Author Archives: Ed Sum

09.02.15
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[Victoria Fringe Festival ’15] What’s the Best Meal You Ever Ate? A Review

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LOCATION:
Congregation Emanu-El
1461 Blanshard Street
Victoria, BC

SHOWTIMES:
Sept 1 | 7:00 pm
Sept 2 | 7:00 pm
Sept 3 | 7:00 pm
Sept 6 | 2:00 pm

DURATION:
50 minutes

I should never go to a Victoria Fringe Festival show about high cuisine on a half-filled stomach. I thought the hamburger I had before The Best Meal You Ever Ate would be enough but I was wrong. Set in the backdrop of World War II, the story does a fine job in highlighting the plight of the Jews in Warsaw and in serving some great philosophical moments while delightful food was being served.

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09.02.15
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[Victoria Fringe Festival ’15] Where’s the Fandango with Sama Kutra? A Review

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LOCATION:
St Andrew’s Gymnasium
1002 Pandora
Victoria, BC

SHOWTIMES:
Sept 2 | 7:45 pm
Sept 6 | 8:45 pm

DURATION:
55 minutes

Judging by the images than by the title alone, I half thought that Sama Kutra might borrow from the Spanish or French clown tradition where tragedy sometimes dominates the stage. By pure word association, no individual should be surprised that the Kama Sutra factors into this weird and zany world of two clowns realizing their love for each other is gone. Quite literally, there’s no Spark or Sizzle (played by Jed Tomlinson and Jacqueline Russell) left. They can’t even perform the Fandango (their last name) together lest they get into an argument I Love Lucy style. The way Spark goes off is very reminiscent of how Ricky goes off when Lucy does something silly to anger him. This play goes further to show them on the verge of separating until a magical bolt of lightning strikes and sends them off to Oz. Here, they try to find that magic that led them to fall in love, and what results is hilarity at its best.

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09.01.15
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[Victoria Fringe Festival ’15] Why Don’t You Stay Awhile at Casino Royale? A Review

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LOCATION:
St Andrew’s Gymnasium
1002 Pandora
Victoria , BC

SHOWTIMES:
Sept 2 | 5:45 pm
Sept 5 | 10:30 pm
Sept 6 | 3:00 pm

DURATION:
54 minutes

No fan of Ian Fleming’s work will want to escape from Casino Royale lest James Bond strips him or her cash bare. This story by Ian Fleming is what launched a franchise and this play directed by Ian Case (a very respected theatre veteran in Victoria, BC) and written by David Elendune (who is equally getting renown) did a great job in pacing out a story that works very well on stage. Usually cold war dramas are tough to manage in a medium outside of film, and for Bond … James Bond, the early works certainly looks very adaptable. His adventures were told in comic strips before. On stage, at the Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival, experimentation is highly encouraged!

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09.01.15
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[Victoria Fringe Festival ’15] Dirk Darrow Returns to Victoria with Two Ruby Knockers, A Review

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VENUE:
Victoria Event Centre
1415 Broad Street

PERFORMANCE DATES:
Sept 2 | 6:15 pm
Sept 4 | 10:00 pm
Sept 5 | 4:45 pm
Sept 6 | 6:30 pm

LENGTH:
60 minutes

Any criticisms I had before about Tim Motley‘s characterization of the gumshoe, Dirk Darrow, are moot after seeing him in 2 Ruby Knockers, 1 Jaded Dick. This newest show by this Australian performer is a solid tribute (done as a parody, complete with puns) to the noir stylings from the golden age of cinema, with a few terrific magic acts buried within. When compared to what I wrote on 28DLA.com years ago investigating the supernatural aspects that drew me to this show, there were other parts in the production I had to question. This review is reprinted with permission (see below) where I noted his jokes included modern cultural references. I love the fact this new act stayed 100% in period.

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08.31.15
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[Victoria Fringe Festival ’15] Adapting Neil Gaiman’s Fortunately, the Milk to Stage, A Review

IMG_3352 GOOD smallLOCATION:
The Roxy Theatre
2657 Quadra Street
Victoria, BC

SHOWTIMES:
September 1 | 6:00 pm
September 4 | 9:30 pm
September 5 | 8:30 pm
September 6 | 7:15 pm

DURATION: 60 minutes

Anyone familiar with Neil Gaiman‘s Fortunately, the Milk will find Windwhistle Theatre’s adaptation for the Fringe festival circuit captivating. Marion Jeffery is excellent giving life to the spoken word, and she commands the stage. When considering her background includes working at Birmingham Children’s Theatre in Birmingham, Alabama, and performing at The Kennedy Center, no one should be surprised. Both adults and children will be enthralled in how vividly well she can recall the text.

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08.31.15
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[Victoria Fringe Festival ’15] Exploring the Meaning of Bear Dreams, A Review

beardreamsVENUE:
Metro Studio Theatre
1411 Quadra St.
Victoria, BC

Aug 28 | 10:00 pm
Aug 30 | 7:15 pm
Sept 3 | 8:30 pm
Sept 4 |5:30 pm
Sept 5 | 7:30 pm
Sept 6 | 6:45 pm

The geek in me really has to ask: do androids dream of electric sheep? Can bears even recall what they ate last winter? When they hibernate, just what motor functions truly shut down? If I’m beginning to sound like Jerry Seinfeld, I apologize, but I just have to get this indulgence out of my system. The reason why I ask these questions is because the world created by Ian Ferrier is not about the future but is in regards to Canada’s past. The themes found in Bear Dreams are very closely related to Philip K. Dick‘s tale in how animal species are disappearing. Here, the question of what European colonization of this new world has done to the wilderness for these creatures, First Nations tribes included, is explored. In what I’ve noticed, the creatures are symbolic of a heritage being destroyed and must be recovered.

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