Forgive the lull in the review action the last couple weeks – I was off on a much-needed vacation – but am now back in Calgary and about to get right in the thick of things. MANY plays to see and review, some for CBC and some just for the blog. There’s a lot on stage right now and I’m trying my hardest to see as many of them as possible. Here’s a heads up on what I’ll be reviewing in the next 2 weeks:

In A World Created By A Drunken God –  Downstage in a co-production with Lethbridge’s New West Theatre presents Ojibway writer Drew Hayden Taylor’s Governor General’s Literary Award  nominated play. It’s not often we get to see Native Canadian playwright’s pieces performed onstage, and Taylor is a clever, astute and sharp writer. Looking forward to seeing how Downstage brings this story to life.

To Kill A Mockingbird – We’ve all read the book or seen the movie-version. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take another look at Harper Lee’s beloved story. Especially when it’s renowned Canadian actor RH Thompson paying Atticus Finch, the central character in the play. Theatre Calgary presents this production that apparently calls for 30 audience members to be  seated on stage to watch the play. Hmmmm….wonder where my seat will be?

The Highest Step In The World– The folks at Ghost River Theatre promise to once again wow audiences with their unique blend of technology and theater in this true story of Joseph Kittinger, a man who jumped from a high-altitude weather balloon in the name of science. With stage design that blends projections with flying technology, the play features an actor that soars above the audience in flight. The play premiered in February 2010 as part of Alberta Theatre Projectsʼ PlayRites Festival and won two Betty Mitchell Awards that season. I missed it the first time around and am curious to see what all the fuss is about.

Penny Plain – This story of  a woman who blind, but hears plenty about the state of mankind is the latest creation from Ronnie Burkett, one of Canada’s foremost puppet theatre artists.   Described as part gothic thriller, part apocalyptic drawing-room comedy, it will no doubt be an evening of theatre to remember.

For CBC Radio’s Eyeopener I’ll be reviewing To Kill A Mockingbird on Oct, 17 at around 8:20 am  and Penny Plain on October 24 around 7:40 am.  And of course you can read reviews of these and all other plays I see right here on the blog.

Theatre season is in full swing. Get out there and experience it!

True Love Lies

Martha Cohen Theatre

September 20 to October 8, 2011

http://www.atplive.com/The-Shows/TrueLoveLies/index.html

Be sure to tune into CBC radio’s Eyeopener this morning at around 8:15 to hear my live review of the play. http://www.cbc.ca/eyeopener/

Real life may be more interesting than fiction, but in Brad Fraser’s play True Love Lies, it’s Brad’s real life that lends the interesting story arc to the play. Apparently, the idea for the show came about when Brad bumped into his long-estranged male lover who had since gone on to marry a woman and have children. Riffing on this experience, Fraser resurrected two characters from his past plays – David and Kane from his hit show Unidentified Human Remains and The True Nature of Love– and puts them in a similar situation.

Overall the play is about the implosion of what appears to be the ideal nuclear family and how this family defines and then redefines their relationships. Kane and Carolyn are a happily married couple; they run their own successful design company and have two seemingly normally rebellious teenage kids.  The girl, Madison, is outspoken and sexually precocious and Royce, the boy, is a geeky sarcastic introvert. Madison applies for a job at the new restaurant in town and discovers that the man who owns the restaurant, David, is her father’s former boyfriend.

Needless to say, the reappearance of David causes all sorts of emotional upheaval in the family and in one way or another unhinges everyone as they try to deal with the situation. And while the play does tackle some hard subjects, it’s not a downer of a story. In fact, it’s kind of a very deliciously disturbed comedy/drama.

I originally saw this production at its premiere in Toronto in 2009 and was fairly luke-warm on the whole thing. But after seeing the Calgary performance, I’m happy to say that I have a much higher opinion of the play and its possibilities.

My first and strongest impression of the play is that there is no question that the kids stole the show. Sarah Koury as Madison and Alexander Plouffe as Royce were outstanding and a total joy to watch. With both performances the acting just disappeared and they fully morphed into the characters.

Rejean Cournoyer as David was also excellent and he played his character with a beautiful restrained arrogance that just oozed charisma.

