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.
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