Review: (Ottawa) Tosca (Opera)

Michele Capalbo (photo by Andrew Alexander)

Tosca : Love and Jealousy

by Jim Murchison

Due to an unpredictable circumstance I ended up seeing the second night of Tosca rather than opening night. As it turned out, that allowed me to see the original cast as it was intended to be performed. A medical emergency in the Opera Lyra company had required a radical improvisation on Saturday's opening night in the grand tradition of the show must go on. 

Review (Ottawa) The Devil's Circus (Fringe)

An Odd Love Story in a Cabaret
by Jim Murchison
@JimMurchison


The Devils Circus is a puppet show that combines marionettes, Japanese Bunraku inspired puppetry, shadow puppetry and some devilish music.

Daniel Wishes and Seri Yanei are the puppeteers. In the classic demon gets girl, demon loses girl it is as much cabaret as circus as Satan is Ed Sullivan to trick puppets inspired by Elvis, Eartha Kitt,  Mick Jagger and more. Some of the best storytelling occurred during the Shadow puppetry without any words at all.

Review: (Ottawa) Deranged Dating (Fringe)

Finding a Mate on Internet
by Sonia Blanchette

Recollecting some of my childhood memories, I can tell you that we (my family) had outings when the weather was bad. The logic behind this was if it was rainy, snowy and/or generally yucky, then nobody would be out and about. No headaches with line-ups, admissions, parking, and so on. I used that theory this evening to attend Deranged Dating and boy, was I in for a surprise. Having departed from home, with what I thought was a lot of time to kill, I could not find a parking spot to save my life, and once I found the venue (Avant Garde) with minutes to spare, the place was packed. I was lucky to score a bar stool. So I would have to say that this is where it was at!

Review: (Ottawa) Glengarry Glen Ross

Sleaze of The Deal

by Jim Murchison 

@JimMurchison

The Acting Company has mounted the classic play of the high pressure world of sales and salesmanship by David Mamet, Glengarry Glen Ross. The nice thing about being a new company with old contacts is that you can put together a cast of veteran favourites and do the stuff you love and it’s clear that the cast relishes this material.

Review (Ottawa) Who Killed Gertrude Crump (Fringe)

The Puppets are Scariest Up Close
by Robyn Lester
@RobinRobynRob

Puppets! Puppets, puppets, puppets! If that hasn’t sold you, I guess I should talk about the show. Who Killed Gertrude Crump is a humorous murder mystery told through –you guessed it – puppets! And the puppeteer? Well, it’s none other than Agatha Christie (Tara Travis), posthumously telling the one mystery she never published.  

Review: (Ottawa) Paco P. Put To Sleep (Fringe)

ICE CREAM...
by Robyn Lester
@RobinRobynRob

I’m not sure what to say about Paco P. Put to Sleep. It was certainly interesting. But I’m still not sure if I liked it. I think I did. I laughed. But I also got really irritated with all the characters. Is that normal? All I know for sure is that by the end, I really wanted ice cream. 

Written by Martin Dockery, this play is about a friend who falls asleep, the five people who are left to wake him, and a world that is on fire. Sound strange? Well, it is. After Paco falls asleep on the couch, his friends have a brief moment of concern before getting annoyingly sidetracked by inconsequential details like, is it going to rain?

Review: (Ottawa) First Words (Fringe)

...Me...
by Robyn Lester
@RobynRobinRob

I kicked off my 2014 Ottawa Fringe experience with Natalie Joy Quesnel’s solo show, First Words.

Inspired by true events, First Words tells the story of Me, the one child who, while still in utero, survived a fire that killed her five older siblings. Heart-broken, Me’s mother vowed to replace each child she lost, giving them the same names as the ones who were killed. Starting with Me.

But this play wasn’t focused on re-hashing past tragic events. Rather, it was a story documenting and exploring the protagonist’s own complicated emotions. The guilt she felt for not feeling guilty. The frustration of having a name that served as a constant reminder of the child who should have lived. The child she was replacing. The play addressed the issue of identity and self-discovery in a way that was relatable, even if the circumstances were not.

