Now, going into this show, I already knew it might be something of a challenge to connect to for those uninitiated to the rave and music festival scene. Having been to several music festivals of the type that he was telling about, I thought I was prepared. But as Michael Moore began with his one man show, I realized that I was in for a trip I didn’t want to be on.
Moore played many different characters, including himself, to tell a true story of his life of partying and his disdain for the mundane life adult-ier adults...
Pay attention, it’s fast! Steve Larkin is a British spoken-word artist who has written and performed several poems and songs pertaining to many topics that people could easily get offended by. The name of his show relates to a poem he reads about women’s magazines and their obsession with fat and sex. This poem goes on for quite a long time in a psychotic mantra-like style. Much of the content is lost because his northern English accent is a little thick and he’s speaking so fast that you can miss some of the words.
The first time I saw Robert Plant walk on stage I screamed like the fan girl I was. When John Bonham died, I cried. So when Stadium Tour brought Zeppelin was a Cover Band to Vancouver Fringe this year, I was curious to say the least.
Part dinner conversation, part documentary, and part rock concert, Stefan Cedilot takes the audience from Africa to the Mississippi Delta and Chicago to England where the four members of Led Zeppelin got together and became one of the greatest bands of all time. From session musician to the genius behind their...
Do you have your dancing shoes on? You’re going to need them for this show. Cydney Eva and Lindy Sisson are a mother-daughter duo that is going to explain to you the influences of dance and showmanship that have been ever present in their lives. From Ballet to Burlesque, they’ve got it all.
This really is a tribute show to Cyndey and Linda’s father/grandfather, Hal Sisson, who was in “The Biz”. Although you could tell that this show meant a lot to them, it might not mean as much to the audience. A big chunk of the show is...
The show opens with a glimpse of the sisters, Mattie and Maybelle Haydell (played by Donna Kay Yarborough and Sadie Bowman), bickering as they set up. Over the whole show the two sisters break up their songs to argue about their respective histories since their high flying nineties duo broke up in ‘93—and about the restraining order Lyle Lovett placed against Maybelle. They recount their history in bits and pieces, from the innocent childhood songs their grandpa told them about red-headed peckers, to their meteoric rise to stardom from their humble laundromat venues, to the halls of “country royalty,” to...
Mattie and Maybelle Haydell (Donna Kay Yarborough and Sadie Bowman)
What a delightful concept! This show has an array of talented artists from dancers to musicians to actors and more. Each tent provides the participant with a unique experience of sharing with a group their life experiences. The artists then perform an improvised performance in their métier based on what the participants shared. I had the opportunity to meet with 4 performers in 3 separate tents: Yukari Komatsu, John Park and Miho Suzuki, and lastly Zachary Ibrahim.
As two other ladies and I were ushered into the first tent I noticed just how peaceful everyone was. It really...
Actors acting about being actors risks getting a little dry, but it beats writers writing about being writers. Lara (Lara Deglan) is sharp and funny and full of charm. She also has a lovely singing voice which she makes great use of. Peter (Peter Swayles) is also charming. He's decidedly English, and most of his humour is oddly anachronistic, with references to Princess Diana and the annex of Poland. Still, he generally carries it off, and his role as the love interest affords him a few adorable moments.
Uncouth. A two-syllable word. Kind of catches in your mouth as you utter it, a sensation emphasized in the show’s title by an extra capital letter: UnCouth. There’s that hard ‘c’ in the back of your throat, followed by an elongated vowel sound slowly traversing the length of your mouth to the tip of your tongue, finally ending when your tongue touches your teeth in that closing ‘t-h.’ The sensation of pronouncing the title is mirrored in the phenomenon of seeing this show; it grasps your attention and sticks with you long after you’ve left the venue. Granted, I have...
Before the performance began, Ana Sokolovic came up on stage to say a few words. Some of those words included “please don't follow along in your program”. Not that she needed to worry. The program is in English, the opera is in Serbian, I would never know which words were which.
Two chairs, a music stand and two old timey microphones, Ne Me Quitte Pas is a simple revue of a selection of Edith Piaf and Jaques Brel greatest hits. The two singers, Melanie Gall and Brehmer Duthie, are currently touring separate shows, and have come together in a shared passion for the French chanteur and chanteuse.
Musical Theatre, Cabaret, All Ages http://www.piafandbrel.com/
