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Olive Copperbottom wins top Victoria Fringe Festival award

Olive Copperbottom, a one-woman show featuring Penny Ashton, has won the Pick of the Fringe award at the 2017 Victoria Fringe Festival.
2017 Victoria Fringe Festival logo

Olive Copperbottom, a one-woman show featuring Penny Ashton, has won the Pick of the Fringe award at the 2017 Victoria Fringe Festival. The show featured Ashton, who is based in New Zealand, acting multiple roles and singing in a tale about orphan Olive Copperbottom’s adventures in Victorian England. It was billed as “a new musical by Charles Dickens and Penny Ashton.”

The show also was winner or runner-up in three other categories.

Runner-up for Pick of the Fringe was Interstellar Elder, the story of a geriatric astronaut adrift in a spaceship with a cargo of cryogenically frozen humans.

The Victoria Fringe Festival ran from Aug. 23 to Sept. 3 and featured nearly 60 shows.

Other winners of awards, which were chosen by online voting:

Comedy
Winner: Jon Bennett: My Dad’s Deaths (A Comedy)
Runner-up: Fake Ghost Tours

Movement, physical theatre
Beau & Aero: Crash Landing
Interstellar Elder

Drama
LEER
Horowitz and Mrs. Washington

Cabaret, variety, magic, musical
Olive Copperbottom
Six Magicians

Storytelling, spoken word
Spec
Hyena Subpoena

Visual theatre, puppetry
Gruff
Beaver Dreams

Ensemble
WAR; Improv is Hell, Paper Street
Daddy Issues, Human Voltage

Duo
Fake Ghost Tours
Beau & Aero: Crash Landing

Solo
Interstellar Elder
Olive Copperbottom

Bravest show
Monica vs. The Internet
Daddy Issues

Best performance
Interstellar Elder
Olive Copperbottom

Design
LEER
Interstellar Elder

Family friendly
Gruff
Tie for runner-up: Beau & Aero, Beaver Dreams

Original new work
LEER
Interstellar Elder

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The year’s Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival is proving to be a hot ticket, organizers say.

“There have been more shows selling out their advance tickets than ever before,” said Sean Guist of host company Intrepid Theatre.

“Some shows are selling out their opening night before reviews or word-of-mouth hits.”

Guist notes three shows have been cancelled: Café Soap Opera, God is an Iron and Pomegranate.

As well, Victoria performer Wes Borg cancelled Wednesdays performance of Get Me the F--- Out of Edmonton.

However, his other shows at the Victoria Conservatory of Music’s Wood Hall will proceed as scheduled.

A new batch of shows is coming to Victoria from the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival, which ended Sunday.

Guist says highlights of this second wave include: Interstellar Elder, Oliver Copperbottom, Help! I’m American, The Inventor of All Things, Six Fine Lines and Jon Bennett: My Dad’s Deaths.

 

The Times Colonist is reviewing the Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival, which continues to Sept. 3. All ratings are out of five. For more information, check out the festival website. We'll be adding new reviews throughout the festival, so be sure to check back.

 

Help! I’m American!

Where: VCM Wood Hall, 907 Pandora
When: Tonight, 10 p.m.; Fri., 5:30 p.m.; Sat., 7 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.
Rating: three stars (out of five)

Los Angeles comedian DK Reinemer wasn’t kidding when he declared Its bonkers down there! at the beginning of his hit-and-miss fusion of sketch comedy and political commentary poking fun at what it’s like to live in Donald Trump’s America.

helpimamerican.jpgAnd while he can’t resist taking comic swipes at the buffoonish U.S. President, whom he describes as “a middle-age bully who wants our lunch money, and our health insurance,” Help! I’m American! is shorter on political satire than laugh-inducing lunacy about everything from ridiculous action heroes to game shows, relying heavily on input from participants plucked from the audience.

One game theatregoer, a documentary filmmaker named Heather, was particularly amusing after being enlisted as Reinemer’s Canuck “date” in an uneven series of comic bits, ad-libbing with flair, as when she got big laughs after telling this slick American dude: “You just want me for my citizenship.”

The fact Reinemer is such an endearing, quick-witted performer who also happens to juggle and do magic tricks compensates considerably for his breezy one-man-show’s biggest liability: its lack of cohesion and a unifying sense of purpose as he hopscotches somewhat haphazardly through a string of gags and tongue-in-cheek musical numbers.

Some are hilariously inspired, like his song Ladies First, which pokes fun at premature ejaculation and even suggests using thoughts of Canada as a potential distraction, like baseball, to prevent that.
Another comic highlight is his tune Sex Is Like..., with audience members invited to creatively fill in the blanks with words the guitar-strumming comedian then musically riffs on.