Review: (Ottawa) Great Battles in History (Fringe)

A one-man musical comedy about historical military battles?
by Robyn Lester
@RobinRobynRob

Going in, I had no idea what to expect. A one-man musical comedy about historical military battles? All right. I’ll give it a go.

And am I glad I did!

Mark Shyzer’s Great Battles in History was absolutely hilarious, yet complex and multi-layered enough that I left feeling like I just saw something really special. There’s always that one play at Fringe that makes me want to hop inside the brain of the writer. This year it was Great Battles in History.

Simply stated, it’s a not-so-musical comedy about a production gone terribly wrong and the one man left to pick up all the pieces. Like war itself this play was chaotic, non-linear, and confusing. In a good way, I assure you. Unlike war, it was laugh-out-loud funny and had a ukulele.

The acting was delightful, the humour was right up my alley, and the use of little figurines was just…well, c’mon!  Who doesn’t want to see a play that uses little plastic made in China toys as characters?   

So come see Great Battles in History to hear all about the musical you could have seen if things went right. What? That doesn’t make sense? Yeah, well it will when you see it. So see it! It’s a lot of fun, and will leave you wondering what the hell you just watched. Again, in a good way!

June 19 - 29

Review: (Ottawa) 2 Ruby Knockers 1 Jaded Dick (Fringe)

Mystery Solved
by Jim Murchison
@JimMurchison


St Paul's Eastern United Church is an odd venue for a play that searches for clues in the dark murky underworld peppered with slick sleazy criminals, 1 hot dame and 1 very jaded private eye, Dirk Darrow.

Tim Motley as Dirk doesn't attempt to play all of the characters to set the table for this tale of intrigue. Instead he assaults the audience with 1 liners, distracts them with predictions, a wonderful card trick and a final reveal that is very impressive.

Review: (Ottawa) Rachel and Zoe (Fringe)

...Those Are Some Of The Questions...

by Sonia Blanchette

How is it that these two are BFFs? You would think that at the core, they would loathe one another considering their such diverse lifestyles. Not so. 

Both Zoe and Rachel are besties. This is made clear by their loving, non-judgmental acceptance of each other. Their conversations about happiness, sexuality and self identity are important and heartfelt. Could their choice of "red, white or whatever you have" have weakened inhibitions and loosened lips have anything to do with it? If so, I say bottoms up! 

There continue to be, as much as my generation would choose to ignore and disagree, taboos surrounding sex and relationships. e.g., what happens (or doesn't happen) in the bedroom should stay in the bedroom. To fake or not to fake? To settle or not to settle? ... those are some of the questions. 

These actresses are formidable. I don't know if they are BFFs in real life. I would hate to think that they are mortal enemies as their interaction/connection with one another could not have been more real and sincere. And the audience feels it.

Last but not least, the Don Juan, the Jason, the Mark, the guy of long ago, the best never forgotten lay who sometimes appears in my Harlequin dreams... all played by Chris Wyllie. Dang! Mothers, lock up your daughters! If it wasn't for him, the play wouldn't have quite satisfied as it did. His performance is quite, ummmmmm, solid.   

Is it hot in here?

June 19 - 29

Review: (Ottawa) Love + Hate (Fringe)

PepTides Play It Up

by Jim Murchison
twitter@JimMurchison

Bass player Andrew Burns, drummer Alex Wickham, keyboardist Scott Irving, guitarist David Campbell with vocalists Claude Marquis, Olexandra Prudnicky, DeeDee Butters, Rebecca Noelle and Dale Waterman perform Love and Hate at the Mercury Lounge as part of the Fringe Festival. If the individual names don’t inform you of the show’s quality, would it make a difference if I said The PepTides. Many people in Ottawa and indeed Canada know that name means that you are going to be seduced by lush, sexy harmonies and jazzy instrumental support that is so intoxicating that you want to take a bath in it as much as listen to it.

Love and Hate explores hate and negativity until a helpful optometrist prescribes the right glasses and then the story jolts over to love, goes through the drudgery of corporate employment, drugs as therapy, the ecstasy of love, the bitter solitude of lost love and back again. 

