, she set the bar very low for dramatic presence.

Glenda Warkentin as Marta, the head of the non-profit organization, didn’t fare much better. With a clipped and clichéd performance that would have sounded right at home in a 70’s TV cop show ( It’s all gone to hell, Jason! You can’t afford to be a hero on this one),  her overly serious but emotionally bereft acting left me cold, with no desire or ability to engage with the character.

Now, in all fairness, the cast of She Has a Name wasn’t given much to work with in the dialogue department. Kooman’s lines strain and push so hard for effect that it’s a wonder someone doesn’t put their back out. In an exchange between Marta and John, Marta describes how she can be so unemotional in her work. “I have a river of tears damned up…. and someday the floodgates will burst open and then I don’t know what will happen” . It was all I could do to stifle a groan as I squirmed under the weight of the hackneyed dialogue standing in for real drama.

And then there were those ghost-angels. Clad in white hooded capes, three figures swooped and danced and moved about the stage at various times throughout the play delivering rhyming or inner voice commentary for the various characters in order to let us know how they were feeling. Rather than adding a deeply personal dimension to the characters, I found the device to be a clumsy and lazy way of getting around deficits in the script. Had the writing been more comprehensive and the dialogue more complex and interesting, there would have been no need for these apparitions. Instead they were needed to fill in the holes and bring some uniqueness to the play, but ultimately I feel they just took away from what should have been the real drama of the story, namely the forefront acting on stage.

I had to think hard to find anything good to say about this play. There were a few nicely staged moments between Jason (Clark Kennedy) and his wife Ali (Alysa Van Haastert) and occasionally Evelyn Chew as #18 managed to pull off some emotional depth,  but the good moments were fleeting and like that ”river of tears” Marta talks about, so damned up that they weren’t even worth looking for.

RATING

For the guys and the girls – Yes the subject matter is important for both men and women to consider, but the play’s emotionally manipulative tact combined with its heavy-handed treatment and poor performances greatly underservice the issue it wishes to highlight. SKIP IT

For the occasional theatre goer – It’s tough subject matter dealt with honestly. The disturbing nature of the play will most likely crowd out its many other shortcomings and you can just get lost in the issue. SEE IT

For the theatre junkie –   A review that uses the terms melodramatic and overwrought should be clue enough. SKIP IT

The Hoodwink

August 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11

Festival Hall

http://see.calgaryfringe.ca/events/371-the-hoodwink

I was dreading seeing this play. Not because Melanee Murray isn’t a talented performer worth my attention. She most definitely is! Nor because The Hoodwink, a one woman show described as “ a little bit of Tootsie, a whole lot of Tupac and a comic tale of a single mom trying to raise a young boy” didn’t sound intriguing. I loved the premise!  Plus it was the triple winner of the 2012 Calgary One-Act Play festival for outstanding production, script and actress. All sounds good, right? So what was my problem?

My anxiety was all about friendship. The potential worst enemy of any critic. You see Melanee’s husband is a colleague of mine and someone I’m honoured to call a friend. One that I hoped would still return the sentiment should I not like the play and have to give it a poor review. I wondered, could a critic’s code outweigh a husband’s understandable loyalty to his actor-wife? Frankly, I really didn’t want to find out. So it was with fingers crossed and a bit of a queasy gut that I went to see what I hoped would be a great show and performance.

I got 75% of my wish. The Hoodwink is a great performance of a really good story idea that translated into an okay play.

The story centers on Albie Davis, a single mother struggling to make ends meet. She’s a talented poet, actress and singer who’s unemployment stems from her principles. Unlike other performers, Albie won’t sex her look up or downplay her political and social intelligence to get the gig.

When she hears about a new reality show called Hip Hop Survivor where the winner gets a contract with the famous rapper Trigga Trev, Albie goes out to audition. But with songs like Hair Relaxer Burns and Clitorectomy in the Congo, plus her audition ode to her hair weave, Albie’s chances are over before they even start.

Desperate, she decides to make herself over (under) as a 15 year old Somali child soldier rapper named 10 cent and goes back to the tryouts. Despite some shaky free-style attempts, 10 cent captures the interest of Trigga himself and is booked on the show.

You can probably play the rest of the script on your own from here. 10 cent is a huge hit despite his politically charged and socially activist raps and soon he emerges as the star of the reality show with his songs being played around the world. We all know the clock is ticking before the jig is up.

