Fringe Fanaticism

Mid-Life Crisis Full of Laughter and Fun

2010-02-18T22:53:00Z

From start to finish I don't think the smile left my face. It surprized me, because I had my doubts. Before the curtain was drawn on the Mid-Life Crisis of Dionysus I have to admit, a musical about the god of the debauched didn't inspire me., Although it sounded sexy... I just figured the evening would be lacking in substance and vigor. Well I couldn't have been more wrong.

Everything from the music to the cast singing the songs inspired bachanalian pleasure. The production was heady as wine and as deliciously indulgent. The Mid-Life Crisis of Dionysus has legs (very beautiful legs) and real staying power.

Style and taste at the Segal Centre

2010-02-04T20:56:00Z

Michael MacKenzie has created a thoughtful drama about a once-wealthy family that has fallen on hard times. Geometry in Venice, a 19th century period piece, is subtle and intelligent and begs reflection long after the curtain has been drawn.

The play is rich with an innuendo that makes the audience's sap rise. The fantastic undoing of this English family living in Venice passes as a charade. Everyone is in such denial... even the tutor assigned to the development of the mind of the Moreen family prodigy, Morgan, continues to mentor his charge despite never being paid for his efforts. The only character not in denial is Henry James, the writer perched at a great height, who at first beguiles the Moreen family and then gently nudges them into their final undoing.

A sophisticated and elegant drama from start to finish, the lighting was playful and the stage design managed to be both minimal and elegant simultaneously. The director, Chris Abraham, had his cast firing on all cylinders. And by the end of the evening I understood why actors are so reluctant to share scenes with children or animals. In his first stage appearance, 12 year-old Elliott Larson stole the show as the young Morgan.

(photo by Randy Cole)

Fare thee well, Fringe Fest 2009!

2009-06-23T23:05:00Z

It's with a mixture of sadness and relief that we bid adieu to the 2009 edition of the Montreal Fringe Festival: sadness because many are (quite rightly) calling it the best Fringe ever in terms of the overall quality of the shows, and relief because I don't know if a lot of us could have done another day (and/or night... the last two 13th Hour shows and the Frankie Awards were pretty monumental in every sense). And if anyone sees my liver, tell it it's safe to come home: daddy promises not to beat it with a booze-hammer anymore.

Anyway, congratulations to all the Fringe organizers and volunteers, and all the artists and musicians, who lent their energies to a pretty spectacular Fringe. And special thanks from me to all of Hour's writers/bloggers who were so generous with their time and talents in making this site a rousing success over the course of the Fringe - you're the best, thank you.

Here's to hoping we see you all here again next year!

And the winners are....

2009-06-23T22:49:00Z

The following was issued by Fringe HQ, and contains the names of the - all very deserving we might add - winners at this year's Frankie Awards on Sunday, June 21. Congratulations one and all!

12th Frankie Award Winners Announced

Montreal, PQ (June 21, 2009) - Winners for the 12th Frankie Awards were announced this evening at a gala hosted by the 13^th Hour crew and Mélodie Bellefeuille. MainLine Theatre’s Jeremy Hechtman and Roy Surette from Centaur Theatre were among the presenters for the evening’s festivities.Frankie Award winners for outstanding performances and achievements at the 2009 Montreal Fringe Festival are:

Best English Production – by Centaur Theatre - Prize: entrance into the 2010 Wildside Festival Winner is: A Nutter Show for the show My Pregnant Brother
Meilleure création francophone – by Cirque du Soleil – Prize : $1000 award

Winner is : Le Laboratoire, théâtre de (ré)création contemporaine for the show Humanfleish

Best English Comedy (best of Fringe and best of Montreal) – by Just for Laughs – Prizes: a show at The 2009 Zoofest for each winner

Winners are: Best of Fringe – Chris Gibbs for the show Antoine Feval, Best of Montreal – Dance Animal for the show Dance Animal

Meilleure comédie francophone - by Juste Pour Rire - Prize: a show at The 2009 Zoofest

Winner is: not available at the time this communiqué is sent.