It is a theatrical device to weave some delicious stage shenanigans by the players with the band’s seductive sound that has been compared with Manhattan Transfer and the B-52’s, but is pure PepTides. This show will delight their tried and true fans and create new ones …. If they’re able to get in.

June 19 - 29

Review: (Ottawa) A Mind Full of Dopamine (Fringe)

THRILL OF THE RUSH

by Jim Murchison
Twitter @JimMurchison

Rory Ledbetter is certainly among the most engaging and upbeat performers at this year’s Fringe. Very often a play that is about addiction shows people at their very bottom robbed of their dignity and generally brings the audience so down that they shut themselves off before they learn anything about it.

Ledbetter takes you through the rite of passage into manhood that gambling is and the brain induced chemical high, that surge of dopamine. It is the same high that thrill seekers who bungee jump or take a ride on a roller coaster feel. It is appropriate because at the crest of every peak there is a descent.

The approach is so successful because Rory is so completely honest and heartfelt that the audience quite literally gasps and cries, “Oh no.” when they feel he is on the wrong path.

By choosing not to preach and by exploring every sinew and nerve, and exposing his heart and soul he ultimately makes the show about perseverance and recovery and reaches into the hearts of the audience as well. This is an incredibly entertaining show and an important one as well. By the way with a last name like Ledbetter you might imagine he plays harmonica and you’d be right.

June 19 - 29

Review: (Ottawa) Can't Argue With Pussy (Fringe)

CAN'T ARGUE WITH PUSSY - 
WELL YA CAN'T!

by Jim Murchison
Twitter@JimMurchison

It was an odd time to see two stand up comediennes: 1:00 pm Sunday. But 10 brave souls went to see Can’t Argue with Pussy and found out why. I even got to do a cameo. I had to play an asshole which I was told I did quite effectively proving that casting against type is not always a bad thing.

The whole premise of the play is really to give two women stand up comedians an opportunity to do material that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to do at the male operated venues. You might think that in the world of stand up that it is no holds barred but apparently not. 

Rebecca Reeds and Jennifer Hayward don’t pull any punches. I don’t think I need put in a disclaimer that this is adult themed humour as the title is pretty much a give away. It was pretty well received which is not always the case with deprecating jokes of all varieties with a small crowd in attendance, but this group wasn’t overly reserved so a lot of the material hit the mark. 

Thankfully, the rest of the run are all evening shows with the Thursday one being at 11:00 pm and the larger house should definitely be a boon to a show that deserves and should have a larger audience. Don’t take it too seriously or be offended by a little bit of raunchiness and you should have a good time.  

June 19 - 29

Review: (Ottawa) Chase & Stacey's Joyride (Fringe)

Fasten Your Seat Belts

by Jim Murchison
Twitter @JimMurchison

Chase Padgett returns this year with his new playmate Stacey Hallal. The word play was never more appropriate to describe what performers do. This is a play that is all about playing. Hallal and Padgett are skilled improvisers and the structure of Joyride provides a framework that allows them to know their final destination with a map that has some holes in it. In fact the audience with a word provides the critical info on where the start point of the Joyride is and that substantially changes where Chase and Stacey are from night to night.

Every audience will get Padgett's brilliant musical overlays, Hallal's wildly exuberant search for contact with the other side and the duo's hilarious attempt at nasty sex without naughty words, which if it were dance would be a pas de dirt.

For laughs Joyride is a sure bet and because of the improvisational aspect it will never be the same twice. The chemistry they have with each other is equally as potent as the connection they have with the audience.

June 13 - 29

Review: (Ottawa) Oceans Apart (Fringe)

About Coming Home

by Jim Murchison
@JimMurchison

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is something that we are becoming increasingly conscious of. In my parent's day it was likely a sign of weakness to even hint that you needed help. Keep a stiff upper lip, don't let them see you cry are still probably good pieces of advice in certain moments when you need focus to get you through, but afterwards when the dust settles and the things that you have seen and done haunt you what do you do about it?

