Opinion: Rob Salerno on The Montreal Fringe

Montreal Fringe announces its lineup, milks artists

by Rob Salerno (reprinted, with permission, from Mr. Salerno's blog)

[Publisher: I have decided to reprint this article, which went into circulation last night, to encourage dialogue between artists who have appeared at our Fringe and the Fringe organization. Mr. Salerno's opinion reflects those of several veteran Fringe artists I have talked to off the record. When posted on Facebook, last night, there was a very interesting discussion on the article's many points. I encourage that discussion to continue here. NB: Mr. Salerno has made corrections to his original post. In the interests of clarity, we have removed the strike-outs. GLC]

The Montreal Fringe has announced its lineup after throwing its lottery party earlier this week. I’m not going to do synopses of all of the Fringe lineups, because that would be nuts, but I thought it would be worth looking at Montreal Fringe’s list because it’s the first big one to announce its lineup and also, it reveals some of the less-than-awesome things going on in Montreal Fringe.

The Fringe drew 84 companies in the lottery — 29 local francophone, 28 local anglophone, and 27 Canadian and International companies. This is slightly down from last year’s total, but the Fringe says more companies will likely be bumped up from the waitlist as they figure out the schedule and possibly add more venues. And of course, BYOVs will be added to this list. So it doesn’t appear as if the Fringe has actually learned lessons from last year, and is going to continue to expand beyond its capacity to draw an audience.

You’ll also note that they’ve posted the wait list for each category: 13 International companies are waiting for 13 spots. I guess that’s fair. It means performance poet Jem Rolls in spot #13 is hoping that every other international company drops out of the Fringe so he can get a spot.27 Canadian companies are waiting for the 14 Canadian spots.

The Fringe-For-All Top Ten

Rasmussen

Visions of a Fringe-to-Be

Top 10 Highlights of the Fringe for All

by Rebecca Ugolini

Stilts, bunny costumes, burlesque shows, and roller derby: this couldn’t be anything other than the 22nd annual Montreal Fringe Festival. Over 90 artists presented their 2-minute show pitches at the Festival’s preview event Fringe-for-All, but facing such a variety of choices can be intimidating. To preserve your sanity and prevent you from ending up in a bunny costume of your very own by the Festival’s end, here’s The Charlebois Post’s Top 10 Highlights of the Fringe-for-All, an assortment of spots that caught our eye amid many fine and interesting choices.

For show dates and times, check out SHOWS at www.montrealfringe.ca.

First-Person: Jonathan Fournier on Miner Inconvenience (Fringe)

Staging a Disaster

Fiddling with Miners

by Jonathan Fournier

THE IDEA

The idea to write about a pack of trapped miners did not come from my head, nor my heart. It was thrust upon me in the form of a small school assignment in the Fall of 2010. "Write two pages - in any style/format - about the Chilean Mining accident". I procrastinated and procrastinated... What did I have to say about a bunch of miners trapped in a cave? It seemed so distant, a world away. But it really isn't.

I finally squeaked out two pages, in which a few miners lament that they're going to miss out on their dreams because they're stuck in a cave. I realized that there was something relatable about this after all. Few people will experience being stuck in a cave, but haven't we all had times where we worried about not being able to achieve our dreams? We've all felt "trapped" in bad situations at one time or another and it can be just as demoralizing as being trapped in a literal cave. Maybe your "cave-in" is that you can't afford school or that you're an anglo in a francophone province. This is the hook of the miners' story and this is what made me continue with it outside of class.

Sunday Feature - The Last Fringe Blog: Robin Henderson (The Only Bar)

It's days after the Fringe has wrapped and while my laundry mountain continues to build - I am still floating on happy Fringe feelings. 

What a phenomenal festival and what a phenomenal theatre experience for “The Only Bar”.  

Sitting third on the Fringe lottery waiting list for a very long time is what inspired the idea of mounting our production in a real taverne.  That and a lack of budget.  None of us had ever gone through a site-specific theatre experience before – so we had no idea of what to expect.  We really didn’t know if it would work or if it would be a total bust.  Especially when Boston and Vancouver made it into the final round of the playoffs.  But “The Only Bar” has been “punk-rock” since its original late night conception at the 24-hour musicals, so we relished the challenge of the bathroom doors slamming, regulars talking through our show, cash-registers ringing, hand-dryers buzzing and fire-truck sirens ablaze.

News: The Frankie Awards (Fringe 2011)

Uncalled For

A BITTERSWEET NIGHT AS UNCALLED FOR PASSES THE REINS

The Frankies, 2011

joel fishbane

The Oscars were put to shame on Sunday night at the Frankie Awards, the annual awards ceremony that serves as the climax to the Montreal Fringe. Despite having sixteen awards, three production numbers and five eleven second dance parties, the awards show clocked in at just under 80 minutes, an impressive feat for any event the encourages artists to stroke one another’s egos.

