Vancouver

Oh! the Humanity lived up to my high expectations. The description of “a masterfully witty script” through a “filter of jet black comedy” is exactly my favorite kind of Fringe show. And I got not one, not two, but five great scripts.

Maryanne Renzetti and Brad Duffy take the play through the characters' range of emotions from confusion, loss, anger, frustration in a way that even a day later makes me smile and chuckle as I write this. The situations are ones we've either been in...

The Back to the Future/Doctor Who time travel dimension to this work strikes a resonant chord, bringing the 1970 imposition of the War Measures Act into comparison with the 2015 Bill C-51 Anti-Terrorism Act. Both laws were enacted under the somewhat arrogant leadership of law-and-order-oriented Prime Ministers of the day—one Liberal, one Conservative. Whereas The Hunger Games: The Musical focuses on youthful response to oppression in a time of complete Orwellian surveillance, Just Watch Me examines the more subtle...

"Small Town Hoser Spic" is written and performed by Pedro Chamale. Anything with the word Hoser in the title must have significant Canadian content, eh? The title Small Town Hoser Spicdescribes it all. Pedro is an immigrant from Honduras, but only knows one part of his identity: that of a small town in Northern B.C. [Editorial Correction: Pedro Chamale's parents are Guatemalan; he is...

Andrew Wade is an award winning playwright and graduate of the University of Victoria who claims to be The Most Honest Man in the World. His obsession with honesty has led him to create this unscripted show.

He has creatively crafted his own version of a lie detector which he explains to us in great detail and has his stage set with evidence from his life: notes, poetry, other assorted items from his past to enhance his storytelling. Wade utilizes cue cards to spark real memories and tells us stories...

          Kirsty Provans He Roars treads familiar territory with its portrayal of journalist Roses (Kirsty Provan) struggle as she pursues a relationship with her childhood friend Charlie (Sebastian Kroon) who is a soldier in the Canadian Armed Forces. The play charts their romance between Charlie...

What a great solo performance from writer and director, Christina Andreola. Over the past five years, she has documented all of the nitty-gritty details from her dating life. Oh yeah, and she has a spreadsheet. The Dudes of My Life is a tell-all tale about the awkwardness, passions, and crazies that are intertwined in the rat trap of dating life. That revolving door of Dicks and Divas that now has Apps. Swipe left, swipe right?

Throughout the play, Andreola dives back into her spreadsheet to...

Is this a parody or an adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s most gruesome plays? Well it is both I think. Shakespeare himself (Kazz Leskard) makes many flavoured directorial appearances throughout the show, trying his best to keep the vision of the play on a “happy” path. That’s a tall order, for this story has more abominations per act than any other of Shakespeare’s works. Not much love and joy to draw from. Director Andy Toth and the amazing cast knock this side-splitting musical out of the park. The singing, lyrics, dance choreography, and musical...

Ryan Gladstone of Monster Theatre is a Fringe favourite, and for good reason: solid creative writing, great performing, and timing. And for this show you get an important Canadian history lesson. Can you say #notboring. He's done a lot of research on Louis Riel and transformed the various versions of, “Who was the real Riel?” into a fun and informative show.

Adding to the excitement before he started the show, he held up his cell and said it could go off...

My friend and I got the last two seats on Sunday night. We were barely seated when the whole room (the crowded, oxygen-deprived Carousel Theatre Studio A) started chanting: “CHURCH! CHURCH! CHURCH! CHURCH!”

Every night is different but I hadn't checked to find out I was about to attend an “improvised church service.” Not to be confused with Fringe regulars “Peter 'n' Chris” (Peter Carlone and Chris Wilson), this duo is new on the scene, at least in this configuration.

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Based on the show’s picture and title alone, I thought this would be a gritty drama and almost missed it. Don’t make that mistake. It’s very funny.

Jon Bennett also created Pretending Things Are A Cock. If I had read that, I might have guessed.

Fire in the Meth Lab is about writer and performer Jon Bennett’s life, particularly his childhood and relationship with his older brother who ends up in jail. Bennett is a confident, affable, and...

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