Reinemer is also amusing as a red-nosed clown who has to improvise after he learns he has been mistakenly sent, not to a childs birthday party, but to a bachelorette party whose hostess expected a male stripper. Until the novelty prematurely wears out its welcome, he also coaxes smiles and chuckles with his antics as Buck Winchester, a Cal Worthington-type TV cowboy huckster who doesn’t just sell cars but dolphins.

A protracted sequence on how to deliver the ultimate Ted Talk falls flat, however, as does his ill-advised if fitfully funny impersonation of a captain of the Titanic with standup comedy aspirations.

Reinemer crams so much material into his hour-long show, there is no shortage of yuks to keep you entertained despite the duds, but this immensely likable comedian would benefit from a good editor.

Still, the audience for the first of Reinemers five shows here responded enthusiastically, impulsively echoing suggestions such as Applause or “Awww” written on flash cards introduced early on.

— Michael D. Reid

Spec

Where: Roxy Theatre
When: Continues Sept. 1, 2, 3
Rating: four stars
 
This clever and engaging hour of story-telling played to tiny crowd at the Roxy Theatre on the weekend. It’s a shame, because (1) on this hot day,The Roxy was relatively cool inside, and (2) Spec is a fine little show.
 
We’re in good hands with Ben San Del. The Minneapolis writer/performer has extensive experience as a standup comic, so he knows how to confidently engage an audience. As well, San Del is a superior writer — his speculative fiction (sci-fi, fantasy etc.) stories bristle with intelligence and originality.
 
We heard, for example, about artificially intelligent robots who prefer to keep themselves in a stoned state all the time. San Del described them as hippie-dippy burnout hunks of metal. Unlike humans, who are continually in a fretful quest to achieve and conquer, the stoner robots recognize the absurdity of existence and prefer to stay blissfully high all the time. It sounds silly; however, San Del has the wit to make an entertaining hypothetical case for this.
 
Elsewhere, a magic gargoyle takes an overweight slacker on an LSD-like trip to investigate his evolutionary past. The gargoyle then suggests to the young man that there should be more to his existence than video games and big-screen TVs, given the great lengths his forebearers took to survive.
 
My ancestors would kill for this life, the slacker responds.
 
San Del’s material  which includes stories of suicidal ghosts and interactive tombstones  is pretty far-out stuff. Yet theres a keen sense of philosophical acuity and free-wheeling whimsy at work here. Certainly, Spec is one of the better offerings Ive so far encountered at the Fringe.
 
—  Adrian Chamberlain

Jukebox Drive

Where: Victoria Event Centre
When: Continues Aug. 30, Sept 1, 3
Rating: 1 1/2 stars

I’m not sure what how long Victoria's Enigmatic Events has been doing improv. But it seems they don’t have the hang of it yet.

The premise of Jukebox Drive is that the troupe takes an improvised road trip enacted to recorded music. The audience suggests the first and last tunes of show, with Spotify randomly a soundtrack for the middle.

On Sunday, the opening tune was Supertramp’sThe Logical Song. The closer was Jolene by Dolly Parton. The problem was, the 50-minute show had no connection to any of the songs played. Or if there was a link, it was far too oblique for me to figure out.

More importantly, the level of improv was unfocused and amateurish. The plot was about taking a road trip across Canada, stopping at weird coffee shops and acquiring a dinosaur-themed funeral urn. The narrative took a disconcerting turn when one character announced she had cancer and that death was imminent.

I’m no expert, but isnt terminal cancer a topic that tends to bring comedy improv to a screeching halt? Then again, Jukebox Drive isn’t really comedy improv  its sort of an ad-lib soap opera. The main thing I took away from this show? Improv theatre must be very difficult to do well.

— AC

 

 

Birdmann and  Egg: Birdhouse


Where: Fairfield Hall
When: Aug. 27, 30, Sept. 2, 3
Rating: three stars

Aussie comedy actor Trent Baumann, a perennial fringe favourite, is back with a new show called  Birdhouse. This time there’s more emphasis on silliness and less on absurdist humour. The results are mixed — although devoted Birdmann fans may want to check it out.

A significant change is a larger part for Sachie Mikawa. In the past she’s played small roles as the mysterious “Egg” – a mostly silent character. Now she shares equal billing. It’s somewhat problematic as Mikawa's a less experienced performer. As well, her  strong accent made it difficult to make out many of her lines. Onn Saturday the pair were bedevilled by substandard PA system (they don't really need it in such a small venue) which  tended to muffle the dialogue.

