Fringe reviews #15: Button-mashing mayhem

BABEL

Gerauschbiest

West End Cultural Centre — Ventura Hall (Venue 26), to July 26

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Gerauschbiest summons the raw energy of heaven and earth in this visceral 45-minute musical inspired by the ancient biblical Tower of Babel story. It’s also one of the fringiest shows witnessed in recent memory — not a bad thing — with Winnipeg’s Riel Gentlemen’s Choir led by live musicians/instrument-builder siblings Jesse and Thomas Krause, who also penned this première.

And build they do, with the 11 member of the all-male ensemble clad in denim and work boots assembling wooden planks like Jenga blocks, as they rhythmically slam stylized “tools” and belt out rafter-raising, deftly harmonized choruses.

One can’t always hear the words clearly, and this potent cautionary tale’s overarching theme of hubris — which results in a scattering of nations and the Babylonians speaking in multiple tongues — only gets lost in the sawdust. Seeing the singers become encased within the tower (hello, claustrophobia), their fingers poking out, felt overly cryptic and stalled the narrative’s forward thrust. However this passionate tribe of local artists is to be commended for their unabashed creativity and fierce risk-taking.

— Holly Harris

CHASE PADGETT: THE NEXT GUY

Chase Padgett

PTE — Cherry Karpyshin Mainstage (Venue 16), to July 26

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If perennial fringe fave Chase Padgett looks a little different in the spotlight of his favoured PTE venue, well, the Orlando native has been through some changes. The Six Guitars creator is still a master of his instrument, and his voice still playfully straddles multiple genres, notably country and blues.

But life has dealt him some hard knocks in the past couple of years, including a painful divorce (the details of which he discreetly keeps private out of respect for his ex) and a roller coaster of a rebound with the kind of woman who has inspired whole catalogues of she-done-me-wrong songs.

The divorce drove Padgett back to Orlando, where he employed some dubious coping mechanisms, including excessive drinking, punishing gym regimens, hallucinogens, seeking internet advice (there’s a whole song about that) and — horrors! — improv classes. (He classifies improv as the lowest form of theatre, under pornography, but it clearly hasn’t hurt his stagecraft.)

His 65-minute music-laced monologue is ultimately hopeful, suggesting there is life after divorce. And it comes with a bitchin’ new playlist to boot.

— Randall King

DIRK DARROW: MAGIC OF FUTURE PAST

Tim Motley

Royal Albert Arms (Venue 15), to July 26

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This time-travelling noir investigative magician from Australia provides a very entertaining and fun night out.

The show is like a gritty noir spliced with Back to the Future, pulling you in for a wild ride as Darrow (Tim Motley) time-travels through different eras throughout the act.

Darrow’s teasing of the audience in his fast-paced transatlantic accent keeps people laughing throughout the show as they watch the seemingly impossible unfold. No one in the audience is safe, as Darrow makes you participate in a series of stellar tricks that will hurt your brain if you think too hard about them.

His ability to read the crowd members’ subtle body language to determine in which hand they’re holding a coin or what number they’re going to pick makes you wonder why he’s not an actual investigator.

All these elements combined make for a brain twister of an evening.

— Tiago Resko

THE GLASS BETWEEN US

Shoestring Players

West End Cultural Centre — Ventura Hall (Venue 26), to July 26

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This gentle 60-minute dramedy follows Kate (Leslie Boardman), who is rebuilding her life after an abusive 12-year marriage, and her older, wiser neighbour Marge (Rhonda Kennedy Rogers), who crochets afghans and listens attentively through their adjoining glass balcony wall. After Kate ventures into the online dating world, she encounters a string of potential suitors, each one creepier (and uncomfortably true to life) than the last, ultimately discovering her own power.

Hats off to the actors in the local company: Rick Scherger with an over-the-top portrayal of “Touchdown Tommy”; Karl Copp as sleazy (fired) pilot Armondo; and Marlon Goolcharan’s flamboyant Julien with his “luxury ego.” Daniel Cormier’s particularly nightmarish sexual predator/stalker Steve will give you the willies. All are skilfully directed by Christine Reimer, despite a few ragged entries. Kudos also to Kennedy Rogers for her riveting monologue, introducing us to her daughter Susan (Kaleigh McLauchlan).

There’s many a cliché in Kathleen Einarsson’s script and you can see the ending coming a mile away. Still, you can’t help but root for this plucky protagonist, finally playing a starring role in her life’s drama.

— Holly Harris

IMPROVISION: K-TEL DEMON HUNTERS

ImproVision

Duke of Kent Legion (Venue 13), to July 26

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There were no demons killed, but the members of local improv trio ImproVision did almost go hunting during one sketch. Almost, that is, until one of the members was forced to put his ray gun down until he and his wife had two more babies.

And that’s what happens when George McRobb, Alan MacKenzie and Ed Cuddy get together: what starts one way usually veers off into the unexpected.

The three performers are veterans and play off one other easily during a variety of games over the course of an hour. The fast-paced show included some favourite games (reading texts off a phone, adding lines provided by the audience into a sketch, forcing a member to figure out mystery words using various clues) and ended with the entire show performed again by the trio as puppets.

Like a classic K-Tel compilation, ImproVision always delivers the hits.