In total I really enjoyed the play and there weren’t any glaring weak points in the story or the acting, the set design was unique and the staging was incredibly creative. However I do have one criticism when it comes to the pacing of the play. True Love Lies is made up of a series of short scenes that are meant to be sound-bitey and quick. But in this case, instead of fast-paced we got frenetic. Which is a real shame, because I would have enjoyed it so much more if they just slowed down a bit and let me take it all in for a breath or two.

RATING

For the guys – Straight or gay, I think you’ll relate to many of the characters and their reactions. You’ll love the comedy and the fact that the story moves along quickly. SEE IT

For the girls – While you’ll no doubt laugh, I think it will be the bitter/sweet moments that will draw you in and catch your interest. Keep an eye on Royce’s character and maybe bring some Kleenex.  SEE IT

For the occasional audience – Well first you have to get past the provocative story line and sexually explicit content. But even still, I think the unconventional pacing and dark humour might turn you off. SKIP IT

For the theatre junkies – There are three not to miss performances, great dialogue, inventive staging and cool set design. SEE IT

Well it looks like Applause! Meter has made it to the big time!

Tomorrow morning on the CBC Radio show Eyeopener I will be debuting my role as the theatre critic for the morning show. We’re staring with a review of the Brad Fraser play True Love Lies and fingers crossed there will be many more reviews  to come.

Tune in tomorrow at around 8:15 to hear what I thought of the play, and not to worry…the SEE IT/SKIP IT ratings that you’ve come to know and love are still there! Don’t forget you can stream it live and I’m hoping the review will be archived for those of you who miss it.

http://www.cbc.ca/eyeopener/

I will also post my written review of the play tomorrow so you can get a double-shot of Applause! Meter magic.

See you on the radio!

 

Tosca Café

Max Bell Theatre

Sept 13 to October 2, 2011

http://www.theatrecalgary.com/plays/tosca_cafe/more_info/

 

Carey Perloff, co-creator of Tosca Café, is quoted in the performance program saying that the idea for the production came when she and a choreographer decided to see what would happen if they put five ballet dancers and five actors in a room and tried to make a piece together. If the production of Tosca Café I saw is any indication, the answer is nothing good. Not good dancing. Not good acting. And surely not a good way to spend one hour forty-five minutes of your time.

The piece, and note that I say piece here and not play because there is no dialogue in the performance nor is there any real plot holding the action together, takes place in the San Francisco bar Tosca Café. The bartender comes from overseas and opens the business obviously still haunted by his presumed dead wife. After firing his buffoonish waiters, he meets and hires an orphan to help him out and eventually the place starts to receive patrons. All of this is discerned as I said without the use of dialogue or even song. Instead, Tosca Café relies on what I’ll call mime acting and dance segments to tell the narrative and move the action along.

In principle, nothing wrong with this method of storytelling, ballet and other forms of dance have used it to great effect over the years. The problem with this production right from the start however is that the mime acting is really just clichéd over-exaggeration of facial and body language and the dance segments are never fully realized, always petering out just as they get good to once again return to the charade acting.

The plot such as it is, sees a series of vignettes and moments in the bar over the years from each decade of operation – seven or eight to my count, right up to the 1989 San Francisco earthquake. Each decade is announced by the playing of an appropriate song on the jukebox in the corner, the age of the bar owner, the patrons attire and the type of dancing they do. Some of these  moments work very well – the 1980’s dance scene that has men and women in power suits drinking, smoking, working too hard and nursing hangovers uses dance to beautifully show the excesses of the decade. Others  such as the 70’s is so hackneyed that by the time the dancer with “LSD” written on his bare chest came out and joined the flower children playing at being stoned, I was truly embarrassed for all of them.

But not as embarrassed as when halfway through the production in or around the 60’s scene, without warning, one character began to speak. Well not speak so much as deliver a kind of beat poetry performance while the other dancers moved about. After almost an hour of silence it was jarring and awkward and didn’t fit with what the performance was trying to accomplish. And for me, it just made me long for some pithy dialogue to help save me from the boredom.

