Fringe shows frolic on the wilder side
New theme carries through 258 unique, no-holds-barred productions
The 38th annual Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival is officially open for business, unleashing tickets and pulling back the curtain on 258 shows spread over 50 venues.
This year’s theme — Where the Wild Things Fringe — recalls Maurice Sendak’s childhood classic (and subsequent Spike Jonze-directed film), imploring both performers and spectators to embrace their wild side during the 11-day festival, running Aug. 15-25.
What can attendees anticipate seeing at this year’s Fringe Festival? A random one-minute sampling of 30 shows during a recent media launch featured relationship-lamenting songs; hookup culture confessionals; catastrophic diagnoses; flights of operatic fancy; rapid-fire conversation; copyright-conscious dinosaur-themed dance troupes; haunting recollections; ornately dressed dancers; the introduction of L-days (following K-days); tongue kissing without lips; undead potty training mothers; the sexualized plight of female musicians; castigation for high school propagators of casual homophobia; refugees searching for a sense of place; and ramhorned imaginary friends.
And that was only the first 15! The next 15 included cross-atlantic graveside visits; finger-pointing parental dismemberment; canine birthday parties playing pin-the-nose-on-the-human; hope-inducing pawnshop music boxes; toothy-grinned splendiferousness; Trump-explaining Newfoundlanders; assault by ironing board; futile Vue Weekly cover aspirations; thousand-kilometre walks in the Spanish countryside; accusations of mass murder; human-inspired artisanal machines; Star Trek-themed interpretive dance; Kenney-dismantled gay lunch clubs; and armed mine shaft confrontations.
So, basically what we’ve come to expect from Edmonton’s annual no-holds-barred, no-themes-unexplored display of creativity.
Whatever entertainment flavour you’re craving — music, magic, dance, comedy, drama, or family-friendly fare — you’re almost certain to find it at the Fringe Festival.
Several genres are available on the musical front, from the rock-inspired Things To Ruin — a seven-vocalist theatrical concert by Broadway’s Be More Chill creator Joe Iconis, directed by Lyndon Anderson and featuring the father-son team of musical director Scott Mcleod and guitarist Spencer Mcleod — to Robert J. Bradshaw’s Gabriel, an opera in two acts that explores relationships in the digital age, presenting a trumpet as a cast member (played by Christopher Young) and vocals by Albertans Michaela Chiste, Ian Fundytus and Laren Steppler.
On the magical side, be sure to check out I Sold My Soul for Magic Tricks and Adderall by first-time Fringer Chris Gowen. Utilizing 15 years of sleight-of-hand experience, Gowen will have audience members oohing and aahing (we’re still baffled by the seven of clubs trickery he laid on us) through 65 magic tricks over the course of his hour-long show.
Dance of all forms, both inside and outside, spontaneous and otherwise, will take place during the Fringe Festival, but if swing is your thing head over to the Swing Showcase at the Sugar Swing Ballroom.
Running through the evolution of dance with high-energy, hip-shaking performances by members of Mad Cat Swing getting down to the Charleston, lindy hop and Jitterbug, the show is certain to entertain.
Australian standup comedian Marcus Ryan has performed in 43 countries, and brings his globe-trotting experience to the stage during two shows: Walk This Qué, recounting his experience walking the 1,000-kilometre Camino de Santiago during a 35day trek, and Marcos (a spin on the Netflix-produced Narcos), featuring down-and-dirty tales from life on the road.
“Walk This Qué explores the reasons why I went walking through Spain, while Marcos includes a
bunch of stories I couldn’t tell my mother,” says Ryan.
Toilet humour takes on a totally different meaning in Matthew “Gus” Gusul’s The Anal Stage: Moments on a Toilet. Directed by Alix Reynolds, the far-from-kid-friendly show shines a light on one man’s memories of potty training songs sung by his mother.
“When I came up with the original idea I researched about 20 potty-themed songs,” says Gusul, who notes that he was studying Freud at the time he came up with the bathroom-themed play, so naturally everything came together in a delightfully unhinged way.
And with a toilet on stage throughout the show, Gusul cautions attendees to urinate before they arrive.
On the dramatic side, Where Heroes Lie tells the story of a family visiting a Canadian soldier’s grave in France, shining a light on the ramifications of PTSD and the secrets harboured in battle. Written by David Haas, and drawing on his experience in the Canadian military, the play will have eight showings at Holy Trinity Anglican Church.
And finally, some child-friendly fare includes Look at the Town! by Kenneth Brown.
Starring Brianne Jang, Candice Fiorentino, Melissa Blackwood and Bob Rasko, the show centres around a miniature village that comes to life as 11-year-old Isabel is forced to save the town from mass production and fear.
For more information on venues, tickets and shows running throughout the Fringe Festival, visit the website at www.fringetheatre.ca/festival.