Tag Archives: Vancouver Fringe Festival

10.10.18
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A Brief History of Beer & Where to Find It

A Brief History of BeerSometimes, a venue can make or break a show. When the performance is all about beer, the Victoria Event Center is perfect. They are a licensed alcohol facility and cheering more than a mug is encouraged. I had root beer instead of the other kind. When it played at the 2018 Victoria Fringe Festival last month, the buzz certainly had me deciding to go check it out.

I had to stay sober tho’, as I know my limits (namely I was driving). This show next moved to the Vancouver Fringe Festival, and now the company, Wish Experience, is taking a break. I’m sure this team will be back for the next round of Fringe shows. Even though this show began in 2016, I see it could use further polishing.

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09.04.16
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[Victoria Fringe Festival ’16] Best not to Miss Best Picture!

BP 2x2LOCATION:
Metro Studio Theatre
1411 Quadra Street
Victoria, BC

SHOWTIMES:
Sun Sept 4 – 3:15pm

Coming to Vancouver Fringe Festival beginning September 9, at Performance Works (1218 Cartwright Street)

Movie-buffs will love the send-up, mash-up, mix-up and show down of Ribbit RePublic’s take of the Academy Awards Best Picture(s) from the past century. All the winners, including Birdman gets acknowledged. Many films are lampooned into a tightly packed fun-filled hour which includes nerdy moments which had me broadly grinning. I’m glad that the list of films also included those that did not quite made the cut (had this been an awards show), and yes, the Star Wars enthusiast in me was loving it!

Sadly, Star Trek did not get a nod (this coming week marks their 30th anniversary) but was that ever considered Oscar-winning material? According to Tara Travis, Jon Paterson and Kurt Fitzpatrick, apparently not. That’s okay. They at least acknowledged Lord of the Rings — Jon and Kurt worked together to play the polar composite sides of Gollum aka Sméagol from Peter Jackson’s cinematic version, and Great Scott! they even acknowledged Back to the Future too! That was not on the list. I did not expect them to follow the script exactly, and as for whether there was even one, I could not tell!

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08.31.16
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[Victoria Fringe Festival 2016] The Metaphors Behind The Lion, The Bitch and the Wardrobe

best_sharon_mahoney_program_1adqt31-1adqt35LOCATION:
The Roxy Theatre
2657 Quadra Street
Victoria, BC

SHOWTIMES:
Wed Aug 31 – 9:45pm
Sat Sep 3 – 5:30pm

Continues at the 2016 Vancouver Fringe Festival at Performance Works beginning Sept 9th, 2016

 

 

My buddy and fellow co-writer, James Shaw can benefit from seeing a rather inspirational self-help presentation, The Lion, The Bitch and the Wardrobe in the last few days of the 2016 Victoria Fringe Festival. He just needs to make the time, along with everything he tells me he likes to do but never does. I really do not know what’s holding him back. Well, I do, but do not believe he can stay like Ebenezer Scrooge forever.

I love the title of this show and have to note that it has nothing to do with the classic piece of literature by C.S. Lewis (some attendees might get drawn in by the title than play summary); this performance has everything to do with opening up and moving forward in life to do great stuff! Whether the problem lies with mental health issues or letting fear of getting ahead control you (symbolized by the lion), folks do not have to hide in a safety net (the wardrobe closet) forever.

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09.09.15
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[Victoria Fringe Festival ’15] Pretending Things Are A …. Review

Jon-Bennett

Pretending Things Are a C*ck is no doubt going to be the most difficult show any conservative individual may struggle with in the thought of deciding to attend. All I can say is cast all your inhibitions aside and just go. Fringing is all about taking a risk at a show you may have doubts on. There were a few shows that I went to on top of my predetermined list. They were either recommended to me or I didn’t want to go home.

For this very risqué title, well, how can I not laugh at the idea? This show by Aussie Jon Bennett may sound crass, but there’s more to it than anyone may think. It’s introspective. How? Well, if I told anyone, they may just not bother to go since the punchline is ruined. I can at least say I learned that in Australia, flip-flops are called thongs down under. Who would have thunk it?

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09.07.15
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[Victoria Fringe Festival ’15] There’s Plenty of High ‘Spirits’ to Kiss Around Pass Around, A Review

11235244One part Banana Splits, two parts Japanese Folklore and three parts variety show make for a very quirky show called Kiss Around Pass Around. Yanomi Shoshinz (better known as Miss Hiccup back in Victoria Fringe Festival 2010 and 2012) created this act which blends a lot of traditions into a kaleidoscope of fun. But just what is a Kesaran Pasaran? Not many Fringe show attendees will want to research this name prior to or after seeing this production.

According to one online source, it’s the name of a spirit of good fortune. It’s essentially a white ball of fluff that’s evolved from a plant. When the material flies around like the white parts of a dandelion after a strong gust of wind, the joy it brings is often a delight to anyone running through a field of them. That’s what this show is like.

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09.04.15
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[Victoria Fringe Festival ’15] Tracking the Birdmann’s Flight to Vancouver Fringe, A Review

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LOCATION:
Performance Works
1218 Cartwright St.
Vancouver, BC

SHOWTIMES:
Sep 11 | 10:40 pm
Sep 12 | 4:30 pm
Sep 13 | 12:10 pm
Sep 14 | 6:55 pm
Sep 17 | 8:30 pm
Sep 19 | 7:25 pm

DURATION: 50 minutes

The nose knows that even on the last day of this act’s performance at the Victoria Fringe Festival, The Birdmann in Momentous Timing must not be missed. If he has flown the coup in one city, at least his show can be found in the next stop. In this festival circuit’s case, that’s Vancouver Fringe Festival, in British Columbia! This product is certainly offbeat, blending a variety of stage shows — balancing acts, transgender dance, magic tricks and standup — into one seamless unit. A few bits felt unneeded (like the lacklustre transmorgifying box of tricks) and others more compelling, like being able to juggle plastic bags. There’s a deftness with a knife that I won’t go into detail about and that’s a highlight of this show. Elsewhere, if there’s a metaphor behind an ironing board and a clothes iron, no one is telling about what it is.

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