Fine, fine…..but, what about Rex? For those of you who don’t know, Rex Harrington, one of the most acclaimed ballet dancers of his era, is in the performance.  No doubt this is the reason people will flock to see the production.  Well, he is fine but nothing more. And believe me, to say that about Rex breaks my heart as I am a long-time fan. Harrington, like the rest of the ensemble cast is hampered by having to engage in silly wordless acting and he is even more caged by dance segments that don’t really allow him to do his thing. Several times during the performance when it was his turn to play the lead character in the vignette, I sat back and thought…ok…here comes the magic. But even with his famous charisma (which he still has by the way) and his talent, his pieces stopped short and quickly were a letdown through no fault of his own.

A few of the other performers managed to find small moments of light. Gregory Wallace as the musician and bar waiter was one of the few performers who could make the mime acting look effortless and even cool. Annie Purcell as the orphan had great stage presence and was the only character I actually connected with on any emotional level. Finally Sara Hogree as one of the dancers was able to get the most out of the little choreography she was given and did it with joyous energy and great fun.

Unfortunately little moments do not a full performance make and while Tosca Café might have been an interesting experiment, for me it was one best left on the shelf.

RATING

For the guys – Dancing, no dialogue, no real plot, not much to keep your interest. Need I say more? SKIP IT

For the girls – The dancing isn’t pretty or unique enough to be compelling and while you may connect with the orphan character there is nothing else that you will care about. SKIP IT

For the occasional audience – If you think you are getting a chance to see Rex Harrington in action you will be disappointed. He’s one of many cast members and you’ll be bored before you even catch a glimpse of him. SKIP IT

For the theatre junkie – The idea of mashing up dance and acting is intriguing. But only if the result is worthwhile. SKIP IT

Blind Date

Loose Moose Theatre

August 31 – September 10, 2011

http://www.loosemoose.com/shows.htm

Blind dates, even the good ones, can be exhausting. So imagine trying to go on a blind date almost every night of the week for weeks on end. Now imagine doing it in front of a live audience. This is exactly what Calgary native Rebecca Northan did when she took her comedy Blind Date on a tour from Calgary to Toronto and New York. The show was a hit and its success has scored Northan future touring dates in Denver, Des Moines, Winnipeg, Regina and St. Paul, but this time there will be back up. More specifically, Northan is training understudies to take over her role in the play so she can have a break now and then.

Taking over the  leading lady role are two Calgary actresses, Julie Orton and Renee Amber, who take turns with the play for 10 days until Northan herself reprises the role in the final performance. On opening night, it was Amber’s turn to try on the role of Mimi, a French, giddy, flirty smart and funny clown nose-wearing female character who finds herself alone at a café being stood up by her blind date.

But the stage is not the first time the audience has seen and heard from Mimi. At least not the men in the audience. Throughout the pre curtain lobby wait, Mimi has been working the crowd chatting up the men to find the perfect “volunteer” for her performance thus putting into motion the entire set-up and premise of the play.  Once her real blind date does not show up, Mimi picks an unsuspecting man out of the audience to be her new blind date for the duration of the play in what is surely the grandest example of improv meets good sportsmanship meets plain luck.

In this sense, Blind Date is a hard play to review as each night is different depending on the man chosen to participate. But the basic plot direction is the same. Mimi chats the man up in a café as though they were on a real date, they take her car to her apartment, hang out at her place and then either continue to play out the date or fast forward to 5 years in the future as per the audiences choice. Running alongside the play part of the performance, is a dedicated time-out part of the stage that either Mimi or her male date can go to if either is feeling uncomfortable or needs to discuss how the narrative is going. It’s also where either can address the audience for help or advice.

It’s a totally unique type of play that is the perfect set up for some very funny or very awkward situations and both were on display opening night. Amber chose a good-looking strapping young man named Brandon to perform with her and for the most part he was a great sport playing along and working into the comedy. He danced with her at the café, agreed to fake kiss her at her apartment and even said yes to stripping down to his underwear and a robe in the final scene. Actually poor Brandon had to admit to all that he wasn’t wearing underwear and therefore couldn’t strip down and instead had to go backstage and put on the underwear the savvy production team had waiting “just in case”. Yeah….they’ve done and seen it all in this production and are very well prepared for almost everything.