Murray plays no less than 11 parts in this play and this is where The Hoodwink really shines. Whether it’s Leon the old-school talent booker with the politically incorrect views and the lascivious ways, Marcus the little boy excited to read a birthday card to his mom, Fercida the acerbic agent telling it like it is, Jewels the hoochie-mamma rapper, Trigga the cool celebrity with decent swagger or the Albie/10 cent character, Murray is near flawless in her character embodiment. Without the aid of costume or props Murray moves effortlessly from one character to the next and it is because of her talent that we are equally happy to see each one of her characters on stage.

As for the writing, well there is no doubt that Murray has an ironic, sarcastic, smart sense of humour. While her characters may be fairly stereotypical, the lines they get to deliver are anything but commonplace. In fact, they are often quite comically biting. After hearing Albie complain that only the tarted-up singers with no brains get booked, her agent Fercida remarks “It’s a marketplace out there Albie and people want produce that is fresh and shiny with not a lot to say”. The Hoodwink is full of refreshingly honest, funny, sometimes profane dialogue that never talks down to the audience or shelters them from ideas. I was impressed.

You’d think then that the play itself would also be great, but somehow it just didn’t quite hit the mark. Perhaps it was just too many superfluous characters like Albie’s friend William who really served no narrative purpose. Maybe the short scenes didn’t really give a chance for the wonderful dialogue to breathe and live a little larger. And most definitely the length of the play, which at only 65 minutes, seemed to drag on longer than necessary with just too many rap songs that weren’t provocative or interesting enough to warrant that much time.

Mix all those elements together and we’re back at my 75% comment. The Hoodwink for me showed greatness in acting and much of the writing, but was watered down by just ok-ness in plot and production.

RATING

For the guys and girls – Murray’s characters are at turns interesting and hilarious to watch. She pokes fun at both genders and all manners of black and white personalities. Enough so that you can probably forgive the obvious story arc and the overly lengthy running time. SEE IT

For the occasional theatre goer – Too many characters with not enough flow in the narrative will leave you confused. The language may offend and if not the rap scene world may be unrelatable in a bigger context. SKIP IT

For the theatre junkie – Is a great performance with some smart dialogue worth seeing even if the play itself isn’t as strong? I’d like to think so. MAYBE SEE IT

Preparation Hex

August 4 to 10, 2012

Dade Art and Design Lab

http://see.calgaryfringe.ca/events/382-preparation-hex

 

Once you’ve seen a great performer give great performance in a powerful and emotionally-raw Fringe show, should you go back for more? Will they be able to top what you’ve already seen? Or will they disappoint you and leave you wishing you’d left well enough alone?

These were all questions I asked myself as I waited for the start of Bob Brader’s new solo show Preparation Hex. It was just last year that I saw Brader give a tour de force performance in his autobiographical Spitting in the Face of the Devil, which dealt with Brader’s abusive father and his own subsequent alcoholism and other broken behaviours. (See my review of Spitting in the Face of the Devil here: https://applause-meter.com/2011/07/30/calgary-fringe-spitting-in-the-face-of-the-devil-review/) It was a hard performance to forget and one that would surely be impossible to top in intensity.

Thankfully Brader seems aware of this and instead of going head to head with himself in the gripping disturbing emotional department; he offers us a kinder gentler comedic show this time around. And while Preparation Hex may not pack the punch that his previous play did, it is by no means a less engaging experience.

The play begins with the breakup of Brader’s long term live-in relationship, detailing all the messiness that often accompanies such disentanglements. Reeling from this emotional blow, Brader retreats from the world becoming a self-described hermit. But after a year of solo wallowing, tired of being alone and realizing that isolation is no way for an actor to grow, Brader ventures out once again and begins to navigate the world of dating. Or more precisely, he navigates the world of crushing, unrequited lust, one night stands, extramarital affairs and finally true love.

In a narrative world tour of Bob’s conquests, he narrates us though all the women he encounters and the scenarios in which he meets them. Using no props but a chair to occasionally sit on, Brader details his feelings towards each one with such careful insight and flawless emotional accuracy that even though the information is given to us second hand, these female characters feel as alive to us as Bob himself.

But not all is fine and dandy in Bob’s tour of womanhood. In fact, he believes he is hexed. A string of bad luck from a painful bout of hemorrhoids, a less than kind review of his play and falling for a girl he can’t have, spirals Bob into a superstitious frenzy that involves burning dragon blood to break the spell. Hey, just because Brader can’t disturb us with parental abuse doesn’t mean he isn’t going to get a little weird on us in his comedy. Thankfully it’s just weird enough to be funny in a way that surprises us and keeps an otherwise fairly commonplace boy meets girl and suffers narrative fresh and engaging.

