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Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Teaching Shakespeare 2
Our Rating: 
Aqua Books (Venue 20), to Saturday
Perennial fringe favourite Keir Cutler reprises Teaching Shakespeare 2, last seen here in 2002, and as much as one wishes for fresh material from the talented Montrealer, the comedic well he’s plumbing is a deep one.
In the 45-minute dramedy (not 60, as the program claims), he plays a deluded, narcissistic former university prof now reduced to teaching at a community college. Cutler is the personification of every terrible teacher you’ve ever had — preening, condescending and prone to wild digressions. He’s added his own unpublished semi-autobiographical novel, Detroit, to the course list, and that city’s decline mirrors his own downward spiral.
Cutler has a manic, bug-eyed energy as he tries to convince the class of his novel’s verité brilliance (“Herman Melville, whaling on the open sea. Me, in Detroit.”) and a kind of sad dignity, even as he dances the running man and stands with his pants around his ankles. You wouldn’t want him as a teacher, but as a performer, he gets an A.
— Jill Wilson
From the official Fringe Festival program:
The funniest monologue from the award-winning Teaching Shakespeare trilogy returns. Last seen in Winnipeg in 2002.
"Keir Cutler struck gold with his character of a college teacher whose fascination with Shakespeare, mixed with his own inability to conduct a half-decent class..." - EYE Toronto
Keir is a …
"masterful entertainer" - Winnipeg Free Press
"marvel to watch" - Toronto Sun
"phenomenal performer." (winnipegonstage.com)
Recommended For: Mature Audience
Length: 60 min.
Tickets: $10
Under 14 not admitted.
History
Updated on Sunday, July 17, 2011 at 2:10 PM CDT:
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Updated on Friday, July 22, 2011 at 8:38 PM CDT:
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