Heirloom Toys Edmonton Fringe Festival (Reviewed at the Ottawa Fringe) 3 Stars   This is an enjoyable circus-themed show, with some impressive stunts and interesting sets and costumes.  The performers seem to truly enjoy being onstage, and connect well with each other and the audience.   The plot seems at times thematically representative, and at […]

James and Jamesy in the Dark Edmonton Fringe Festival 4 Stars This is an innovative and enjoyable physical comedy, which takes place with the theatre entirely in the dark (with Pixar-style lamp illumination, and white face paint).   I don’t want to describe too much, because the unexpectedness of it all is one of the […]

Evacuated! Edmonton Fringe Festival (Reviewed at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, 2017) 5 Stars ‘Evacuated!’ is a fascinating true story about a year in the life of actor Erika Kate MacDonald. It is presented as a series of narrated ‘photograph’ vignettes, which are drawn together to present an overall image – sometimes terrifyingly real, sometimes dreamy […]

Blindside Edmonton Fringe (Reviewed at the Potashcorp Fringe Festival, 2017) 4 Stars A fresh take on the one-actor confessionals, this original, well-told story relates the life of Stéphanie Morin-Robert, who, having lost one eye at an early age, tells the tale of how she came of age with kisses, crushes and a glass eye.   […]

All KIDding Aside Edmonton Fringe (reviewed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 2017) 4 Stars All KIDding aside is a mix of confessional-monologue, physical theatre and mask, used to explore performer Christel Bartelse’s dilemma of if she will (or won’t… or can…or can’t…) have a baby. This show was well-executed, with compelling mask work and thoughtful […]

The Eva Cassidy Story Edinburgh Fringe 4 Stars This show is both a musical documentary of musician Eva Cassidy’s life, as well as a showcase for Scottish musician Elsa Jean McTaggart.  It is a lovely show, and McTaggart’s passion for both Cassidy and her music is apparent throughout.   A tribute show to an artist […]

Tabarnak (Cirque Alphonse) Edinburgh Fringe 5 Stars I am familiar with Cirque Alfonse’s earlier work, and after the quirky and innovative Barbu, I was quite interested to see their newest presentation.  And it was, in one word, exceptional.  From the tableau of knitting (and crochet) at the start, to the swing-laden, tumbling climax – this […]

Sweeney Todd Edinburgh Fringe 4 Stars To be honest, I did not expect to like this adaptation of the iconic musical/operetta Sweeney Todd.  The demon zombies…the two-hour late-night time slot (which is long for the Edinburgh Fringe, where shows usually clock in at just under an hour).  There is also the fact that I know […]

Addiction: The Untold Story Edinburgh Fringe 1 Star There is a certain type of theatre which is known as ‘Therapy theatre’, which is being done for the benefit of the writer, with a ‘meaningful’ message and no theatrical merit or thought of what might appeal to the audience.  Addiction: The Untold Story is a perfect […]

Grimm’s Fairer Tales Edinburgh Fringe 5 Stars Storyteller Eden Ballantyne has a mission:  To tell Grimm’s famous historic stories in the way they ‘should’ have been written, with strong female characters and comically modern plot twists.  And he succeeds, with this delight of an interactive children’s show, enthralling both  children and adults alike.   I […]