In the end, it’s Brader’s incredible talent for storytelling that makes this show a delight to watch. His performance is honest, his comedic timing is superb and his gift for narrative penetration into the emotional core of an idea is intoxicating to witness. This is the type of superb one man show that Fringe audiences pack houses for and no doubt Preparation Hex will be one of this year’s greatest hits.

 

RATING

For the guys – This is how to do a male dating comedy. Smart and wonderfully acted, you‘ll relate and laugh and keep your fingers crossed that it all works out. SEE IT

For the girls – Bob may be messed up and a dating nightmare at times, but his vulnerability will get you and you can’t help wanting the best for him. SEE IT

For the occasional theatre goer – Brader’s ability to conjure the people he talks about will almost erase the fact that this is a solo show with no props. If you are ready for a play that is just talk, you won’t get any better than this. SEE IT

For the theatre junkie – Another great performance from Brader. One that shouldn’t be missed. SEE IT

The Bro Show

August 3 to 10

DaDe Art and Design Lab

http://see.calgaryfringe.ca/events/377-the-bro-show

When I learned that Chase Padgett, the star of last Fringe Festival’s hit show, 6 Guitars, was coming back this year with a new production, I was both excited to see this talented performer once again and curious to see if he could wow me the way he did first time around.  (Visit https://applause-meter.com/2011/08/02/calgary-fringe-6-guitars-review/ for my review of Padgett’s 2011 Fringe show.)  As a critic in these cases, you go in with a definite nostalgic soft spot but also perhaps demand more than normal given your previous high opinion.

The Bro Show sees Padgett partner with his younger brother Ross on stage in a bare-bones loose sketch comedy show that offers up scenes that touch on everything from phone surveys to exaggerating homeless people to the legalization of marijuana.  What it didn’t touch on in the slightest however was my funny bone.

From a somewhat cutesy start that paired the brothers in a sing-along of Jingle Bells that echoed the old Smothers Brothers skits where the older brother is serious and heavy-handed while the younger plays the insulted fool, The Bro Show devolved quickly into silly, obvious or just plain boring attempts at comedy.

At one point in the show, the boys describe the reason behind the format, namely that they had been robbed not once, but twice in one weekend and therefore put this show together as a kind of fundraiser to recoup their losses. In a way I was glad they came clean, as the show very much feels like a desperate and quickly cobbled together attempt that not only doesn’t live up to the polished and very smart 6 Guitars, but is totally unbalanced in the talent levels of its two performers.

As plentiful as the show’s shortcomings were, Chase Padgett was at least able to distract from them some of the time with both his outstanding singing voice (which I wish there was more of) and his solid acting chops. Chase’s confident ability to go from depressed pathetic loser to earnest teacher to southern homeless man was rewarding to watch. Ross on the other hand had no such range. Regardless which character he played, all he managed to exude was the persona of a smarmy slacker, white rapper kid with attitude up the wazoo. From what I could tell, it was a persona not far off from the real Ross, or at least the Ross that he wanted us to think he was. Either way, he was obnoxious and distinctly not funny. However, using his preferred lingo, I will give him ‘props’ on his dance moves. Man the kid can move in an ‘I have no bones and can break dance’ kind of way. But even his physicality became insufferable after a while as it was inevitably paired with his pedantic attempts at rapping or his ‘yo, yo, yo dude’ swagger.

Over and over in my head during the show I found myself saying “Oh Chase, what have you done!” I appreciate wanting to try something new. And having siblings myself, I can appreciate the pressure to share the spotlight. And perhaps in a different kind of performance these two brothers could have been more artistically compelling. But all I got from The Bro Show was the feeling that this family should have stayed at home.