Best English Text – by Chapters - Prize: $50 gift certificates

Winner is: Blue Muse Productions for the show Tuning Venus, written by Amy Lee Lavoie

Meilleur texte en francophone – by Chapters – Prize: $50 gift certificates

Winner is: Les Productions du Précédent for the show Vérité et conséquences, written by Paul de Tourreil

Most Innovative Local Choreography - by Studio 303 – Prize: Studio 303 dream prize

Winner is: Sasha Kleinplatz and her piece «*Oh, Indeed*» (from the show Piss in the Pool)

Création francophone de l’année – by USINE C – Prize : 2 or 3 shows at USINE C

Winner is: Le P.I.Q.U.A.N.T. (Projet Indisciplinaire Québécois Utilisant les Arts Nécessaires à son Travail) for the show ÉPONYME (fake-fiction)

The Next Stage Award for Local English Production – by MainLine Theatre – Prize: a one-week run at the MainLine Theatre in October 2009

Winner is: Teen Sleuths for the show Teen Sleuth & The Freed Cyborg Choir: A Coming of Age Story That Will Make Yu Want to Stand Up and Cheer

Spirit of the Fringe – by St-Ambroise Montreal FRINGE Festival – Prize: a full entrance to Fringe 2010

Winner is: Just Us Producing for the show Just Us

REVIEW: My Pregnant Brother

2009-06-22T03:04:00Z

Local Montreal actress Johanna Nutter delivers the goods; her one-woman Fringe production, My Pregnant Brother is a touching and comic examination of a dysfunctional family brought to the edge of disintegration by the birth of an unexpected child. Nutter is a gifted and charismatic actress who had the packed house at the Geordie Space hanging off her every word. Her story about her transsexual sibling who embraces life as a man twists and turns between suspense and comedy. When at the apex of her sister/brother's gender identity-confusion, he/she accidentally becomes pregnant, the Nutter family dynamic undergoes a profound upheaval. Johanna's story-telling is as compelling as it is intelligent and as witty as it is dramatic. She had the audience eating out of her hand. Three cheers for My Pregnant Brother. Nutter you rock! (FFFF)

Saturday night in photos and... Winter Gloves slay Fringe central

2009-06-21T23:06:00Z

Some of the highlights from last night, including the Best of the Fest at 13th Hour, and a deadly set by Winter Gloves (following some very iffy performances - and one truly awful one - earlier) at the beer tent that drew 350-plus people.

And don't forget the Frankies tonight!

Montreal Fringe's last day of magic

2009-06-21T16:59:00Z

Okay. I stole that from a Kills song.

Okay. Anyway. It's the last day of Fringe. There's a changin' wind a-blowin', Montreal, and it's going to blow a lot of these weird and wonderful Fringe folk out of town starting tonight. The Ottawa Fringe has already started and Toronto's Fringe is licking its lips and, well, there are days for last hurrahs and this is exactly what we're facing. Today.

So, are we going to go out with a bang or a whimper?

Horizontal in my bed, the flaming sword of chest pains and/or reflux and/or whatever still dampening my spirit, and I'm voting for bang.

Six bang-worthy Sunday shows:

Awkward Centaur: 15:00 and 18:00 at Club Lambi. The Without Annette guys are funny. They've proved that for years. And, with two shows today, they offer more bang for your buck. (They actually don't, but don't actually think about that part...just think about going to celebrate some loveable local ne'er-do-wells.)

Cocktails: 15:00 at Studio Just For Laughs. It's the Dancing Cock Brothers. If you've never seen ‘em before, this is your chance to pop your cherry. If you have seen them before, this is your chance to pop someone else's cherry. (Wait, what?)

As Duas: 19:30 at Tangente. I know fuck all about dance but I know what I like. MJ Stone knows about dance. And he blog-reviewed it, here: http://community.hour.ca/blogs/fringe2009/archive/2009/06/19/review-as-duas.aspx

Today Is All Your Birthdays: 19:30 at Studio Just For Laughs. Anyone who's been keeping score knows that I shouted Uncalled For out in a preview piece and a blog post, gave them a good review, and also put them on the cover of the Ottawa Xpress. For anyone who wants to play the "they're friends" card, no one likes anyone that much. People do, however, believe in people that much. I love this show. I think it is their best sketch-com show evah. Go.

