Review: Canuck Cabaret (Fringe 2011)

Reviewed by Valerie Cardinal

With Canuck Cabaret, Paul Hutcheson and Sharon Nowlan set out to tell Canada just how damn sexy it is and have a lot of fun doing it. The variety show puts the emphasis on the wonderful performers we have in Canada and the things they can do. And it features special guests from other Fringe shows!

I’ve been in love with Paul Hutcheson since his guest story at last Wednesday’s Smut Slam and he doesn’t disappointed here. The charming host presents some truly amusing and sometimes touching stand-up about growing up gay in small town Southern Ontario and his discovery of the lifestyle in Toronto. The variety acts are also broken up by Nowlan (aka Prairie Fire) performing various sexy interludes with a whip, fans and more.

Review: Jem Rolls is PISSED OFF (Fringe 2011)

Reviewed by Valerie Cardinal

Around the Fringe Park, Jem Rolls’s posters stand out because they’re simple; big black text on a white background that grabs your attention because that’s all there is to it. In the same way, Jem Rolls’s show, Jem Rolls IS PISSED OFF, is minimalistic. It’s just a man in front of you, combining storytelling with poetry to tell you about what makes him so pissed off.

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: Suicide(s) in Vegas

Reviewed by Janis Kirshner

This is a very watchable Canadian play produced by an American company made up of people who met in Seoul, Korea. And like its origins, the sum of its parts makes for a very good whole. Lydia (performed by South African Elinza Pretorius) and Jane (American Amber Green) work beautifully together and apart, playing their own roles to a tee as well as various minor characters. There’s a nice structure to the play and I cared where the story was going and how it would all end. That’s more than half the battle right there when going to the theatre.

The Sunday Feature: An Interview With Uncalled For

How To Keep The Romance Alive in Your Improv Group: An Uncalled For Love Story

"I’m going to answer this in the most humble way I can think of. That is that, we are like the Beatles."

The boys talk about everything...and leaving the Fringe.

by Émilie Charlebois

After some record breaking email correspondence, I sat down for a few beers with Montreal Fringe veterans, Uncalled For’s Dan Jeannotte, Anders Yates and Matt Goldberg (also known as the 13th Hour’s Sweet Sweet Jimmy Priest, Zack Winters and Rufus O’Hallahan) to talk about relationships, being a nerd and of course the Fringe. It may have been the alcohol, the nachos, or the eleven year history they carry with them, but there was definitely a lot of love in the room.

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: Suspended Pieces (Fringe 2011)

Reviewed by  Estelle Rosen

With mental issues ever more prevalent these days, Suspended Pieces' title expresses this play well. When Melanie (Lauren Allman), after graduation, exhibits classic symptoms of schizophrenia her life is in suspension and broken apart. Her boyfriend cheating on her triggers her mental breakdown. We see this happen. Angry, uncommunicative, unable to deal with everyday life, Melanie withdraws into her own world.

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: Men Telling Stories (Fringe 2011)

Reviewed by Bruce McKay

Gosh, I gotta say that Matt and Peter from London, Ontario and who met at Queen’s University are nice guys, men even. Heck, they’re just bros telling stories of their adolescence, giving pointers on how to behave at parties (don’t bring an acoustic guitar) and explaining basic young-men-stuff like the different reactions to being hit in the balls or how to adjust to incompatible hand greetings. Nothing outrageous, no particular insights into anything, not complicated, wholesome even. Just regular dudes talking about their lives so far and suggesting that many guys are pretty much … well, your bros and out to do good. No doubt.

Review: Curriculum Vitae (Fringe 2011)

Reviewed by Gaëtan L. Charlebois

Jimmy Hogg is an awesome performer. For 60 minutes he leaves you pretty much gobsmacked by his energy, his almost constant moving/miming, by the quickness of his tongue and, most definitely, by the wit of the script he has fashioned about finding work, being employed and how both must be avoided at all costs.