The plot is intentionally childlike. The evil Regurgitator, a robot-like villain, is set to invade Victoria. Can the Birdmann (he of the gravity-defying quiff)  and the Egg (sporting an egg-like costume)  save the day?  Along the way, there are soft toy fights with the audience,  a couple of tricks and some deliberately bad jokes. Example: “What did the farmer say when he lost his tractor? Where is my tractor.”

Part of Baumann’s charm in past one-man shows is his ability to create a atmosphere of risible strangeness. When done well, almost everything he did seems funny. It’s a delicate balance, though. In  this two-performer incarnation, his absurdist charm is dissipated.

The show seems a little rough, in need of more rehearsal. Still, Birdhouse does have its moments of charm and will doubtlessly improve as the run progresses.

— Adrian Chamberlain   

 

‘Tween Earth and Sky

Where: Fairfield Hall
When: Aug. 27, 28, Sept. 2,3
Rating: four stars

Nevada City’s Mark Lyon  doesn’t seem like the sort of performer one associates with fringe theatre.  A leprechaun-like little fellow in a tam o’shanter and a wee green vest, Lyon spins traditional Irish tales with a wink and a puckish grin.

In short, Lyon’s about as hip as your grandmother’s lace doily collection. However,  he is an excellent story-teller, approaching his craft with passion and intensity. ‘Tween Earth and Sky works very well, reminding us once again that the essence of theatre is the ability to tell a tale well.

We heard about the leprechaun who tricked a fellow seeking a pot of gold  and a mysterious witch who predicted a young man’s doomed romance. We learned about a reprobate’s deal with the devil and how  a corpse-lugging experience turned a poor unfortunate’s life around.

Sometimes Lyon’s Irish-accented delivery is so over-the-top  it seem unintentionally amusing. This merely adds to the experience. The writing is good; the characters are vivid and well defined. It's worth seeing.
-- AC


After the Beep

Where: Downtown Community Centre
When: Aug. 27, 31, Sept. 2, 3
Rating: four stars

Remember those old voice message machines that used cassette tapes? Most of us tossed them out years ago.

Not Victoria’s Pamela Bethel. She kept 90 minutes worth of vintage messages from her teen years – 200 in all (for some reason Bethel didn’t record over them at the time; she just let them accumulate).

Twenty-five years later, she made this teen-land archive the basis for a  one-woman show.  It’s an original and entertaining idea. Playing to a sold-out house on Saturday night, Bethel let us hear digitized samples from her cache and good-naturedly explained the stories behind them.
 
There are messages from  parents,  boyfriends (both cocky and despairing), giggling girlfriends and the odd wrong number. We even heard one of her outgoing messages, a sendup of the BeeGees’ Stayin’ Alive.
Amusingly, one wrong-number caller,  encountering this, left the comment “This music stinks – get a f---ing life!”

Bethel, now 40-year-old mom, has crafted a coming-of-age story with the insight and sense of humanity that comes with maturity.

She does encounter her share of adventure — there’s a shoplifting story and a tale about cavorting in a seedy karaoke bar that turned out to be a hangout for gangsters.
 
That said,  her exploits are not particularly unusual. And there's no narrative arch.  In the show's current form there's almost – but  not quite  -- enough here to sustain a full 75 minutes.  After the Beep might benefit if fewer anecdotes were selected and those retained were explored in greater depth.

Bethel is a confident, engaging performer.  For some reason she mostly sits behind a desk the entire show. Stepping up her physicality would add dynamism to her performance. Another quibble:  the sub-standard sound system in this venue made many of the phone messages hard to make out. Happily, we heard Bethel (who’s unamplified) just fine.

 Overall, After the Beep works quite well. Funny and  sharply observed, it's an intelligent and honest look at adolescence.
 -- AC
      

 

LEER

Where: Metro Studio

When: Aug. 27, 28, Sept. 2, 3

Rating: Three stars

With his new play LEER, Victoria playwright David Elendune aims for a sexy, subversive reinvention of Shakespeare’s King Lear.

There’s some cleverness at work here. Music and other sound effects are used deftly; some of the costumes are terrific. Yet despite strong moments — mostly provided by actor Wendy Magahay — this 70-minute show is a bit of a muddle.

LEER pivots on two bold twists. It’s an all-woman cast of female characters, so the Lear-like character, played by Magahay, becomes a despotic ruler wearing a long red wig and a wee crown.

