FruitCake - FRINGE XX

FruitCake -Ten Commandments From The Psysch Ward @ MainLine Venue #6. Written & performed by Rob Gee from Leicester UK. He is a comic, a poet, and a reformed psychiatrist nurse, and he delivers a 'tour-de-force' performance in this one man show. He presents a powerfully energized monologue that charts the night shift on an acute psychiatric ward, as seen through the eyes of a nurse who hears the voice of God, a kindly Jamaican accented woman, -who gives him ten benevolent commandments to get him through his shift and his life. Hilariously filled from top to bottom with clever wit and is very entertaining. 4 cents. Dee Arr

Fruitcake -Ten Commandments From The Psych Ward: is like a wild ride in a revolving door of patients (patience) and the daily life of a Psychiatric Nurse. Rob Gee from the UK shares his experience with wit, music and his own interpretation of the 10 Commandments. Gee has incredible pacing, focus and great sense of poetic rhyme that lightens the load of such a heavy topic. A yummy show! 4 cents. Scooby Doo

Missadventures of a Massage Therapist

Missadventures of a Massage Therapist @ MainLine Venue #6. A very charismatic and high energy monologue delivered by writer/director Jason Brasher, from Winnipeg. He holds our attention as he regales us with tales from behind the scenes of his experience as a massage therapist. Filled with high jinks and schinanigans, from his first job in a bushy wilderness assignment to his worst client experience, it is all meant to be 'good natured' fun. I would have liked it even more if there had been less 'potty humour', and if he'd added a few darker stories of what would be considered to be more erotic tales. These he has deliberately withheld and they would have made us 'care more' about his misadventures. Also would have liked to see included some audience participation integrated into the act. 3 cents. DeeArr

Misadventures of a Massage Therapist Sounds good! Could even feel good! I was hoping to be an audience volunteer but Jason Brasher of Winnipeg barely touched his table, let alone an audience member as he rapidly described his 7 years of experience as a massage therapist. Energetic and intense with high school humour that surely would be appreciated by teenage boys but not teenage dogs. 2 cents. Scooby Doo

There Will Be Lasers - FRINGE XX

There Will Be Lasers @ La Chapelle Venue #10. If you love laser lights, smoke machines, and an uncanny soundtrack combined with poetry like text about how the world is coming to an end, this might be for you! I loved the effects and the soundtrack, but I missed the movement and other emotions, except for the despair that was always there. I still found it interesting enough to give this performance my, 2 cents. Sylvester

Paris Berlin scène de cabaret - FRINGE XX

Paris Berlin scène de cabaret @ MainLine Theatre Venue #6. Oh how promising the title was to me, 'Paris Berlin scènes de cabaret'. The Fringe program listed: Juliette Gréco, Kurt Weil and Cole porter, amongst other big names of the musical treasures of the last century. Alas, although there was a well intended effort to sing a long, a thin but cute story line, and a nice pianist, I was neither in Paris nor in Berlin, and especially not in a cabaret. It felt more like a high school performance, in Montréal. It did not help that one of the actors was reading his lines from his script either. More for friends & family of Alma Viva I'm afraid. En Francais. Sylvester. 1 cent

You & Me and Me & You - FRINGE XX

You & Me and Me & You @ Theatre Saint Catherine, Off Venue A. Featuring improve duo Dan Jeanotte & Kirsten Marie Rasmussen in a one-act improvised play. Audience members are asked to offer up two suggestions for a scene, a circumstance, and an object, for some preselected characters. The actors then run with it, for almost a full hour of a supposedly unrehearsed short play. Although it was obvious that some elements of the story had been preplanned, over all the direction that they took it in was very creative for the most part. There were moments throughout however when I felt that Dan wasn't getting the 'positive' support from his partner that is so essential to a successful improve like: don't question, don't say no, always yes, and move it forward. I did feel it went on a bit too long and would have preferred a shorter story to get warmed up before settling into one long one, and maybe even adding another short one at the end. There is no denning the talent and charisma of Jeanotte and it is worth going to see if only just to watch him entertain and light up the stage. 3 cents. Dee Arr

You & Me and Me & You @ T.S.C. W/ Dan Jeanotte & Kirsten Marie Rasmussen, an improve duo. They take suggestions from the audience to build their show, however one improve lasts the whole hour. Might have been more interesting with five (5) shorter improvs involving more audience participation. Would have loved to see Dan working with another partner; Kirsten is creative but holds the energy back a too much blocking Dan's great improv offers. 3 Cents. Scooby Doo

Esther Goes Pro - FRINGE XX

Esther Goes Pro @ the Fringe OFF Venue A Theatre Saint Catherine. The first show I see at the Fringe XX; "Imagine someone so talented you wouldn't even know it if it hit you in the face with a brick." -Felt like I was hit by a brick, only this brink was made of 's**t'. It wasn't half way over when I had to get up to get a drink, a beer just to make it through the second half. There are high and low levels of camp, and there is good and bad camp. Then there are 'cramp' & 'crap'. This 'show' is more of the latter, and is definitely 'OFF' in more ways than one. 1 CENT. DeeArr

Witnessed... "Esther Goes Pro" @ T.S.C. Somehow I felt uncomfortable when the lead, Liz Vigneault told the audience they're going to think her show is amazing. I'd prefer to be the one to decide that. Honestly it was everything but amazing. What was amazing is that I sat through the whole thing. At this point I quote the Fringe blurb "Imagine someone so talented, you wouldn't even know it if it hit you in the face with a brick. Someone so talented it has become invisible to the naked eye." Invisible it was! I'm sure Lise Vigneault does have talent just not in this particular show. 1 Cent. Scooby-Doo

Festival TransAmérique May 27 - June 12, 2010.

Tragédies Romaines: Coriolanus, Julius Caesar, Antony & Cleopatra; Amsterdam.

The Dragonfly of Chicooutimi; Montréal.
GO C IT!

Domaine Publique; Barcelone.
GO C IT!

Le Très Grand Continental; Montréal.
GO C IT!

...and Counting! (Letter Three); Toronto

The Greatest Cities in the World; Vancouver


Highlights and reviews pending.