Last night we went to see The Adversary at Cinematheque. This was one of the very few shows I had no prior experience with or knowledge of the company. The description on the poster - Woody Allen meets The Wire - intrigued me.
Performer/writer Andrew Bailey has crafted a wonderful one-person show about his time as a caretaker at a urban church, his dealings with the poor and and addicts. I highly recommend this show, particularly those who work with the marginalized.
While I was waiting for Rachel to finish her play (I almost always sit on the planters by the show boards) a strange old lady sat down beside me and asked if I was an undercover cop.
"Um, no. No, I'm not. Can I ask why you thought I might be?"
"Well, I saw you sitting here the other day. "
Nope, just a creature of habit.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
More Fringing
Just got back from a show and I wanted to recommend it. As I've said, I.m not seeing many shows this year; the ones I am seeing I'm pretty confident I'm going to enjoy. The Wonderheads' show Loon is amazing. I've seen some great shows, but Loon is magical and beautiful, funny and moving. How an actor can convey and illicit such emotion from a large mask is beyond me. If you have to take one recommendation from me, see this show.
Winnipeg Fringe 2012
I know that at least one person is curious about what I've seen and liked at this year's Fringe. Unfortunately, I'm not able to see as many plays as I'd like and most of the plays I am seeing the tickets were purchased in advance. No word of mouth additions, very few new companies. I was pretty sure going in that I would like most stuff.
The Witch and Poor Man's Guide to Being Rich. Venue 20.
We were supposed to see these last week at the original Venue 20, Aqua Books, before the city closed the place down for lack of permit (which, given that this happened to Aqua Books with Jazz Fest a few short weeks ago, is inexcusable). Finally got to them yesterday. Both shows are really good.
I know that it's an overused cliche to say, "I'd listen to that guy read the phonebook," but I'd happily listen to Erik de Waal read the phonebook. The Witch is a rich tale that weaves narratives and legends. I'm not sure I always followed the story as a whole (the African names of the characters sounded alike to my Canadian ears), but de Waal is an excellent performer and storyteller.
Shelby Bond's personal narrative/stand up didn't so stick much to the theme outlined by the title (though he returns to how broke he is) and some of the jokes fell flat, but Bond is hard not to like. He worked the line before we entered the theatre; he had genuine rapport with the audience. Overall, a very funny show.
The Holy Land Experience
I've never seen Martin Dockery perform, but he's a name I recognize for previous Fringes. His shows are always well received and I'm really glad I saw this one. Dockery blends various threads - going to Bethlehem one Christmas, visiting the Holy Land theme park in Orlando, his difficulty with monogamy - into a funny, thoughtful show.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
The Witch and Poor Man's Guide to Being Rich. Venue 20.
We were supposed to see these last week at the original Venue 20, Aqua Books, before the city closed the place down for lack of permit (which, given that this happened to Aqua Books with Jazz Fest a few short weeks ago, is inexcusable). Finally got to them yesterday. Both shows are really good.
I know that it's an overused cliche to say, "I'd listen to that guy read the phonebook," but I'd happily listen to Erik de Waal read the phonebook. The Witch is a rich tale that weaves narratives and legends. I'm not sure I always followed the story as a whole (the African names of the characters sounded alike to my Canadian ears), but de Waal is an excellent performer and storyteller.
Shelby Bond's personal narrative/stand up didn't so stick much to the theme outlined by the title (though he returns to how broke he is) and some of the jokes fell flat, but Bond is hard not to like. He worked the line before we entered the theatre; he had genuine rapport with the audience. Overall, a very funny show.
The Holy Land Experience
I've never seen Martin Dockery perform, but he's a name I recognize for previous Fringes. His shows are always well received and I'm really glad I saw this one. Dockery blends various threads - going to Bethlehem one Christmas, visiting the Holy Land theme park in Orlando, his difficulty with monogamy - into a funny, thoughtful show.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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