Not only that, this pastiche is set in hell. Lear is now Satan. And Satan’s three daughters (Regan, Goneril and Cordelia in the original play) are transformed into devilish types. There’s the Cordelia-like Lileth (Ellen Law), Beelzebub (Amber Landry) and Asmodeus (Wendy Cornock).

LEER retains King Lear’s central plot premise. Satan divides her kingdom based on each daughter’s remarks regarding their devotion to her. Lileth/Cordelia’s response is curiously reserved. This annoys Satan who decides to bestow her favour on her remaining daughters, etc. As well, also in keeping with King Lear, Satan is slowly losing her marbles, a deterioration portrayed convincingly by Magahay.

Yet overall, the narrative becomes difficult to follow. Elendune’s decision to toss handfuls of elements from Shakespeare’s other plays is confusing. Yes, one can make an argument for flinging in the three witches from Macbeth, given that fate is a central theme LEER. Other slice ’n’ nice ingredients seem more arbitrary. Inserting snippets of Hamlet (“What a piece of work is man!” “Frailty, thy name is woman”) seem more like hip-hop sampling than thoughtful pastiche.

There’s plenty of irrevent pop culture references. Some are heavy-handed, such as playing AC/DC’s Highway to Hell (get it?). For those who like zombie/monster flicks, we get Satan gobbling a bowl of politicans’ brains (“seasoned liberally with false pride”) and chowing down on a basket of kittens. The fabulous costumes — imaginatively designed steam-punk creations — may be the best part of the show.

Ultimately, LEER comes off as an ambitious mish-mash that sometimes clicks and sometimes befuddles. — AC

the-gift.jpg

The Gift

Where: Metro Studio

When: Today, Aug. 27, 29

Rating: Two stars

A performance such as John Aitken’s The Gift is difficult to review. His dance-theatre piece (created with fellow Mayne Island resident Gail Noonan) reflects the terrible suffering he underwent as a child. His alcoholic father used to regularly beat his mother, a First Nations woman. Aitken, also physically and mentally abused, was so profoundly traumatized he didn’t speak until he was 18.

The Gift, performed with Shelley MacDonald, is Aitken’s artistic response to his shocking past. For 70 minutes the pair offer a mysterious movement performance, mostly non-verbal, with virtually no music (there are moments of drumming and singing). It’s like witnessing a ritualistic ceremony. The bare-foot Aitken, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, alternates between fleeting moments of joy and, more often, sequences in which he appears anguished, sometimes curled up on the stage in a fetal-like position.

A few scenes are literal. At one point the pair play ball; there’s a cleansing sequence; elsewhere a handful of change is scattered on stage. Yet more typically The Gift is abstract, replete with portentous heavy breathing and slow movement.

Viewed strictly as an artwork, The Gift succeeds only partly. In technical terms, the level of dance is rudimentary. The show is too oblique, too slow-moving — and too long. Tellingly it only made sense (or at least more sense) afterwards, when Aitken — a gracious and genial fellow — explained his background in a question-and-answer session.

That said, some attending Friday’s show were obviously moved by The Gift. One woman left in tears half-way though.

You might have the same reaction. Here’s my (admittedy strong) bias: I believe dance and theatre should succeed primarily as a work of art, regardless of the therapeutic value they may provide. Others will adamantly disagree and may find The Gift a powerful experience. (For those interested in the debate about art as therapy — try reading Arlene Croce’s seminal 1994 New Yorker article Discussing the Undiscussable). — AC

Beaver-Dreams-1008.jpg

Beaver Dreams

Where: Metro Studio

When: Aug. 27, 29. Sept. 1, 2

Rating: Three stars

Montreal’s Lost and Found Puppet Co. offers a goofy puppet show with a deliberate thrift-shop aesthetic.

Set in bucolic cottage country, Beaver Dreams is a comic romp chronicling an ongoing battle between vacationers and beavers. The beavers want to build dams. The cottagers aren’t keen on this, as it makes the river run too high. Meanwhile, commercial developers are intent on ruining paradise.

There’s some clever puppet-work here. The Lost and Found duo — who play purring beavers in a neo-vaudeville manner — make use of shadow puppetry and cutouts. There are also animated video segments in which family members muse on the beauty of cottage country.

In the manner of traditional clowning, the laughs are broad and good-natured. Beaver Dreams has scored plaudits in other cities. No doubt kids will enjoy it. And if the notion of puppeteers sporting giant beaver teeth makes you giggle, you may well love it as well.

— AC

people.jpg

All These People Watching

Where: Langham Court Theatre

When: Aug. 26, 27, 28, Sept. 3

Rating: Two stars

Apparently, the family that’s in a play together stays together.