— Rob Williams

MR. RICHARD’S WORLD OF MAGIC AND PUPPETS

Magic Shows for Kids with Mr. Richard

MTYP Mainstage (Kids Venue), to July 26

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Mr. Richard knows his audience.

Opening with the thumping beats of popular hit Chicken Banana (if you know, you know) sung in part by a giant puppet ostrich with a chicken hat on its head, the vibe was pure kid-friendly fun from the get-go.

A more apt title for the show might be “mostly puppets and a tiny bit of magic,” as the local magician and ventriloquist spent the majority of the 45-minute performance bringing out a variety of special stuffed guests including a turtle, a monster, a bumblebee and a dragon, each eliciting excited squeals and giggles from the crowd.

As in a British pantomime, Mr. Richard provided lots of opportunities for boisterous audience participation, including a particularly funny bit about a bumblebee endlessly stealing bubblegum from him.

Attention-catching and entertaining for kids as young as young as two, Mr. Richard offers a solidly silly set.

— Erin Lebar

PROMISE & PROMISCUITY: A NEW MUSICAL BY JANE AUSTEN & PENNY ASHTON

Matthew Harvey

John Hirsch Mainstage (Venue 1), to July 26

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Jane Austen fans with any sense won’t have to be persuaded to see Penny Ashton’s latest one-woman production, which uses the beloved English author’s works as the inspiration for a 75-minute comedy with musical numbers.

But you don’t have to be a Janeite to get a kick out of the New Zealander’s show, as the delightfully charming Ashton performs a dozen or so different characters, including writer Elspeth, who, along with her sister Cordelia and their mother, are broke after her father lost all the family’s money and died. The three get invited to a upper-class ball where Elspeth catches the eye of the rich Reginald, whose mother believes Elspeth to be too lowly for her son.

Ashton is a force of nature who sings, dances, cracks jokes, loves a double entendre (did we mention the ball?) and is a gifted physical comedian. The script, written by Ashton with quotes from Austen, is filled with modern references turned on their head: it’s safe to say you won’t hear a version of Bon’s Jovi’s You Give Love a Bad Name quite like this.

— Rob Williams

RIGHT PLACE, WRONG MAN: ANOTHER GRANT CANYON MYSTERY

Ryan Gladstone

King’s Head Pub (Venue 14), to July 25

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BAM! KAPOW! CRASH! The world’s most fearless high-profile insurance investigator Grant Canyon — Canyon! — is back in a new adventure armed with an hour of one-liners, zingers, groaners and descriptions of heads being shot.

So many heads being shot.

In the followup to the fringe favourite No Tweed Too Tight, Canyon, the kind of guy who always follows his nose because it’s in front of his face, finds himself accidentally involved in a global mystery about a Russian art piece, a Mob-related gambling scam and murder.

As Canyon, Vancouver’s Ryan Gladstone is a one-man wrecking machine, a master of physical comedy who plays numerous characters and delivers lines from the pulpy noir-esque script as good as he takes a punch. He and Bruce Horak wrote the action comedy, and audio/visual technician Jon Paterson punctuates every kick, hit, crash and gunshot with well-timed sound and light effects. The few missed cues and errors during the second-ever performance of the production only added to the go-for-it mayhem. Grant Canyon knows how to roll with the punches.

— Rob Williams

THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW

The Dramatic Theatre Company

John Hirsch Mainstage (Venue 1), to July 26

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To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the stage production of the Rocky Horror Show, local groups the Dramatic Theatre Company and the North Kildonan Community Players team up for an ambitious 90-minute take on the ribald rock ‘n’ roll musical.

Newly engaged couple Brad and Janet are caught in a storm and end up at the mansion run by the flamboyant, lingerie-clad Dr. Frank-N-Furter (a striking Lorraine James), who has created a physically perfect specimen, Rocky, to use as a sex toy. The house is filled with an assortment of oddballs, who at first scare the couple, then titillate and thrill them as they succumb to the doctor’s secrets of seduction. The pelvic thrust really did drive them insane.

The 14-member cast and five-piece band (a program would have been helpful) are game for everything Richard O’Brien’s script throws at them (although audience members shouldn’t: crowd vocalization is encouraged, projectiles aren’t). O’Brien’s songs are stronger in the first half of the show, but dammit, Janet, the choreography is impressive throughout, and fans of the cult classic will be happy to do the time warp again with this talented crew.

— Rob Williams

WISECRACKS FOR WEIRDOS

Stage Time Productions

Son of Warehouse (Venue 5), to July 26

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For anybody with social anxiety who is petrified of having any sort of spotlight on them whatsoever, Wisecracks for Weirdos is a dream come true. This show is a night out at the comedy club in an hour with three comedians bringing their own flavour of comedy, with no anxiety-inducing crowd work.

Danielle Kayahara hosts the show and turns the joke on herself, talking about her autism, ADHD and overall fear of any social interaction.

Dewey Parker follows and heavily contrasts Kayahara’s timid demeanour by immediately breaking the one rule with his loud, confident presence.

The show is ramped up even more by fringe mainstay JD Renaud, who is like an asexual Charlie Day as he ends the night with an explosive and chaotic energy.

This show is a great night out and for $10 at the door you get your money’s worth with a variety of funny comedians.

— Tiago Resko