FringePop, APlotAgainstMe: 19:30 at Beer Tent at Parc des Amériques. This Ottawa band is awesome. I reviewed their record Deuce a while back. If you like QOTSA you will find some footholds here.

Red Bastard: 20:45 at MAI. Literally everyone I know who's seen this says it's well worth the money. Also, the Red Bastard made Hour's MJ Stone fish money out of his bum. Maybe I'm base, but that's awesome. Definitely bang-worthy.

This is the whole Sunday slate, if you're interested in not heeding my advice: http://montrealfringe.ca/en/calendar/shows/2009/06/21

Also, the Frankies are tonight, at 22:00, at Studio Just For Laughs. Hosted by 13th Hour stalwarts Zack Winters and Sweet Sweet Jimmy Priest, it's the annual Fringe Awards ceremony. It's free to attend, and is completely open to people who aren't in Fringe shows (even though the room's going to be lousy with people involved in Fringe shows).

REVIEW - Cabaret L'Amour Fou

2009-06-21T14:50:00Z

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. These twelve performers in the Cabaret L'Amour Fou were hilarious and their spot on performances were truly entertaining. Combining dance, song and comedy this ensemble had the house roaring with laughter and wishing that the performance would never end.

It was high seas adventure that set sail deep into the heart of love. The antics of cast were over the top and as joyous and maddening as love itself. A real stand-out at this year's Fringe, these Vancouver artists rocked the Cabaret Juste Pour Rire where audience members were served up a healthy dose of l surreal and sexy story-telling.

If you missed the show... to bad... it was one of this year's Fringe Festival's best. A very sexy evening indeed! Bravo.

Why I can't review a show, and Fringe's second Saturday

2009-06-20T15:40:00Z

So, it seems that Fringe's second Saturday is upon us.

But before I get to Saturday I have to go back to Friday, which saw me leave my self-styled bedroom infirmary to see the final performance of playwright Lindsay Wilson's Puck Bunny. Full disclosure: Puck Bunny's director, Alexandra West, is one of my closest friends, and so I couldn't "officially" review the show. And I get that. Moreover, last night was their last show, so, even if I could, it wouldn't help them put butts in the seats.

But for what it's worth, playwright Wilson, director West, and star Joanne Sarazen have created a compelling, thoughtful show that probably would have been the surprise hit of the Fringe were it not a) stuck in an off venue b) limited to 15 or 16 audience members per show (it was site-specific theatre that took place in a bathroom).

Anyway. Puck Bunny is going to the Toronto Fringe and, as a lot of Fringe people in the city right now are also going to Toronto, maybe you could like, you know, spread the word about a show that really shouldn't be missed, especially by young women, who rarely if ever get spoken to and/or represented properly and honestly in theatre or film. Also: Sarazen's a powerhouse. Also: the script is tight and realistic and has wonderful ebbs and flows and, as a writer, I was pretty fucking impressed. Humbled, even.

So yeah. I kind of just sort of maybe reviewed the show, but not really. All I'm saying is that there most probably are a lot of shows like Puck Bunny that you've seen at the Fringe this year, shows that didn't get the fanfare of things like Today Is All Your Birthdays or Dance Animal or Teen Sleuth and the Freed Cyborg Choir or (my personal favourite) Antoine Feval but that meant something to you. And you've got fingers and maybe even a computer, so you know, you could, like, if you wanted to, comment on this post and shout-out something that you think got under-covered?

Okay. Fringe Saturday...

I can't say I know for sure what I'm doing, but I made a promise that I intend to keep, and that promise was to see the penultimate showing of Pre/Intervention at 14:45 at the Portuguese Association. I mean, I can't resist anything that's set in a "post-breakfast future."

I'm giving thought to seeing Just Us at Mainline at 16:15 but that might not happen. Anyone got anything to say about Just Us? If I don't head to Just Us, I'll probably hit up Like A Virgin at 17:30 at Studio Just For Laughs.

