Every Story Ever Told: slaps mythology solidily on the ass, then it asks for more

If I could have babies, I would have Ryan Gladstone's babies. His babies would be funny, talented, and would attempt things that no mere mortal would ever dare try. Imagine if we populated an entire Fringe with his talented, crazy, babies - people would be entertained for weeks on end and never get bored of the shenannigans his babies would get into. Unless we clone him now, we do have the technology, I hear. Anyway, let's move on to talking about the show itself because my imagination is running away with me and thinking about how many babies Ryan should make is just a bit too bizarre.

Still with me? Good. Every Story Ever Told is a pseudo-attempt to re-tell every single story ever told by humanity. It sounds like an impossible task but, I think, it isn't as impossible as some would believe. While Ryan Gladstone doesn't quite do it 100%, I still applaud him. Also, who the hell cares, his show was upbeat, made me laugh, and was a great attempt at telling people how story works. The show is fun, bizarre, and - surprisingly - educational. And you thought you never learned anything at the Fringe. Some of what is talked about on stage will force a lot of audience members to get out their library cards.

Gladstone guy has talent and charisma oozing out of every pore of his body. It became apparent (and quickly) that it didn't matter if he didn't hit every culture and type of story telling because once he starts his attempt it just gets funnier and funnier as the show progresses. He tells various stories from history and literature, chats a bit about critical theory and mythology, and finishes each show with a part improvisational story that involves (or, at least, it did on this night) suggestions from the audience. What really I think I enjoyed about this show was Ryan's biggest asset - Ryan is a great storyteller. He could tell you that your entire family has just been wiped out by a zombie infestation and you'd still laugh about it. He utterly fails at his mission but it is one hell of a ride getting there.

I guess my expectations of his talent are quite high. In a way, you could also say that he does accomplish his goal but, really, do we care? We laugh, we cry, we learn a whole lot about literature and the history of story and that is all we needed. If you go to this show, there isn't much to it except you will have a great time.