The Drear
by Bruce McKay
Simon Godfrey and Dan Allemann, who make up the Australian company This is Siberian Husky, are like really good performers covering a range of characters all revolving around a factory that specializes in producing misery, particularly for its employees, though also for the outside world as much as possible. And while The Misery Factory has a Monty Python feel to it the comedy here is generally so dark that it quickly becomes not-so-funny-at-all. And then kind of depressing. Which is a shame because Godfrey and Alleman pull off remarkable performances of shifting characters, accents, and emotions, all in rapid-fire succession. They had a choice apparently: Either this or a show about how raccoons ended up in Australia. With the talent these guys have the latter could be very, very interesting.
The Misery Factor is at the Montreal Fringe
.jpg) |
| photo by Joseph St Marie |
Will the real Zack please stand up
by Bruce McKay
You’d think that ‘time travel’ stories – comedic or otherwise -- have pretty much all been done yet here we go again. The upshot in this case is that you can’t be in two places at the same time so you might as well be here, now. Zack Adams himself is a compelling performer and his work with a hand-held puppet in particular is marvelous. But this script (written by Mr. Adams' alter-ego Shane Adamczak) is unoriginal and fails as comedy. I was left just wondering what Mr. Adams could do with good material.
Zack Adams is at The Montreal Fringe
Manically Silly...
by Bruce McKay
The Birdmann, hailing from Australia, has been characterized in reviews as “original,” “charismatic,” even “edgy,” and with a “show like no other.” Well, perhaps, though manically silly was what I came away with. It appears that one’s quest for freedom can mean doing whatever you feel like doing – such as throwing cutlery or pouring water through your nose -- albeit in a polite sort of way. The Birdmann is quite likeable somehow and the pretty-much packed house lapped it up with even a couple of bravos thrown in. You might enjoy this kind of performance for the sheer inanity of it all but if you don’t like silliness then I would stay away.
The Birdmann is at the Montreal Fringe
.jpg)
