Review: Jess Salomon - Doing Good (Fringe 2011)

Reviewed by MacRae Campbell

This is a show I was really looking forward to seeing just because Ms. Salomon's back story is so interesting. She was a lawyer at the War Crimes Bureau in the Hague before she decided to change direction and become a stand-up comedian and storyteller. The show opens with a short audio-visual montage of her obviously much loved grandmother and then Ms. Salomon comes on stage and starts telling stories. She describes her time as a prosecutor at the World Court and trying, in her own words, to do good after the worst has happened. She observed Slobodan Milosevic, the mass murderer who introduced the vile words "ethnic cleansing'' into our language and how he used obfuscation, delay and denial to drag out his trial. She moves on to tell more stories of her colourful past and her present state of mind in a manner that is conversational, easy  and quite amusing at times. I was not disappointed and I can see her getting even better with time.   

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Review: Busy Week - A Mystery (Fringe 2011)

Reviewed by MacRae Campbell

Sex-T-Rex, a five man improv group from Toronto, got up on stage and asked the audience to join them in an experiment, an improvised crime drama. After the usual shout-out of character, motive, location etc., they set to work but the result was unsatisfying to the audience and I suspect to the actors themselves. It just got too complicated, what with the plot twists, abrupt character switches and dialogue made up on the fly. The ensemble gave it their best shot and it wasn't a lack of effort but rather a lack of inspiration and focus that made this experiment less than a success.

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Review: The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine (Fringe 2011)

Reviewed by MacRae Campbell
Ernest and Ernestine are blissfully happy newlyweds. The bloom of young love doesn't last long, though, and soon enough the arrows start flying. This show combines slapstick, broad physical comedy and some good dialogue in an over-the-top extravaganza that is anything but subtle. The best word to describe the play would be silly but in that word's good sense, its playful sense.The young actors, Maria Waslenko and Mitchell Cohen, are very good but especially Ms. Waslenko in a very physically demanding role. To those easily offended, a warning. I didn't count but I'm quite certain Mr. Cohen has broken the record set by Joe Pesci who said the word f#&k twenty-one times in two minutes in the movie ''Casino''. The director has made full use of the Montreal Improv Theatre (nice space), the set is visually interesting but one could get whiplash keeping track of the actors sometimes.  

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Review: The Motherhouse (Fringe 2011)

Reviewed by MacRae Campbell

The Motherhouse tells the story of Sister Constance McMullen who is facing eviction from the Grey Nuns' Motherhouse lately acquired by Concordia University. In this one woman show ninety-one year old Sister Constance reminisces about her long life in the convent, the people she has known and the fear she has of being uprooted. This is a gentle, slow-moving comedy with more than a few good laughs but I had a problem with the ending which I thought was too abrupt and could have been worked out better. 


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Review: Peter 'n' Chris Save the World (Fringe 2011)

Reviewed by MacRae Campbell

Chris Wilson and Peter Carlone wrote, directed and act in this funny, energetic show that runs the gamut from Sarah McLachlan, truth bombs, inner demons, composting and the creepiness of people who watch you when you're sleeping.What I saw and what I loved about these two actors was their no-holds-barred approach to the stage. With virtually no props they carried this piece with a wonderful energy and physicality that filled the room. My one criticism - and it's not a huge one - would be a certain scatteredness in structure that keeps it from being the total lunar package it could be.

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Review: Venezuela and Friends (Fringe 2011)

Reviewed by MacRae Campbell

Improv comedy is an unforgiving art; it's either funny or it isn't and everything depends on the skill and inventiveness of the actor. Sean Michaels and [CharPo contributor] Vinny François host and perform in this entertaining show that features different guests every performance. The ''Way the Hell Off Broadway'' ensemble asked the audience for a situation and a musical genre and then proceeded to sing their sketch.They not only pulled it off but had the children in the audience entranced. The next invited act asked anyone to suggest a theme and someone shouted out ''fire'', something you normally never want to hear in a theatre and which unfortunately was a bad omen for the next fifteen minutes. Sean Michaels and Vinny Francois close with skits done in no known language in a show you can bring the kids to.     

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Review: Jesus Jello - The Miraculous Confection

There's a lot I liked about this play starting with the first rate cast. They certainly delivered during the comedic scenes; but what surprised me was how they moved me when things got serious and a certain line or scene hit home. As an examination of religious hypocrisy, I found the play less convincing but the finale was hugely funny and sad when, at last, some truth breaks out. This is a good play, the actors are excellent and I enjoyed it. 



(MacRae Campbell)