The Friday Five, Fringe Edition, June 17, 2011

blink blink blink

Fringe Toppers
We came, we saw, we oooooh-and-aaaaaahed!
by Gaëtan L. Charlebois (with the CharPo Fringe reviewers)

You can make a pile of best bets, in advance, based on the decent press kits, based on reputations and previous productions by the companies or based on what you see at the Fringe-For-All. We did all that...in advance. But now that we have put leather to the ground, spread out over the shows, and seen over 50 of them, we give you the top five (or your Fringe guide for the final weekend), all of which scored 5 charpies out of five.

In alphabetical order (links are to our reviews and show details):


Adopt This!
Valerie Cardinal said of it, "...a well-executed, must see one-man show for those who like their comedy with a good story, a little sadness and a big heart."


blink blink blink
Émilie Charlebois went quite mad with, "blink blink blink is (to borrow a line from the show) 'Fucking Fantastic' (the adjective may have been amazing, I apologize if that is the case)."


Curriculum Vitae
I said, "it is a piece so well-directed (by Peter J. Morey), a story so well-told that you will laugh (and often) but mostly you will listen because you have to."

Horse Trade's Radio Star
Émilie wrote, "I didn’t even take notes during Tanya O’Debra’s mesmerizing performance because…well, I was mesmerized."


The Only Bar
Me, again: "Vigneault's last moment—blisteringly honest and heart-breaking—took the rating I had thought I had decided upon, and punched it up a notch."

Honourable Mentions:
Because I am writing this, I get to add my own two extra - because, at four charpies they are very good but also because both promise that soon they will be great: Teaching Hamlet, 8 Ways My Mother Was Conceived.