RATING

For the guys – Two brothers goofing around up on stage may remind you of your own sibling attempts at comedy. But the short scenes don’t deliver big laughs and the mismatch of talents grows wearisome. MAYBE SEE IT

For the girls – It’s not guy humour per se; it’s just not that funny. And unfortunately, Chase never takes over to save the performance. SKIP IT

For the occasional theatre goer – With short sketch scenes and no cohesive narrative or plot, this will feel like an amateur high school fooling around. Which it kinda is. SKIP IT

For the theatre junkie – Let the boys recoup some money so Chase can move on and create another show where he lets his talents shine centre stage. SKIP IT

The Heffner Monologues

August 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11

Artpoint Gallery

http://see.calgaryfringe.ca/events/365-the-hefner-monologues

“In a world full of Johns, I guess I don’t mind being known as the lesser Heff”. This line from solo performer John Heffner, estranged cousin of the famous Playboy founder is a complete lie. John “Heff” does mind being the lesser Heffner, in fact he minds being the lesser everything from son to actor to boyfriend to sexually attractive to popular. Well maybe lesser isn’t the right word. What Heff is really feeling is insecure on every front and that’s at the heart of his Fringe play, The Heffner Monologues.

Using a snapshot autobiographical format, John takes us on a comedic journey through the awkward and unsatisfying moments in his life that are intended to build into a coming of age and into your own type of journey. We get the story of John as a 7-year-old meeting his famous relative for the first and only time only to have the meaning of visiting the Playboy Mansion with all its debauchery and non-sexual playthings utterly lost on him. We learn of the botched first attempts at love and sexual encounters, most of which involve having huge erections at inopportune moments. We watch as John’s attempts at nudity in a play go horribly wrong when he decides to give it his all. And we see how John’s father’s alcoholism plunged his son into becoming a teetotalling social square that results in his being called “buzzkill” by most of his friends who only put up with him because of his famous last name.

All of these disappointments are played with comic intent, but both as a result of a fairly weak performance and some disconnected storytelling, I found the plot to be more pathetic than amusing.

Heffner has the bones of some very good writing in this show as the very funny and smartly plotted scene when he describes getting drunk for the first time illustrates. But unfortunately I don’t think his performance is up to the talent of his writing. The pauses are overly paused as if waiting for a laugh that never comes. The attempts at strong stage presence and comedy are at times painfully laboured and unnatural. Many of the scene transitions are jerky and disjointed. And while he certainly works himself into a sweaty frenzy with his physical performance, it feels forced and like it’s just trying too hard.

As I was leaving the show feeling underwhelmed, I couldn’t help but wonder how I would have felt had I read the script instead of seeing the show. My inkling that I would have enjoyed it much more.

RATING

For the guys – You will probably find some giggles in the ‘geeky guy trying to make it with the ladies’ scenes and the naked play scenrio is amusing up to a point. But the funny is often overplayed in a performance lacking a strong performer. MAYBE SEE IT

For the girls – Sure it’s funny to get the guys take on first dating and sexual encounters, but you’ve seen better. Without a compelling actor, the scenes feel obvious in too many ways. MAYBE SEE IT

For the occasional theatre goer – It’s a lighthearted somewhat racy but still accessible play with a couple good laughs. You’ll like the Heffner connection and that may be all you need. MAYBE SEE IT

For the theatre junkie – With so many good solo first person stories out there lately, this is not one you need to add to your viewing repertoire. SKIP IT

Winners Announced for the 2012 Calgary Critics’ Awards

Critters honour 14 winners in inaugural awards ceremony

Calgary Theatre Critics, Stephen Hunt and Bob Clark of the Calgary Herald, Louis B. Hobson of the Calgary Sun and Jessica Goldman of CBC’s The Eyeopener and applause-meter.com are pleased to announce the winners of the first annual Calgary Critics’ Awards.

The winners and nominees were chosen from any production performed in Calgary between August, 2011 and June, 2012, with the exception of Broadway Across Canada or Dancap performances. Over 100 theatre professionals and enthusiasts attended the evening award ceremony on August 1^st at the Auburn Saloon where winners were announced and presented with framed certificates.

 

The 2012 Critter winners are:

 

2012 Calgary Critics Award for Best Production of a Play

Playing with Fire: The Theo Fleury Story by Kirstie McLellan-Day

Produced by Alberta Theatre Projects

 

2012 Calgary Critics Award for Best Production of a Musical

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Produced by Vertigo Theatre

 

2012 Calgary Critics Award for Best New Play

Drama: Pilot Episode by Karen Hines

Produced by Alberta Theatre Projects

 

2012 Calgary Critics Award for Best Revival

Shirley Valentine by Willy Russell

Produced by Theatre Calgary

 

2012 Calgary Critics Award for Best Director Play

Ron Jenkins for Playing with Fire: The Theo Fleury Story

Produced by Alberta Theatre Projects

 

2012 Calgary Critics Award for Best Director Musical

Mark Bellamy for Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Produced by Vertigo Theatre

 