But there were awkward moments too like when Brandon’s girlfriend stopped the play mid-stream at one point because she was uncomfortable with something Mimi had said in reference to her and then requested that someone come and sit with her in the audience. It’s these kinds of moments that can turn a very funny performance into a nightmare exercise for the lead actor and a squirm-inducing moment for the audience.

But to Amber’s credit, her Mimi manoeuvred out of the bumpy patches with grace and light-heartedness and brought the audience (and Brandon’s girlfriend) around to laughing again. It’s a demanding role that requires on your feet thinking, comedic timing and a good sense of how to get the best out of people. The “volunteer” man may be what makes the play new every night, but it is Mimi that ultimately makes or breaks the play. And for a first time out I thought Renee Amber did a very decent job. Her Mimi was sweet and funny delivering more than a few great shots and while the audience wasn’t roaring with laughter, there was a sense of everyone having a fun time. And how many blind dates can you say that about?

RATING

For the guys – No doubt you will spend the entire play thinking thank-heavens it isn’t me up there, but that alone will make you laugh at what’s going on. The rest is gravy. SEE IT

For the girls – Watching Mimi ultimately control the date and get the best of her male counterpart won’t erase every memory of bad blind dates past – but it will strike enough chords that you will laugh both with Mimi and at her. SEE IT

For the occasional audience – It’s not a regular play or even a regular comedy, but it’s not so experimental that you’ll feel cheated out of the laughs. A total fun night out. SEE IT

For the theatre junkie – The 2 actors are being trained by the master herself. They may not be able to pull off Northan’s characterization and comedy quite yet, but watching the evolution of a very popular, unique and successful show is worth the ticket price. SEE IT

True West

Arrata Opera Centre

August 17 to 28, 2011

http://www.pumphousetheatre.ca/sections/calendar_s/calendar_2.htm

Like all of Sam Shepard’s plays, True West is about the mythical American family and the tensions, struggles, resentments and bonds they do or do not share.  In the case of True West, the bond is brotherhood and the tension is rivalry. Austin, the younger brother is an Ivy League educated straight-laced Hollywood screenwriter writing a play while house-sitting for his vacationing mother. Lee is the drifter/thief who has been living out on the desert for months and unexpectedly shows up at his mother’s house. The brothers are polar opposites and have not seen each other for years.

Lee invites himself to a meeting with Saul, a movie producer Austin is working with, and charms Saul into producing an idea for a Western he has thought up. At first Austin is thrilled that Lee will be dedicating his time to something other than illegal activities, but his joy quickly disappears when he learns that not only does he have to write the screenplay, but that Saul has dropped his project in favour of Lee’s. The brothers drink and fight and throw punches and eventually get into what could be a deadly brawl that, like sibling rivalry itself, is never really solved.

The conflict and enmity of the characters is set up right from the start in Shepard’s script. Lee is the dominant and violently scary of the two while Austin plays the fearful yet hopefully placating role in the relationship. In other words, the big appeal of this play hinges on the believability in the brotherhood, the palpability of the strained relationship and the sense that at any moment the male testosterone will overflow and explode.

Unfortunately in this production of True West, Frank Zotter’s Austin and David Trimble’s Lee fail to give us the characterization each role requires and more importantly they fail to deliver any sense of familial connection or history making them totally unbelievable as brothers.

Zotter gives us an Austin that projects an effeminate cadence and body language instead of the square intellectual family man he is. His rages up and down as he spars with Lee feel acted as opposed to organic and his playing drunk feels just that – playing. The transition Austin must go through in the play from outrage to drunken stupor to a moment of wanting to be just like Lee and live the unencumbered life requires depth and finesse to allow the audience to join the journey. Instead, Zotter either moves too quickly or not quickly enough and this uneven rhythm leaves little room for audience empathy or connection.

Trimble’s Lee is handled better in the play, but just because he hits all the notes, it does not mean he hits any really good ones. Trimble’s ability to “go off” is there, but still has a stagey feel to it. The best examples of this come anytime Lee is called upon to show physical violence towards Austin. Instead of going for it and providing that much-needed male rage energy, Trimble hesitates slightly before each move sucking all the power out of the physicality and by extension the scene.

