Short, Cheap and Sometimes Satisfactory

At the Montreal Fringe, the shows are short, cheap and sometimes highly entertaining. In the case of Robby Who? it was so short that it was over before I could really get into it. While Robby Hoffman is a hoot and has great potential, I think the show fell a little flat in being so short (Hoffman was only on stage for about 15 minutes of the total 30 minute comedy show).

The Dirty Little Spoons did a little better. Their slightly gauche variety hour had lots of funny moments and was absolutely bursting with energy. If nothing else, it's a delight to see the four actresses pour their guts out on stage. There were moments that dragged a little long, but overall it was a good laugh. A show worth seeing if you want a laugh, but not a show worth going out of your way to see.

Shoshinz: A Day in the Life of Miss Hiccup was a colourful, positively delightful hour of slightly physical comedy and pure musicality (and not a single word). Great for kids and kids-at-heart, the show from Japanese comedian Yanomi is a silly little show that will have you smiling. A great little number.

The Jesus is in the Jello

The only thing wrong with Jesus Jello was the hellishly-hot room it was located in. But a ensemble of superb spot-on comedic acting, creative set design and original writing (and a bowl full of lime green Jell-o) more than made up for all the sweat. Praise be to God!

I smiled all the way through this one. Tristan D. Lalla definitely stole the show. Joanne Sarazen's script was razor sharp, or more like tickly-feather light, making me giggle and guffaw the whole way through. Jesus Jello fired on all cylinders, an excellent on-point cast made this the best show of the Fringe thus far and an ABSOLUTE MUST SEE!

Elsewhere

There was a certain finesse and precision in the two minute preview of «autrui nm (ô-trui)» at the Fringe-for-All that had me instantly hooked. I was not disappointed.

The production was flawless; staging and lighting effects along with sound manipulation were seamless, transporting the audience to two strange worlds. Transportative definitely is the word to describe this piece up at Tangente until June 20th. And Enthralling.

Katia-Marie Germain and Eugenie Khoury are two very talented choreographers, mining precision movements and the poetic spaces between. You should go discover their worlds.

My Own Private Fringe Show

I was the only one in the audience. There were more people on stage than in the seats. I was outnumbered. But THREE (whose title's meaning still escapes me) was well worth the awkwardness of being the only one to see their premiere performance. And, upon further reflection, perhaps it was even apropos given what the show exposed. The troupe presented a complex, layered production that masterfully used projection and other theatrical effects to expose our multimedia world and the demise of the text. Script and action echoed, layering multiple representations, multiplying meaning, or losing it. I didn't think it was possible to create such fragmentation and layering in a live theatrical piece, but they did it. What does it mean to live today? Does what we say really matter? When reality is so exposed through Internet media, what do our words and actions mean anymore? -- Curious to ask yourself these questions? Go see THREE.

On Friday, I went to see How to Survive an Existential Crisis. I went because I had been intrigued by the preview at the Fringe-For-All. I was disappointed. Jake Smith bombarded the audience with a heap of cliches related to existentialism, all while in his underwear and bathrobe. There were great little moments of original writing and a lovely guitar song, but otherwise the show was lacking. I'm not sure if there were technical difficulties, but the lighting effects were just downright weird. All in all, I'd advise against this show, spend your $10 elsewhere.