2012 Calgary Critics Award for Best Actor in a Play

Ryan Luhning for Race

Produced by Ground Zero/Hit and Myth Productions

 

2012 Calgary Critics Award for Best Actress in a Play

Meg Roe in Mary’s Wedding

Produced by Alberta Theatre Projects

 

2012 Calgary Critics Award for Best Actor in a Musical

Kevin Aichele in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Produced by Vertigo Theatre

 

2012 Calgary Critics Award for Best Actress in a Musical

Madeleine Suddaby in Avenue Q

Produced by Storybook Theatre

 

2012 Calgary Critics Award for Featured Actor in a Play or Musical

Kevin Rothery for Fool for Love

Produced by Sage Theatre/Shadow Theatre

 

2012 Calgary Critics Award for Featured Actress in a Play or Musical

Mabelle Carvajal in Drama: Pilot Episode

Produced by Alberta Theatre Projects

 

2012 Calgary Critics Award for Best Solo Performance

Shaun Smyth in Playing with Fire: The Theo Fleury Story

Produced by Alberta Theatre Projects

 

2012 Calgary Critics Award for Best Design

Terry Gunvordahl for Rope

Produced by Vertigo Theatre

 

The Calgary Critics would like to congratulate all the winners and thank their event sponsors: Calgary Herald, Calgary Sun, Davis Jensen Law, Bottom Line Productions, Auburn Saloon, The Collectors’ Gallery of Art and Petrocraft Storage Inc. for their support and enthusiasm.

–

Calgary Fringe Festival

August 3 to 11, 2012

Various Venues

http://see.calgaryfringe.ca/sections/3-shows

For a theater junkie there is no better time that the Fringe Festival. For a theatre junkie who happens to be a reviewer, there is also no more exhausting a time. Seeing two plays a day for over a week straight while churning out same-day or next-day reviews, becomes something like the premiere event in the critic Olympics. But if last year is any indication, I’m not complaining. Some of the best shows I saw in 2011 were Fringe shows and I’m hopeful that this year’s crop of plays will excite me in the same way.

I choose the plays I see based on very personal and non-objective requirements. Screwball comedy exploring the gender divide? Pass. To me these are never all that original or funny. Pseudo or Post-Feminist plays that try to titillate by saying lots of dirty words to either shock or amuse? Again pass. Been there, done that. Musicals or movement pieces that self-describe as “edgy”? Yeah, um, no. If you have to tell me how cool you are, you usually aren’t.

What I do look for are plays that have interesting stories, not just punch lines. Ideas that intrigue me and draw me in regardless of the medium. Often I will choose a Fringe play based on the performer, who I know and like. Sometimes I chose a play based on the reviews it’s received from showing at other Fringe’s across Canada.

And , sometimes I score big and other times my choices turn out to be horrendous. But that’s the thing with the Fringe.  With most shows being 60 minutes, one act and around $14, you actually don’t mind seeing a few stinkers if it means you get to see a few really good shows.

So, with that in mind and with my research done – here’s the list of the shows I’m seeing this year and why:

Heffner Monologues – The reviews have been spectacular. High hopes for this one.

The Bro Show –Chase Padgett put on one of my favorite shows at last year’s Fringe, 6 Guitars, and I’m happily going back for more

The Hoodwink  – This solo show was written by and stars Melanee Murray, who I thoroughly enjoyed in last year’s Theatre Calgary production of To Kill A Mockingbird. In fact, she was one of the few bright spots. I’m eager to see what she does when the stage and the dialogue are all her own.

She has a Name – Brothel Trafficking in Bangkok may be a heady subject for a Fringe show, but they got my attention.

Peter n Chris – Frankly this is the type of screwball comedy I generally stay away from. But a critic friend of mine in Toronto begged me to go see it and he will owe me a beer if I don’t like it. Game on!!

Preparation Hex – Bob Brader was captivating last year in Spitting in the Face of the Devil, now he moves from abusive father stories to finding and keeping love. Will it be as intense? Looking forward to finding out.

Loon – The 2011 Best of Fest winners for Grim and Fischer are back, and I’m looking forward to what kookiness they bring to us this year.

Breathe Normally – I’ve been told by several people that these folks are must see performers. I’ve never seen them, so I want to know what all the fuss is about.

Tin Foil Dinosaur – One man comedic look at anxiety disorders that is getting great reviews from other festivals. I’m in!

Orchestrated – A music and movement show about how perspective can reveal mixed messages. I figure this will be brilliant or horrid. Stay tuned.