Regardless of what I do, you should take it upon yourself to check the schedule (http://montrealfringe.ca/en/calendar/shows/2009/06/20) and find something that appeals to you. There's today and there's tomorrow and then Monday the 22nd is just another Monday.

How time flies when you're having Fringe

2009-06-20T13:41:00Z

Yes, yes, it's a terrible pun but this is Saturday morning and I saw Chris Gibbs' Antoine Feval show last night (thank you, Dave Jaffer, for knowing what's funny and telling us about it) and my mind has been weakened by the power of Gibbs' brilliant comedy stylings. Pretty sure all that laughing shook a few cables loose. But what else is new. I'm sure coffee and the internet will repair all damage.

Fact is, if comedy really were used as a temporarily-brain-weakening weapon, the world would be a better place. And I would be in love with its benevolent, all-powerful dictator. But fantasies aside, we're now faced with the all-too-real end-of-Fringe conundrum: What to see in these last two days of the festival??

Well, now that I just want to laugh and be astounded and maybe make out with a comedian or two, I'm looking at a few options. Among them: Today Is All Your Birthdays (today at 2 p.m.and tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. at Studio JFL), Dance Animal (tomorrow, 12:30 p.m. at Studio JFL) and Alan Shain's Under the Radar (today at 1:45 p.m. at 4247 St-Dominique)..

Note: I have been lucky enough to have had two random and delightful conversations with Alan Shain over the past week - he amazes me not just because he has a sense of humour about his physical disability, but because he genuinely made me laugh out loud in the middle of the day, while almost completely sober. I mean, to the extent that I momentarily forgot about my Patati Patata burger and fries. And you know I hate laughing. And food. But seriously: intense and inspiring, real life, real funny, go see his show.

And later on today, perhaps more hot than funny, but who knows, and I will likely laugh anyway, there's noir-ish dance-theatre SportsSexDeathPorn at 8:45 p.m. at MAI (3680 Jeanne-Mance), and the intriguing Cabaret l'Amour Fou (8:15 p.m. at Cabaret JFL), followed by Burlesque Unzipped at 10:15 p.m. - I mean, basically you can Cabaret the night away right there.

At this point, I want to just list the bunches of other shows I haven't had a chance to see despite all good intentions. But I have run out of both jokes and coffee. Comments sections are good for such times: post recommendations! And if you are hilarious and a good kisser, and, oh, have maybe figured out teleportation (and are not actively turning into a fly - that would just be awkward), please send whereabouts on a postcard to this address.

It came from down under... don't let it get away!

2009-06-20T01:59:00Z

One of the undeservedly unsung productions at this year's fest would have to be Grandpa Sol and Lily's Grandma Rosie, featuring the most awesomest super-creepy puppet I've ever seen in my life. (To get a sense of what I'm saying, click on the video link above to find their segment on the 13th Hour earlier in the week. WARNING: SHOT BY DRUNKEN SAILORS.)

Originating in Melbourne, Australia, this puppet play was a Fringe Award winner at last year's Adelaide Fringe Fest - if they came this far to see you, maybe we should think about returning the favour... Grandpa Sol and Lily's Grandma Rosie have ONLY ONE MORE SHOW left, at Venue 8, Saturday, June 20, starting at 7 p.m.

REVIEW: Dance Animal, by Dance Animal

2009-06-20T00:45:00Z

Again, the following review was not written by O'Meara, but rather by Richard Burnett, who was too busy replacing the vacuum tubes in his TV and hand-cranking his telephone to figure out how to do it himself. That is all.