Author Alain G Chauvin plays Cpl Patrick McLachlin, a young man that has to deal with fears and worries of his family and the more devastating  smiles and silence. Daniel Groleau Landry plays friend Lt Joe Braddock who suffers the physical trauma and Rebecca Laviolette is the woman just trying to be supportive.

You can't cover the entire spectrum of pain and healing that one goes through after being in circumstances that the men and women in Afghanistan and other war zones endure. Patrick it appears just needs to keep moving and we go along for the ride experiencing his anger and anguish. With all the fun and silliness that is available  Fringe offers something a little more serious to sink your teeth into.

The cast is honest and sincere. This would be a show that could turn into a longer play as there is so much to explore.

June 19 - 29

Review: (Ottawa) Burnt at the Steak (Fringe)

Burnt at the Steak or 'The Best 10 Dollars You Will Ever Spend"

by David Currie

See Burnt at the Steak. Go see it, tonight.  Why are you still reading this, you should be watching Burnt at the Steak.  From the life experience of Carolann Valentino, comes the greatest musical comedy I have seen in years. This is a delightful play.  Every joke lands, you get to see song Parody at its finest.  This is why people like one woman shows.  This is a show with a very simple message “follow your dreams,” and it doesn’t feel trite in the least.

The story centers around Carolann’s life managing a very classy New York City Steak House.  She performs as 18 hilarious characters.  Her personality carries you through an exciting evening that has the audience laughing and looking around to make sure other people are laughing. She invites audience members to join her on stage and uses them in her stories.  The musical numbers are perfect, an exquisite use of musical theatre. They are all parodies and, again, the audience is invited to sing along. With titles like “No Nickers” and “Big Fat Daddy” it is hard not to.  Carolann only allows herself one moment to indulge in saccharine sentimentality and then quickly pulls back and ends the show by doing what she does best, tell jokes.

This is going to be the best show of the Fringe Festival, see it as soon as you can - so that you can see it a second time.

June 19 - 29

Review: (Ottawa) Fucking Carl (Fringe)

Les Lavigueurs and Trailer Park Boys come to mind

by Sonia Blanchette

Of the few francophone performances being presented at Fringe this year, I definitely did not know what to expect. 

Through an ad on Kijiji, Jay/Jason (Caroline Yergeau) meets Jess/Jessica (Louis-Philippe Roy) to discuss the sale of her gran-pa's pick-up truck. A hot romance quickly ensues, no thanks to the Blue 24-pack they just polished off.  

Is it wrong of me to say that a mix of Les Lavigueurs and Trailer Park Boys came to mind? Where the locals in bum-fuck nowhere Quebec* or Ontario (or insert locale here) can't wait for the yearly poutine fest, carnival rides and Monster Truck rally to come to town?  

As simpletons with a sudden opportunity of introducing a 'kid' into their lives, they strive not to only persuade themselves but also the audience that they are a respectable, deserving and loving couple. Their re-enactments of pivotal events in their relationship to convince you of just this are bang on.  

Having lived in * for a good part of my teenage years, I so related. How could I not? Waking up in the bed of a pick-up truck after a well liquored night - no, not ever! 

There's nothing wrong with simple living and loving just as long as you are happy. And if your convictions are solid, who are we to judge if someone is worthy of parenthood?

Both masterfully portray a complicated yet comical relationship - Caroline and Louis-Philippe perform wholeheartedly. Couples young, old, franco, anglo or otherwise, will relate to the struggles and challenges. Four years crammed into 65 minutes flew by and didn't disappoint. The venue was particularly quaint and made the connection much more special. 

June 19 - 29

Review: (Ottawa) Wunderjammer (Fringe)

Wunderjammer or I Banged Your Doppleganger (for over a half century)
by David Currie

It would be interesting to see what playwright Richard Hemphill and his cast could do with some of these sketches in a longer format.  As it is, this sketch comedy uses stock jokes and stock characters quite well, though it certainly breaks no new ground.  It is an enjoyable show and revisiting the same characters throughout the show does bond the audience to them but the show is something of an exercise in diminishing returns. 