Review: Crossroads (Fringe 2011)

Reviewed by Valerie Cardinal

I’m not going to beat around the bush; Crossroads is among the best Fringe shows I’ve seen this summer. The show itself is accurately represented in its title. Crossroads is the meeting of two cultures, a combination of the stylings of Jingju, or Beijing opera, and the Western language of English.

Mado Lamotte Mouths Off (about The Drag Races) (Fringe 2011)

As always...provocative

Scooch over Rupaul

Mado is the world’s REAL Drag Race queen!

By Richard Burnett reprinted from Three Dollar Bill with permission

Few drag queens on Earth are in the same league as Montreal’s famed (and infamous) Mado La Motte, so-called because patrons at Poodles’ nightclub on The Main in Montreal thought she was so ugly they dubbed her “The Mutt.” Thus, Mado ‘La Motte’ was born.

When that other great drag queen, Lady Bunny of New York – who co-founded Wigstock and attended the bastard child of Wigstock, Mascara, the biggest drag show on the planet at Montreal’s Divers/Cite Festival a couple of years ago – she told Mado backstage, “What a fabulous show, darling!"

Review: So We Thought We Could Act (Fringe 2011)

Reviewed by Valerie Cardinal

So We Thought We Could Act is the charming story of Dolores and Beatrice, two best friends who sell their soul to the devil to follow their dream of becoming Broadway stars. Not an easy thing when Diane Jolie, the prettiest girl at their school, is always one step ahead of them.

Review: Mind Control: Hypnosis Show (Fringe 2011)

Reviewed by Valerie Cardinal

I have to admit that I didn’t get the full Spidey experience on Thursday night; it was a special mentalism show with no hypnotism involved. However, I felt like Spidey’s showmanship didn’t translate very well. He seemed insecure about his tricks and spent way too much of his show reassuring the audience that he wasn’t cheating or messing with them. Sometimes, Spidey’s self-deprecation came off as charming, but it’s mostly off-putting. Who wants to see a mentalist who isn’t confident in what he can do? Some of the tricks near the end were genuinely impressive, and I only wish the rest of the show had amazed like those moments.

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Review: Rains Down in Africa (Fringe 2011)

Reviewed by  Estelle Rosen

Sometimes the road from an idea to fruition of that idea is paved with good intentions, but the end result doesn’t quite make it. Rains Down In Africa is an example.

Reading the description, I was curious to see a new interpretation of a very old story we’ve seen many times: exposing the phony world of stardom; how one has to sell their soul to become a star. Guess what? Here we have a young man who  wins a karaoke competition and in order to reach stardom has to do just that. 

News: Frankie Award Nominations Announced (Fringe 2011)

FRINGE 2011: FRANKIE Award Nominees Announced!

The St-Ambroise Montreal FRINGE Festival announces the nominations for the 2011 FRANKIE Awards

June 16th, 2011- The St-Ambroise Montreal FRINGE is pleased to announce the nominations for this year’s FRANKIE Awards. The award ceremony, celebrating the best and brightest of the FRINGE, will be taking place at the Cabaret du Mile End (5240, av. Du Parc) on June 19th, 11pm.

Review: Manga (Fringe 2011)

Reviewed by  Estelle Rosen

(As a long time admirer of Japanese culture, my visit to Japan many years ago remains the most memorable trip ever.)

MANGA from Belzébrute Productions is the second part of their trilogy of vengeance. Last year they presented part one, Shavirez Gypsy of the Seas.

Review: Verbal Diary-ah (Fringe 2011)

Reviewed by Gaëtan L. Charlebois


Andrea Stanford's solo is a delightful way to spend 45 minutes. There's enough humour and charm in the piece so that you become the performer's accomplice. The packed house I saw it with loved her. I liked her very much. However Verbal Diary-ah is not a finished work. In the play, Stanford reads passages from the diaries of her teen years and then "speaks to" her past self. It's a brilliant idea (and surprising I haven't seen it elsewhere yet). But Stanford enjoys her anecdotes far too much (laughing at them herself) and does not realize that many of us have been there, done that and actually empathize with that clumsy, hair-bedeviled teen she was. Stanford reads the diary passages in an annoying, stereotypical voice which, while funny, feels strangely cruel too. Had she read the diaries straight, this would have been an even funnier show as nothing is quite as hilarious—or poignant—as a person taking him-or-herself far too seriously.


