Jonno Katz brings us this 60-minute movement piece about the relationship between two brothers: Sebastian, the kind-hearted younger one, and Roy, the greedy older one. At first, the brother dynamic was touching and potentially worked well—like in the moments at the beginning when Roy stood up for Sebastian. There were also a couple of fresh ideas thrown into the clichéd storyline; for example, “The Shit Machine” (which you would have to see to understand), and a poignant moment that seemed to show an inner-aging process that was very well done.
Victoria: Adapted from the bestselling novel, Tuesdays with Morrie is the true story of Mitch Albom and the lessons he learns from his university professor, Morrie Schwartz or “Coach.” 40 years after he has left school, Mitch learns of his coach’s fatal illness and returns to his side every Tuesday to listen to his final lectures.
Victoria: Upon entering the theatre, we meet Ms SugarPuss who proffers tickles with a boa feather duster, patting every bald head taking their seat, "I don't have time to kiss everybody!" She tells more than enough sausage jokes for any "hornithologist." Guess how many jelly beans make up the jelly bean outfit worn by Ms Prairie Fire, and the winner takes home a bottle of pinot.
Victoria: Growing up in Canada, I had many friends who were born here but whose parents were not. My best friend of over 30 years falls into this category. Even with all the time I spent at his house growing up, I didn’t get as clear a picture of what being raised in a home where language and cultural barriers exist as I did when I saw Japanglish.
Victoria: Chris Gibbs is a veteran solo performer, most recently seen in Victoria when he brought his Antoine Feval character to the UNO Festival. He now brings his "best of show", the Power of Ignorance, back to Victoria (it has been staged as part of UNO Festival as well) and it is a tremendous achievement in comedic solo performance.
Victoria: How does John Pippus manage to distinguish his ran-away-at-17-to-be-a-rock-star story from the others? For starters, sincerity and musical talent go a long way.
Why aren’t you in line to see Japanglish right now? Yumi Ogawa’s touching and hilarious one-woman (-girl, -man) show about growing up with language and cultural barriers at home is one of the top performances at this year’s Fringe, and it would be a shame if you missed it.
Victoria: Don’t let the title mislead you: Shortened, courtesy of writer Cayman Duncan and the Saucy Fops is a portfolio of shorts willing to take its time with its scenes. There’s fuller characters and longer set-ups than sketch shows this reviewer remembers from Fringes past. The results are quite funny and even have some dramatic rewards as well.
