sa国际传媒 reviewers Amy Smart, Cory Ruf and Adrian Chamberlain are covering the Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival, running to Sept. 2. All critiques use a five-star grading system.
What: Henry V
Where: Metro Studio, 1411 Quadra St.
When: Today, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2
Rating: 3
Henry V isn't usually what people bargain for when attending the Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival. Too heavy, too - Shakespeare-y.
Well, don't despair. This lively, unpretentious little production from Victoria's KeepItSimple Theatre Productions is worth a look. The solid direction wisely stresses the essentials and some of the acting is good.
Although abridged to 100 minutes, we're still talking serious Shakespeare here. Henry V is one of the Bard's history plays, in which Henry - formerly a Falstaffian rapscallion - is now all grown up and ready to invade France. Unrelentingly brave and determined to overcome tremendous odds, Hal is an Elizabethan superhero - a bit like Batman or Spiderman, but without the goofy mask.
Director David Christopher (who plays several roles) has focused on the basics, and it pays off. The cast articulates its lines clearly and with gusto. On Thursday night some actors - notably Chris Harris and Andrew Axhorn - mustered up real fire, making their performances exciting and real. As Henry, Ryan Levis didn't entirely capture the charisma and Machiavellian drive the role requires. Yet he certainly had fine moments. Levis's footballteam heartiness and humour when delivering the famous St. Crispan's Day speech (when Henry inspires his troops to battle despite being outnumbered) worked very well, with a naturalistic charm all its own.
The show's biggest misstep is the awful French accents. The king of France sounded Irish; members of his court sounded Spanish. Yet, overall, this is a strong community-theatre effort from a promising company.
- Adrian Chamberlain
What: Sex, Religion and Other Hang-ups
Where: St. Ann's Academy
When: Aug. 24, 25, 26, 31, Sept. 2
Rating: 4 1/2
To preface his opening-night performance of Sex, Religion and Other Hang-ups, Toronto comedian James Gangl dropped the following confession: "I'm actually doing this show because I'm looking for love."
Touring an autobiographical one-man work about how his ardent Catholicism and needling insecurities prevented him from losing his virginity until he was 28 is hardly a conventional approach to wooing the ladies. But hey, stranger bids for affection have yielded results.
Mercifully for the audience, Sex, Religion and Other Hang-ups is more tender-hearted and thoughtful than the average let's-lose-ourvirginity-on-prom-night comedy flick, due in significant part to the fact the Gangl doesn't rely heavily on gross-out humour to score cheap laughs. He's too gifted at physical comedy, storytelling and using the occasional improv bit to require them. It doesn't hurt that the 33-year-old comes off as an extremely likable guy, who apparently prefers his coitus served with cuddling and conversation.
Whether or not the show will achieve his stated objective - snagging him a sweetheart - is anybody's guess.
But judging by the guffaws he induced on Thursday night, and the critical raves his romp has received in other cities, Gangl has already scored admirers in spades.
- Cory Ruf
What: Spark
Where: Downtown Activity Centre (755 Pandora)
When: Aug. 24, 25, 26, 27; Sept. 1
Rating: 2 1/2
One of Victoria's newest dance companies, Broken Rhythms, has made a promising start with its premi猫re piece.
The opening of the evolution-inspired work is strong in its starkness: A single figure lights a sparkler, raises it above her head in the dark and we watch it slip down the stick before extinguishing itself. From here we move through various scenes woven together with animalistic transitions. Some are lovely, like the acrobatic duet on twin ladders, while others fly a bit close to interpretive dance.
Creator Dyana Sonik-Henderson has defined the style as "rhythmical contemporary," a blend of jazz, contemporary, hip hop and anything else that inspires her. But the mish-mash style is a double-edged sword. It gives the group a wonderful uniqueness but it's hard to excel in technique without diving deep into one discipline.
This show will make its community proud - the dancers earned a standing ovation at Thursday's show. But it may not be appreciated by outsiders.
- Amy Smart
What: Fear Factor: Canine Edition
Where: Victoria Conservatory of Music, Wood Hall, 907 Pandora Ave.
When: Aug. 25, 26, 29, 30; Sept. 1
Rating: 4 1/2 New York actor, writer and former Blue Man Group performer John Grady stars in this funny, touching solo piece about his dog, Abbie.
After introductory shtick about his infatuation with TV's Fear Factor, Grady gets into what his show's really about. He absolutely adores his dog. He loves Abbie more than his highly attractive - but rather annoying - model girlfriend. In fact, Grady loves Abbie more than any human being. So when his best friend becomes seriously ill, his life is affected more than one might think possible.
This may sound like another mushy, Hallmark-card mess. It is not. For starters, Grady, snappy in his crisp grey suit, is an accomplished actor. He moves beautifully; he speaks well And this is a beautifully directed effort; the pacing and subtle lighting are expertly rendered.
Grady strikes the right wry, heartfelt tone. He, the protagonist, is a regular, slightly nebbish guy. A smart fellow, the sort who listens to NPR. We realize, as the show concludes, that his show is really about love and how we die. Hopefully with dignity; hopefully surrounded by loved ones. Don't miss this.
- AC
What: Alone
Where: St. Andrew's School Gymnasium, 1002 Pandora Ave.
When: Aug. 25, 26; Sept. 1 and 2
Rating: 3 1/2
You don't come across horror plays too often in general, so if you've been craving an encounter with some demons, Alone delivers.
The new play by Victoria playwright R. Matthew S. harkens back to the classic setting of the Catholic Church - and the minds of those within it, searching for answers in a lonely world. The story centres on a boy, found curled and bloody at the foot of an altar, who has been acting unusually ever since. Neighbours report that the flowers in his yard are dead, animals have been disappearing in his midst and he's developed a crippling fear of darkness. Exorcist Elliot Lynch (Alex Frankson) is called in to investigate and faces an opponent in Father Daniels, the boy's friend and confidante, who insists his problems are mental and should be dealt with by doctors.
Though the play is still in the workshop stage (don't be surprised by scripts in hand and some timing kinks to work out in line delivery), the cast put on an impressive performance. Frankson stands out, with natural storytelling abilities that shine in his sermon delivery. Some themes are predictable - exorcism and creepy priests who call 14-yearold boys their special "friends" aren't new ground for Catholic Church lore. But the script is strong and the story engaging.
- AS
What: Hip.Bang! Improv
Where: Victoria Event Centre, 1415 Broad St.
When: Aug. 26, 28, 29; Sept. 1, 2
Rating: 3 1/2
Attending an improvisational comedy show shares at least a few things in common with watching a sword-juggling circus act.
In both cases, the spectre of complete and utter failure keeps the audience wracked with suspense.
Though the two-man improv troupe Hip.Bang! Improv, composed of Vancouver's Devin Mackenzie and Tom Hill, never dropped any figurative daggers during their Friday night show, they came close a couple of times, only adding to the crowd's excitement.
At the beginning of the show, they asked the crowd to shout out a descriptive word. "Gargantuan," one man yelled. And the comics went from there, inventing on the spot scene after preposterous scene based upon the shouted suggestion.
Yogic giants, eccentric New York restaurateurs, vengeful sparrows, wannabe escapees from Alcatraz all came up. Each bit was bizarre; some were funnier than others.
What was most impressive is how, closer to the end, Mackenzie and Hill followed their trail of thematic breadcrumbs back through scenes they'd already imagined, embellishing them as they retraced their steps.
It was a fine trick, but if they really wish to dazzle, they'd be well advised to add another element of danger into the mix - more audience participation.
CR