Push in Case of Emergency – Strangers caught in an elevator told through multi genre vignettes. Hoping this is as surreal as it sounds

So, there you have it. If you feel I’m missing something spectacular or if you see a show that you want to recommend to me, by all means drop me a note. Otherwise, check back often throughout the Fringe for reviews, recommendations and general thoughts on the quality of shows this year.

Giovanni Mocibob as Asher Lev is fascinated by his father’s (Aryeh Lev), played by Nathan Schmidt. Photo Credit: Morris Ertman

My Name is Asher Lev

July 4 – August 25, 2012

Rosebud Theatre

http://www.rosebudtheatre.com/rosebud-theatre-current-season.html

Listen to my live review on CBC’s Eyeopener of July 20th at 7:20am http://www.cbc.ca/eyeopener/

Taking a cue from Jacob Kahn, one of the characters in My Name is Asher Lev, who prefers bluntness above all, when I first heard that Rosebud Theatre was putting on this play my reaction was a sarcastic and disbelieving, I gotta see this! For a theatre company with strong connections to the faith-based Christian community to be putting on a play about Hassidic Jews in a town (or even Province) where the Jewish population is minute, never mind the ultra-religious Hassidic sect, seemed odd to say the least.

Would they do justice to the original story written by the famous Jewish American author and Rabbi, Chaim Potok? Would they dumb down the Yiddish and Anglicise the dialogue? Who would they cast as these 1940’s Brooklyn Hassidic characters and would the actors be able to deliver the accents and mannerisms without tripping into stereotype? All these questions swirled in my head as I made my way along the 90-minute drive from Calgary out to the little town of Rosebud and their very successful rural theatre.

My questions were answered in interesting ways, but before the analysis – the plot.

The play tells the story of a Hassidic Jewish boy named Asher Lev who is born with an incredible gift and unassailable passion for drawing. As in, drawing all the time, at the expense of almost everything else. For most families, this would be a problem, but it’s especially problematic in the cloistered community of the ultra-religious Hassidic Jews who pray 3 times a day, don’t mingle with the outside world and have very strict rules about what they wear and eat. While Hassids can appreciate art, it’s certainly not thought of as a respectable profession or something that should take time away from your studies.  In trying to forbid Asher from continuing his drawing his father asserts that a painter is someone who paints your house and that being an artist doesn’t serve God in the manner they believe.

Asher is a good boy, he loves his family and believes in his religion but he can’t quash his burning desire to create and communicate his feelings through his art. Even when those feelings ultimately lead him to create paintings that are extremely offensive to his family and his community and cause wide-ranging consequences and conflicts.

An unusual production choice for Rosebud theatre? Well yes and no. Rosebud is a theatre that traditionally attracted a religious Christian audience looking for faith-based programming. But according to the Artistic Director Morris Ertman, (who staged My Name is Asher Lev in Vancouver in 2010) of the thirty-five thousand or so people who come to Rosebud every year, there’s a real mix between religious and non-religious people of all backgrounds. Ertman maintains his programming highlights plays that are spiritual as opposed to simply Christian – plays about the human heart and the spirit of the community. So while I think it’s fair to say that you will never see a David Mamet play put on at Rosebud, My Name is Asher Lev falls nicely within their mandate.

My mandate for the play was to see it performed with honesty and authenticity, and I was not disappointed. I was very pleased to see that neither the story nor the language was dumbed-down for the audience.  While the play’s central theme examining the conflict between what you want to do with your life and what your family or community deems appropriate is a fairly universal theme, the play did not shy away from the use of some decidedly unknown language and religious doctrine. True, you don’t need to know a lot about the ways of Hassidic Jews to follow the plot, but I couldn’t help thinking that I might have been getting a bit more out of the story than some of the other audience members who knew nothing about this way of life. When it came to the language, I knew I was following along easier than most people.  My Name is Asher Lev contains quite a bit of Yiddish and I’m not talking about the words that most people know like kvetch or schmooze. Instead, the audience hears words like narishkite, meaning a foolish person or Ribbono shel Olem which is a reference to God as the Creator and Master of the universe. Some of the language gets explained in English and some doesn’t, but from what I could tell, the audience followed along well enough that it wasn’t a big deal and didn’t take away from their enjoyment of the play.  Or perhaps I just underestimated the sophistication of the audience. Either way, I was impressed with both the delivery and acceptance of some of the play’s tougher moments.