Saul and the brother’s mother, who eventually shows up back a home at the end of the play do nothing to add to the production and in the case of the mother, actually take away from the performance by delivering a confusing flat few lines.

Sam Shepard’s scripts are the type of plays that call for great actors. The stories themselves are often merely a vehicle for the kind of performances that acting connoisseurs will savour for years to come. By the weak applause at the end of Pangloss Production’s True West, it was apparent that this performance will not be one of them.

RATING

For the guys – The brotherly fighting and tension is luke-warm at best and the connection just isn’t there. SKIP IT

For the girls – No real insight into what a male sibling rivalry is like and forced anger make this almost funny instead of emotional. SKIP IT

For the occasional audience – It’s fine. But you deserve more than just fine. SKIP IT

For the theatre junkie – Watch the PBS TV adaptation starring John Malkovich and Gary Sinise if you want to see this play done right. SKIP IT

True West

Arrata Opera Centre

August 17 to 28, 2011

http://www.pumphousetheatre.ca/sections/calendar_s/calendar_2.htm

 

Renowned American Drama Critic and Editor George Jean Nathan once said, “Opening night is the night before the play is ready to open.” Had Nathan been at this evening’s opening performance of Pangloss Productions’ Sam Shepard play, True West, he might have altered his quote to read, “Opening night is the night AFTER the play is ready to open.”

A mere 3 minutes into the start of the play, with only a few lines of dialogue spoken by the two main characters, a huge flash appeared followed by the ear drum piercing wail of an alarm. At first the audience didn’t know if this was some new addition to the famous Shepard play and for a few moments it also seemed that the actors were going to play on through the intrusion. But it was no special effect and there was no going on with the show.

Throwing their hands up in the air, the actors broke character and looked around for the crew to see what to do next. They were told, along with the audience, that the fire alarm had gone off and everyone needed to leave the theatre. Easier said than done as by that time it was pouring rain and there was little shelter to be had outside the building. Reluctantly everyone exited and huddled together under whatever overhangs could be found. There we waited for the fire trucks and the verdict on the evening’s performance.

But even before the firemen arrived, things did not look promising. The cause of the disruption was an apparent lighting strike to the building that both caused the “flash” and set the alarm off. From where we stood, soggy and disappointed, it didn’t seem that any damage was done and I did hear the lighting director say that all his equipment was intact. However it was surmised that by the time the firemen finished inspecting the building it would be at least an hour past opening and that the production team would have no choice but to shut down the performance for the evening.

Apoplectic with apology, the production team came out to tell us the bad news and promised us that our tickets would be honoured at any other performance. We all nodded in compassion and promised to return. Then a sweet round of applause was had as the actors came out into the alley where we stood to greet audience members they knew and crack jokes about the less than stellar opening.

As I left for home, I couldn’t help but feel badly for the actors and the crew. Talk about a letdown. But at least it happened in the first few moments and not halfway through the play when the audience was fully engaged. This way, those that come back can do so with a fresh start and no baggage from opening night……other than some rain-stained shoes and a headache from the alarm that is. Note to self, never wear suede shoes to a play and/or ALWAYS bring an umbrella!

Stay tuned for a full review after I see the play Saturday eve.

Jesus in Montana: Adventures in a Doomsday Cult

Edmonton Fringe

August 12 to 21^st, 2011

https://tickets.fringetheatre.ca/DateSelection.aspx?item=1103

Late August is a quiet time for theatre in Calgary, the Fringe is over and all the professional theatre companies are enjoying their last few weeks of rest before the regular season begins. But all is not lost for those seeking a late summer cultural injection – in fact just a mere 3 hours north of us in Edmonton is one of the world’s best and largest Fringe Festivals with 188 plays on offer this year.

I spent just 3 days at the Edmonton Fringe in 2010, and trust me, it was well worth the drive. Yes, some of the plays are the same as the Calgary Fringe, but with so many choices and so many well-reviewed plays from other festivals and cities, there is tons to choose from.