That’s one of the smiley-face notions embraced by All These People Watching. The breezy, uber-saccharine comedy is written and performed by husband and wife Matt Lees and Krista Wallace with their grown-up children, David Lees and Maggie Lees.

All have theatre backgrounds — middle-aged Matt and Krista are UVic theatre grads; Maggie is currently a UVic theatre student and David recently completed Capilano College’s theatre program.

Their autobiographical show is about the ups and (not very many) downs of middle-class family life. Unfortunately, it’s so overly sweet, it makes The Brady Bunch look like Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.

Dressed in unusually unflattering shorts, the Lees/Wallaces alternately play cards and act out mini-vignettes about their incredibly wholesome lifestyle.

For instance, there are reminiscences of how, as a child, David used to accumulate “ice cream bucks” for being a very good boy (one ice-cream buck for every 15 minutes of angelic behaviour).

Dad and Mom listen to Maggie’s harmless boyfriend problems, marvelling as what a “strong, independent woman” she’s become. Maggie delivers a heartfelt soliloquy about how she really loves her friends a lot. David (who also loves his friends a lot) recalls showing gritty individualism by wearing a kilt and Converse high-tops to his high school grad dance. (Sadly, poor old Gramps died a few days before, taking all the fun out of it.) And Mom rails at those who criticized her for supportively showing up at each and every one of her daughter’s activities . . . including standing beside the child during her dental cleaning.

The Lees/Wallaces say “dude” a lot and continually send each other supportive texts with lots of emojis.

To be fair, they seem like an awfully nice family — and kudos to them for creating what is no doubt a super-fun project. On Thursday night, David and Maggie showed promise as actors (Krista, on the other hand, needs to dial down her intense, hyperactive delivery).

Let’s put it this way — if Bill Keane’s Family Circus cartoons make you chortle with glee, this one may be for you. If you’re more of an R. Crumb devotee, your ice-cream bucks will be better spent elsewhere.

— AC

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The Taxi Driver Is Always Listening

Where: Victoria Event Centre

When: Aug. 25, 26, 27, 30, 31, Sept. 2

Rating: Four stars

Comic Sean Proudlove provides a funny and visceral account of his experiences as a Victoria cabbie in The Taxi Driver Is Always Listening.

We’re in confident hands, thanks to Proudlove’s years as a standup comedian. This is a guy who knows how to deliver a sharply edited, funny story.

We get the real dirt here. Yes, there’s the odd cutesy anecdote, such as one about the old lady who debates whether raspberry or strawberry is the most popular jam.

But mostly this is a no-holds-barred show. Proudlove’s most interesting — and extended — tale is about the man who unsuccessfully tried to buy crack cocaine, with the taxi driver as chauffeur.

We’re transported through the mean streets of Victoria with Proudlove describing how this poor unfortunate is ripped off again and again. We hear, for example, about a Slurpee-slurping drug dealer, and the prostitute who steals the fare’s McDonald’s meal.

The level of well-observed detail provides a steely sense of verisimilitude — it’s a rare look at Victoria’s seamy underside.

Most of Proudlove’s stories are shorter and snappier. The Taxi Driver Is Always Listening would gain depth and profundity if he dug deeper into some of his anecdotes.

Nonetheless, it’s a show worth seeking out.

— AC

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Vasily Djokavich: Russia’s #1 State Approved Comedian

Where: Downtown Community Centre

When: Aug. 25, 26, 28, Sept. 1, 3

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Victoria’s Morgan Cranny plays Vasily Djokavich, a Russian state-approved comedian on a cultural exchange to Canada.

Played to an enthusiastic sold-out house on Thursday night, this comedy is a light, good-hearted romp. Cranny plays Vasily completely deadpan, which mostly works — although toward the end of 55 minutes, such an approach does get slightly tedious.

We get jokes about Putin, Vasily’s deceased wife (a rhythmic gymnast), Kevin Bacon in Dirty Dancing and Rasputin’s pickled penis. Because his camera doesn’t work, he draws pictures of Victoria tourist sites such as the Empress Hotel and, uh, The Gap.

As one might expect, the veiled threat of Russian authorities always lurks in the background. When Vasily reads from a list of jokes on his notepad, most are omitted due to fears or reprisals.

Cranny’s an experienced performer. He knows how to work a crowd and is clever with ad libs. On this night, he grappled with a few technical problems (lighting and sound miscues), but didn’t let it throw him.

While most of the material works, judicious editing would make this a tighter show. It’s enjoyable, nonetheless. — AC