I was however, less impressed overall when it came to the writing and acting in the play. My Name is Asher Lev is a not an easy story to stage.  The book is told in first person and the play honours that format – a format that can get pretty limiting and frankly boring if it’s not done right. And it while it wasn’t done wrong in the first act per se, it certainly wasn’t all that engaging. Much of the storyline and dialogue in the first act is basically a long repetitive loop of, I want to draw, you’re not allowed to draw, but I need to draw, but this isn’t the way we do things. Over and over again. It sets the story up, but some economy was greatly needed here to really keep our interest.

It’s the second act where things really take off and the story becomes truly compelling as we watch the evolution of Asher as a person and an artist. Its here that’s Asher’s first person voice carries great impact and brings audiences closer into the story. But not because the performances of Asher or his mother were all that intriguing, mind you.

Throughout the play I found myself  disappointed with Giovanni Mocibob as Asher Lev. While it was a passably competent performance I found his range was limited to either anger or intensity in a type of straight-line acting that was too unmodulated in its emotional tone. Heather Pattengale as Asher’s mom Rivkeh also fell more to the capable side of the acting divide and had some issues getting her Yiddish accent consistent and correct during the performance.

But truthfully, all of this almost didn’t matter because I was so glued to Nathan Schmidt playing Asher’s father Aryeh and a number of other important characters, that it was extremely easy to gloss over the lesser performances. Schmidt not only played his roles with exquisite and seemingly effortless authenticity, his ability to embody a character and play him as a complex person above and beyond the script’s offerings was remarkable. It was a delightful surprise to encounter this level of talent at Rosebud and I was grateful to have seen it. For those of you that read my reviews often, you are aware that a standing ovation from me is a rare occurrence at best. Had the cast come out individually at the end of the play, I would have had no problem getting on my feet to applaud Schmidt on his wonderful performance.

It’s an effort to go see My Name is Asher Lev. The drive is long and my windshield is a total bug splatter graveyard from the excursion. But if you’re up for a bit of a day trip, despite some of the weaker moments in the show, my feeling is that there is a lot of really good stuff going on in this play. It’s an interesting story that tackles the issues honestly and doesn’t sugar coat the problem or give us neat and tidy answers. Morris Ertman’s direction makes very good use of a small stage and Lachlin Johnson’s set design is minimal but nicely effective. And then of course there is Schmidt’s performance, which for me was reason enough to have made the whole trip worthwhile.

RATING 

For the guys and the girls – Who can’t relate to the need to follow your dreams? Or the tension one would feel if those dreams were in direct conflict with a family you loved. It’s a messy situation that the play doesn’t pretend to fix for you. SEE IT

For the occasional theatre goer – A chance to learn about a culture you may not know much about through a storyline that you will relate to. Despite some foreign language, it’s easy to follow and this time you might be ok with not having things perfectly resolved at the end of the show. SEE IT

For the theatre junkie – There are problems. But they aren’t huge. And the upside of the one brilliant performance should be very tempting. MAYBE SEE IT

*Final Note – The day I went to see the play was a lovely sunny and warm day, which translated into an almost unbearable hot and muggy temperature inside the theatre. If you do go when the weather is warm, I suggest dressing as lightly as possible, bringing cold water and possibly something effective to fan yourself with.

2012 Critter Nominations Announced

Calgary Critics’ Awards honour 60 nominees in 14 categories

We saw, we reviewed, we discussed as a group, we argued, we negotiated, we horse-traded and we drunk a lot of wine – but eventually we all agreed and were pleased with the choices. Calgary Theatre Critics, Stephen Hunt and Bob Clark of the Calgary Herald, Louis B. Hobson of the Calgary Sun and yours truly are pleased to announce the nominees for the first annual Calgary Critics’ Awards.

Nominees were chosen from any production performed in Calgary between August, 2011 and June, 2012, with the exception of Broadway Across Canada or Dancap performances. The winners will be announced at a free public award ceremony at 8pm on August 1st at the Auburn Saloon.