Unfortunately I won’t be able to make it up there this year, but if you are lucky enough to be headed to the festival (or are already there) I have one strong recommendation for you – a magnificently witty and intelligent play that I saw at the Toronto Fringe Festival 3 years ago that I still think and laugh about.

Jesus in Montana is Barry Smith’s one man show about his real life experience participating in a doomsday cult after meeting and living with a man who claimed to be the return of Jesus. Fortunately for us, Smith grew tired of waiting for the oft-promised Apocalypse and eventually left the cult, later writing his thought-provoking and hilarious comedy about his involvement and the group members he came to know.

Using traditional story-teller methods mixed in with the one of the most clever uses of multi-media presentations I have ever seen at a Fringe show, Smith’s show tries to explain to audiences just how a seemingly normal guy winds up in such an odd situation and then how he gets out of it. There are photos, and audio and home movies and graphs that all contribute not only to the story, but also comically punctuate the narrative and even times mock the story-teller himself.

It’s been a while since I saw the show, and therefore I can’t give you a detailed review of the performance the way I have other plays. But I can say that  Jesus in Montana has stuck with me through the years and it remains one of my all-time favourite Fringe shows ever.

RATING

For the guys – Bizarre and funny and full of male angst gone weirdly awry. SEE IT

For the girls – Hilarious story of a somewhat lost boy getting mixed up with strangeness and finding his way out again. SEE IT

For the occasional audience – More than just a solo performance there is a lot going on in this show thanks to the audience friendly multi-media elements. Plus you’ll laugh all the way through. SEE IT

For the theatre junkie – The bells and whistles of the multi-media actually add to the play as opposed to compensating for its shortcomings. Great performance and great narrative. And did I mention that it’s hilarious? SEE IT

It’s down to the last two days of the Fringe and hopefully you’ve paced yourself  – unlike me who is happily suffering from theatre overload! Rather than continue to review performances at this point when so many of them only have one more showing, I thought I’d give you a guide of how I recommend you spend your last two days fringing. There are lots of great performances this year, and I wish I could send you to them all, but timing is tight and that’s not always possible. So below is my A game guide to the last weekend at the Fringe.

 

Friday August 5th

3pm

If you have the afternoon off work, first of all lucky you! And second of all I will suggest you go check out Bedlam. It’s the story of real life mental health professional Dr. Walter Freeman, know as the inventor of the “ice pick lobotomy”. This one man show has its flaws, more context and less repetition of case studies would have helped, but the acting is earnest and the story is fascinating.

http://see.calgaryfringe.ca/events/2011/08/01/322-pretty-bird (and no, I don’t know why the title pretty bird is in the link!)

6pm

There is no better acting or characterization at the Fringe this year than the one woman show Dying Hard. The play is a story about the plight of the flourspar miners in 1960’s Newfoundland as told through verbatim interviews. I almost didn’t see this one because the subject didn’t grab me but wow am I glad I did! For me, this is the performance and play that will stick with me long after the Fringe is over and will make sure that I keep my eye out for other productions starring the ridiculously talented Mikaela Dyke.

9:45pm

For a bit lighter but no less thoughtful production I suggest that you go see Take A  Bite, a story about what happens when two stranger wake up in a room with no idea how they got there. With good acting, humorous moments, an interesting premise and a fantastic existentialist twist, this play is a quirky way to end your evening.

http://see.calgaryfringe.ca/events/2011/08/05/332-take-a-bite

 

Saturday August 6th

3:30pm

Start your mid afternoon off with a very funny solo show about the fear of becoming and being a father. Like Father, Like Son? Sorry, starts off a little shaky, but quickly turns on the charm and brings lots of comedic talent to the table. With stories not just about child rearing, but about the performer’s own background and his witty musings, this is a show that everyone can appreciate.

http://see.calgaryfringe.ca/events/2011/07/29/318-like-father-like-son-sorry

OR

3:45 pm

Growing up under the thumb of a verbally abusive father who you later find out is a pedophile would seem to make for dark and depressing theatre. And while Spitting in the Face of the Devil is a serious performance, it is anything but a downer. This one man performance is injected with humour, sweet honesty and a terrific set of impressions by the actor of himself as a little boy, a 10-year-old and a teenager.

