toronto fringe

Watercourse Theatre’s Dead Cat Bounce falls victim to the unfortunate circumstance of being a good story told at an unfortunate venue. A stock broker and aspiring musician make up the core characters in a classic opposites attract romance that is mediated, narrated and obfuscated by an ever-present hobo. The story unfolds on and around the patio of Kos Restaurant, which is positioned on an unluckily busy corner of Kensington Market.

Dead Cat Bounce

A performance billing itself as a defence of the actions of Jack the Ripper as presented by the infamous murderer himself certainly sounds full of potential – unfortunately, it falls woefully flat. In tethersend's production of Saucy Jack, Doug McLauchlan dons cape and top hat to lead the audience through a visceral recounting of the notorious murders, but he does so with the sleepy, academic detachment of a high school history professor. There is nothing neither saucy nor sinister to his performance, and at times his slurry delivery becomes downright unintelligible.

Saucy Jack

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