So, drum roll please……

The 2012 Critter nominees are:

Best Production of a Play

Penny Plain – Alberta Theatre Projects

Playing with Fire: The Theo Fleury Story – Alberta Theatre Projects

Sia – Downstage

Summer of My Amazing Luck – Sage Theatre

Fool for Love – Sage Theatre/Shadow Theatre

Best Production of a Musical

Avenue Q –Storybook Theatre

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – Vertigo Theatre

Wizard of Oz – Alberta Theatre Projects

Jeremy de Bergerac – Forte Musical Theatre Guild

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – Stage West

Best New Play

Take a Bite – Take a Bite Productions

Dad’s Piano – Lunchbox Theatre

Taking Shakespeare – One Yellow Rabbit

Drama: Pilot Episode – Alberta Theatre Projects

Best Revival

Highest Step in the World – Ghost River Theatre/Pumphouse Theatre

In the Wake – Downstage

When That I Was – The Shakespeare Company

Shirley Valentine – Theatre Calgary

Best Director Play

Ron Jenkins – Playing with Fire: The Theo Fleury Story – Alberta Theatre Projects

Vanessa Sabourin – Hunger Striking – Urban Curvz

Kevin McKendrick – Race – Ground Zero/Hit and Myth Productions

Georgina Beaty – Big Shot – Surreal SoReal Theatre/ Ghost River Theatre

Best Director Musical

George Smith – Avenue Q

Mark Bellamy – Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – Vertigo Theatre

Glynis Leyshon – Wizard of Oz – Alberta Theatre Projects

Max Reimer– Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat – Stage West

Best Actor in a Play

Haysam Kadri – Jim Forgetting – Verb Theatre

Dave MacInnis – Fool for Love – Sage Theatre/Shadow Theatre

Chad Nobert – Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad – Beyond the Brink Productions

Ryan Luhning – Race – Ground Zero/Hit and Myth Productions

Best Actress in a Play

Jamie Konchak – Hunger Striking – Urban Curvz

Meg Roe – Mary’s Wedding – Alberta Theatre Projects

Denise Clarke – Taking Shakespeare – One Yellow Rabbit

Caley Suliak – Summer of my Amazing Luck – Sage Theatre

Best Actor in a Musical

Bruce Horak – Wizard of Oz – Alberta Theatre Projects

Kevin Aichele – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – Vertigo Theatre

Tory Doctor – Jeremy de Bergerac – Forte Musical Theatre Guild

JP Thibodeau – Avenue Q- Storybook Theatre

Best Actress in a Musical

Roberta Mauer Phillips – Jeremy de Bergerac – Forte Musical Theatre Guild

Madeleine Suddaby – Avenue Q – Storybook Theatre

Ksenia Thurgood – Wizard of Oz – Alberta Theatre Projects

Elizabeth Stepkowski Tarhan – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – Vertigo Theatre

Featured Actor in a Play or Musical

Alexander Plouffe – True Love Lies – Alberta Theatre Projects

Rejean Cournoyer – True Love Lies – Alberta Theatre Projects

Kevin Rothery – Fool for Love – Sage Theatre/Shadow Theatre

Bart Kwiatkowski– Avenue Q – Storybook Theatre

Tim Koetting – Last Christmas – Lunchbox Theatre

Featured Actress in a Play or Musical

Karen Johnson-Diamond – Last Christmas – Lunchbox Theatre

Laura Parken – When Girls Collide – Vertigo Theatre

Monice Peter – Race – Ground Zero/Hit and Myth Productions

Mabelle Carvajal – Drama: Pilot Episode – Alberta Theatre Projects

Best Solo Performance

Shaun Smyth – Playing with Fire: The Theo Fleury Story – Alberta Theatre Projects

Julia Mackey – Jake’s Gift – Lunchbox Theatre

Jon Lachlan Stewart – Big Shot – Surreal SoReal Theatre/ Ghost River Theatre

Raoul Bhaneja – Hamlet (Solo) – Hope and Hell Theatre in association with Richard Jordan Productions Ltd

Best Design

Narda McCarroll – Sweeney Todd – Vertigo Theatre

David Fraser – Playing with Fire: The Theo Fleury Story – Alberta Theatre Projects

Roger Schultz -True Love Lies – Alberta Theatre Projects

Bretta Gerecke  -Enron – Theatre Calgary

Terry Gunvordahl – Rope – Vertigo Theatre

To attend the Calgary Critics’ Awards please RSVP to critterawards2012@gmail.com as soon as possible as there are a limited number of spots available. Doors open at 7pm with complimentary nibbles for everyone, the awards will begin at 8pm and the celebration will continue until they kick us all out.

The Calgary Critics would like to thank their event sponsors: Calgary Herald, Calgary Sun, Davis Jensen Law, Bottom Line Productions, Auburn Saloon, The Collectors’ Gallery of Art and Petrocraft Storage Inc. for their support and enthusiasm.