(Dance Animal: With Robin Henderson, Dan Jeanotte, Vanessa Kneale, Joseph Bembridge, Stephane Breton, Sarah Hansen, Stephanie Mckenna, Nico Racicot, marc Rowland and Andres Yates. Directed and choreographed by Robin Henderson)

I’ve thought long and hard about this and I think the real reason Ellen DeGeneres’ eponymous TV talk show is so popular is because that show’s first few minutes celebrates DeGeneres dancing with her studio audience. It’s joyful, it’s fun, it feels good. It makes you wanna get up and dance too. That’s exactly what audiences feel with the biggest hit of the 2009 Montreal Fringe Festival, Dance Animal. From the moment this troupe of brave actors and dancers hit the stage, it’s game on. Audiences are buzzing on the hilarious, mostly Hi-NRG vignettes set to a well-chosen soundtrack featuring such bands as Boney M and Coldplay. There’s a cool Spiderman bit, a terrific Marcel Marceau-like French bit, Dan Jeanotte delivers a powerhouse monologue that left the audience laughing in stitches and staring at his cock, and Joseph Bembridge (boy can he roll his shoulders!) and Nico Racicot are hands-down the Fringe twinkies of the year. Best vignette was the story of Rasputin (wearing a huge Larry Blackmon-worthy codpiece) as acted out to Boney M’s fab disco hit of the same name – it was like Mamma Mia meets The Twilight Zone. Hats off to director Robin Henderson whose choreography was light, fun and made the non-dancing actors look good, and whose direction turned the dancers into respectable actors. I don’t know how Henderson pulled it off, but she did. Plus, all the sketches and monologues were written by the Dance Animals themselves, which helped personalize each vignette. Overall, this 75-minute show was so fun it was over in a snap. The audience loved it from beginning to end. Dance Animal is hands-down the best show this reporter has ever seen at the Montreal Fringe Festival. (FFFFF)

Sexy Show does itself proud...

2009-06-20T00:27:00Z

If it took a little time to get these puppies up here, it's 'cause it took a little time to recover from this year's edition of the 13th Hour Sexy Show (on Wednesday, June 17). The following are just a random sampling of the sultry and sassy shenanigans. For the full effect, go to www.flickr.com/photos/hourmtl/ where all the photos from that night are up in all their, uh, glory.

REVIEW: Burlesque Unzipped

2009-06-20T00:06:00Z

The verdict is in: Burlesque Unzipped is hot AND educational!

Tragically, the bar wasn't open for the 1:30 PM show today, which made the audience perhaps a bit less loose with the catcalling, hooting and hollering that a midnight show would have, but performer Prairie Fire (aka Sharon Nowlan) still managed to deliver the goods. Starting off the piece as a schlumpy overall-wearing janitor and booty-shaking her way to corset-laced sex bomb, Nowlan's narrative explains what burlesque is and isn't, and follows its origins in Shakespeare and early parodies through its Golden Age with Mae West and Gypsy Rose Lee right on up to the modern revivals of neo-burlesque.

With humour and sex appeal, she keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, wondering what will happen next. Most importantly, the show isn't just a dry documentary on the history of burlesque, but demonstrates each incarnation with performance numbers, like her twosome with bad boy "Gerrard," illustrated in the photo at left.

Nowlan also points out that burlesque is about both the mind and the body, and that its original purpose was parody, rather than striptease. She also notes that the modern appeal of neo-burlesque stems not from the no-longer racy sight of a woman's exposed ankles or thighs, but from the idea of women producing and directing their own shows, calling the shots both on sexuality and on the types of humour that work their way into the mixture of performances. You never quite know what you're going to get, from circus acts to bumping and grinding.

All in all, I found the performance both entertaining and informative, and oddly enough, I was just checking out YouTube videos of Mae West before the show, which have only whetted my appetite for more of this double-entendre-lovin' dame.

Go see Burlesque Unzipped before time runs out! Last show is Saturday, June 20 at 10:15 PM. (FFFFF)

REVIEW: As Duas, by Danse OSupa

2009-06-19T18:42:00Z

Are these two ladies dancers or gymnasts? Wow! Although I wouldn't describe their dance routine as an example of precise technical genius, what they may lack in purity of form, they more than compensated for with a truck-load of fearless athleticism. Throughout the performance, audience members sitting around me gasped with pleasure as these two dancers performed gravity-defying leaps and contortions. My only complaint: that the performance didn't last longer. Although the 30 minute production seemed to finish in the blink of an eye, you can't fault these two performers for not leaving everything on the stage. The strength and power they demonstrated was awe-inspiring. I was exhausted just watching them... A+ for effort and sheer entertainment value. (FFFF)