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Review: Between Gossip and Dreams (Fringe 2011)

Reviewed by Émilie Charlebois

I am still laughing about Between Gossip and Dreams the day after. The only problem is it was meant to be a dramatic musical. It was also the kind of drama that took itself waaayyyy too seriously and desperately tried to be deep and profound. I can’t help but suspect that director/writer/composer Clint Earle would get along famously with The Room’s Tommy Wiseau. And just like The Room, if you were to get shmammered and watch Between Gossip as a comedy, you would have a blast. I think there may have been an entire row of people attending who were doing just that and once I caught on to it, I had to suppress giggles for the rest of the performance.

Review: Austen For the Attention-Impaired (Fringe 2011)

Reviewed by Émilie Charlebois

Although this show and its brief synopses of Jane Austen’s repertoire are meant for the attention-impaired, it was pretty slow and awkwardly paced. The time allotted to every novel was unevenly distributed and there were way too many transitions within each snippet where Tali Brady and Pat Di Iorio continuously came and went from the stage or slowly walked up to their instruments, fixed their mics… The musical numbers, including the rapping, made the whole thing feel like a bit of an amateur talent show. It was very patchy and there were too many dead silences. The different styles with which they tried to summarize each work (e.g. Star Wars, Seinfeld, Variety Hour, etc.) weren’t fully fleshed out, nor did they add to the storytelling. Di Iorio is noticeably more comfortable on stage than his partner and there was no chemistry between them. A supposed romantic past between the two characters is awkwardly revealed at the very end and it’s totally unconvincing. The pair of them came off as a nagging brother-sister duo. Even when feelings were acknowledged, instead of the obvious passionate kiss (this is Austen after all), we got a fraternal shoulder squeeze. Overall, Austen For the Attention-Impaired was very nerdy (in an endearing way) and cute. It started out fairly strong with Pride and Prejudice and then had some brief moments afterwards. I do think that Jane Austen aficianados may appreciate it a bit more than I did. Based on the audience’s enjoyment I assume it just wasn’t my type of show.

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Review: blink blink blink (Fringe 2011)

Reviewed by Émilie Charlebois

I was already a fan of Kirsten Rasmussen after having seen her at last year’s Fringe festival in You & Me and Me & You and I am now contemplating following her so I can gather things she’s touched and build a shrine to her awesomeness in my bedroom. 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). And I don’t think I am the only one to think so. Every seat in the Freestanding Room was taken (there is an obvious pun to make here, but I shall resist) and the entire audience was in stitches. Laughter is meant to be shared and Rasmussen is a giver! Not a single piece of comedic material went without genuine giggles, guffaws or snorts. Rasmussen’s timing is unreal as she seamlessly allternates between characters (some of them adorable bunnies) and parallel storylines at an incredible pace, without ever missing a beat. As self-help guru Sara Tonin Rasmussen engages with her audience and reveals her character’s inner demons without getting too heavy or suddenly corrupting the play’s comedic value, by “getting real”. Sara Tonin’s darker moments were totally in keeping with her personality and rather than bum me out, they made me care about her. blink blink blink is smart, original, hilarious and touching. Kirsten Rasmussen’s star power is mind-blowing.

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Review: Remember Ezra (Fringe 2011)

Reviewed by Jessica Wei

Remember Ezra is an interesting show in all of its contradictions. It is, invariably throughout the play: funny yet stiflingly dark, touching but cold, charming and then completely unappealing. The plot is convoluted but cliché, the script overwritten but at the same time, painfully obvious.

Robin (The Only Bar) Henderson's Fringe Blog

June 15, 2011

Hey Fringe!

Well, its hit that point.  All of us in “The Only Bar” are feeling it: the Fringe mid-point.

Chez moi, the dishes are not getting done.  Laundry is piling up.  I’m eating out too much.  Staying out too late.  Getting up too early.  Debauchery at its Fringe finest is following every show. Dude – I am TIRED but loving every minute of it!!

Review: Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Fringe 2011)

Reviewed by Valerie Cardinal

Since Hedwig & The Angry Inch is one of my favourite movies of all time, I was bound to either love or hate this production. Luckily, Antonio Bavaro won me over. From the moment he steps onstage in Hedwig’s head wig to the moment he takes his final bow, Bavaro is mesmerizing. He totally dominates the stage as Hedwig tells the story of how she changed from an East German boy in love with American Rock n’ Roll to a woman hopelessly in love with an American rock star.

Review: TIRED WAVE STOP! (Fringe 2011)

Reviewed by Valerie Cardinal
I’m amazed at Steve Boleantu’s endurance and commitment. TIRED WAVE STOP! is one hour of him as two characters. Boleantu not only makes it work and keeps his energy up, but he manages to make it delightful to see. Monday night’s audience may have been tiny, but I could tell everyone else was just as charmed as I was.