There is a Aristocracy sketch, in the vein of Monty Python that tickled me, I don’t think I laughed out loud but I did like it.  Then there was the Bunnyland, children’s park sketch that goes dark quickly and was the highlight of the show for me.  The directing often feels happenstance, and the acting is good though inconsistent.  Each one of the actors at times seeming confused by their comedic function within the sketches.  All of this is ok, the show works - it gets laughs if you are in the mood to laugh.  Good.

The problem with Wunderjammer, and I find it difficult to bring this up, is that it looks for comedy in uncomfortable old places.   One sketch has women trying to sell men to a horny middle easterner.  There isn’t really any context given for this, so it just comes across as an uncomfortable cultural critique.  Then there are the dumb-girl model sketches.  The writing in these is incredibly good, one- liners soar through the air but at the end of the day, it seems sexist.  Especially, as that sketch is paired with a sketch about dumb girl scientists. Both sketches feel like they have been pulled straight out of the 1950s or 60s.  There are countless gay jokes and the play ends on a transphobic one-liner.  And that’s the problem, Wunderjammer at times feels like watching a minstrel show.

The brilliance of Bunnyland and the potential of the Aristocracy sketches get washed a way in a sea of tired homophobia, sexism and one instance of transphobia.

June 19 - 29

Review: (Ottawa) Silent Party Interlude (Fringe))

Silent Party Interlude or Counting Breaths

by David Currie

If you are in your 40s and own at least one copy of “Eat, Pray, Love” (in any format) this show will appeal to you.  If you aren’t, well, it is still kind of a nice way to spend an hour.  The well told story of a woman who becomes an ascetic for 10 days, Silent Party Interlude can be extremely compelling.  It can also be funny.  It was also pretty annoying. The problem Silent Party Interlude (besides the impossible to remember title), is that every time the play gets into a narrative track and one begins to share in the meditative experience of its performer, the very talented Devon More plays a song.

Let me be perfectly clear, this is not a musical. These songs have little to do with the action on stage.  These songs force a broken-up concert, by a talented musician, into quite a good show - seemingly with the objective of selling CDs. 

That being said, there is a lot to like here.  The very deliberate use of props and lighting was exemplary.  The props so well chosen so minimalist that they blend seamlessly into the theme.  The lighting fluctuating perfectly with the moods of the protagonist.   The acting in this thing is superb, Devon begins by pushing histrionics well beyond what is considered safe and then slowly through out the show dials it back.  The dialing back, I believe, is why by day two of her meditation experience I not only wanted her to succeed but felt like I was watching a friend.  Which is good, because at the end of the day this play is just an exercise in narcissism that you either forgive and buy into and follow on a journey of self discovery through meditation, or you sit for an hour counting your breaths.

June 19 - 29

Review: (Ottawa) Against Gravity (Fringe)

Shadow Puppet Musical
by David Currie

There should be a disclaimer before this show - Warning: Show Contains Absolutely No Narrative Flow.  If you understand that in advance you might enjoy this shadow puppet musical a little better.  There also has to be a good audience, this show requires a high level of audience participation in-order to help suspend disbelief otherwise it will be an unbearably trite and a naive experience.

Which is too bad because Against Gravity obviously took work, thought and so much gumption.  It is the kind of show I really want to like.  Chloé Ziner and Jessica Gabriel are obviously very talented people.  Their sound design and puppetry choices were delightful, they are both charismatic and really brought as many people as they could through their art with them. Technically, this show is magnificent, charming even.

“Follow your heart.” said the Snail

“Ok, might as well.” said the man.

When the show begins, it feels like fun incarnate.  The performers introduce it as a “Sound blob Puppet show.”  For several minutes, I loved it.  However, the show stagnates very quickly. Evidently suffering from a lack of writing experience, the sounds and visuals do simply blob together. There is nothing really to care about.  No reason to be there.  And that’s when you realize you are watching two people play with a projector they probably stole from their high school.  When they finally get to their second act, completely abandoning the story they were telling, the hilarious antics of human being versus puppet cannot save the experience.

Look, these people seem wonderful, go support them.  Invite 20 of your friends, if you smoke marijuana then do that and have a fluffy, vapid shadow puppet show musical experience with your friends.

June 19 - 29