http://see.calgaryfringe.ca/events/2011/07/30/321-spitting-in-the-face-of-the-devil

7:30

Finish off the Fringe on what is certainly one of the high notes of the festival. 6 Guitars has Chase Padgett playing 6 different guitar players from 6 different genres of music. Switching back and forth between the Blues, Rock, Country, Classical, Jazz and Folk character/players, Padgett keeps us laughing while we realize that no music is better, just different. Note that all online tickets are sold out for this one, so get there early and stand in line for at the door tickets.

http://see.calgaryfringe.ca/events/2011/07/30/341-6-guitars

It’s been a great Fringe this year and I hope you have all seen things you’ve enjoyed. Thank you to everyone who wrote to me to suggest plays or comment on my reviews online and on CBC radio. As always, I appreciate your thoughts. Keep them coming!

Like Father, Like Son? Sorry.

Lantern Church

August 5 and 6

http://see.calgaryfringe.ca/events/2011/07/29/318-like-father-like-son-sorry

 

Usually when a Fringe show opens with a weak, cringe-inducing gag, my inner voice says “uh-oh….this is going to be a LONG 60 minutes.” But thankfully for Like Father,  Like Son? Sorry. the not so funny part was short-lived and gave way to a very humours and smart performance that at different points made me smile, laugh and even snort a few times.

The play (which is really more of a stand-up routine than a traditional narrative) is a one-man show starring British-born Chris Gibbs as he suffers anxiety over his pending fatherhood and then fear after his son is born that he will screw up the whole parenting thing altogether.

The less than stellar opening bit I mentioned finds Gibbs dressed at Marlon Brando’s character Jorel from the movie Superman in the scene where he imparts his baritone wisdom onto the infant superhero.  It’s a metaphor for everything Gibbs doesn’t  feel he’s qualified for in parenthood and  his entry point for talking about just how inept for the role of father figure he feels he is. I think it’s one of  those ideas that looked really good on paper but lost its funny once it was acted out.

But as I mentioned, with this short intro over with, the show goes on to more promising material.  In what feels like a half scripted, half on the fly delivery, Gibbs tells stories of his background as a performer and how this surely isn’t something his son will be proud of. There are many digressions here away from the parenthood issue  focusing instead on Gibbs’ personality quirks and funny situations he’s found himself in. These types of digressions continue throughout the show and are some of the best moments of the performance.

Back on the fatherhood track, Gibbs tells a very well-crafted and comical story about the actual birth of his child via C-section which he refers to as “the scheduled miracle of life”.  The situation gets funnier and funnier and the audience is rewarded with the punch line scene of Gibbs’ new son trying to breast feed off his dad’s hairy exposed chest.

Finally we get to the talking years were kids have no verbal boundaries, which Gibbs describes as walking around with little Ids all the time. This is juxtaposed to his own shyness in a bit that to me was the funniest part of the whole show. So funny that it sealed my belief that you don’t need to be a parent or even like kids to laugh out loud at this show.

There have been many great comedic attempts to address fatherhood from Bill Cosby’s stand-up routine to the men on Modern Family. While Gibbs’ show doesn’t necessarily offer up any new material in the comedic fatherhood lexicon, he does being a fresh take on it. When mixed with stories of his own life, and performed with his energetic yet accessible delivery, Like Father, Like Son? Sorry. is a funny and thoroughly enjoyable way to spend an hour at the Fringe.

 

RATING

For the guys – Whether you are a dad or not, Gibbs will have you laughing out loud with his own personal stories and his questioning of what type of man it takes to be a good father. SEE IT

For the girls – Again, regardless of whether you are a parent, you will love Gibbs’ anecdotes. Plus the comedic window on how a man approaches all things pregnancy and kids is sure to catch your interest. SEE IT

For the occasional theater goer – Gibbs’ has great timing and the show is solidly funny throughout. A light and enjoyable time in the theatre. SEE IT

For the theatre junkie – Despite sometimes veering into the hackneyed or over playing a line, Gibbs is a very talented performer with some extremely funny material to share. SEE IT