The Quitter (Al LaFrance)

Edmonton Fringe Festival

3 Stars

Fringe festivals around the world are rife with personal monologue stories.  Everyone has a story to tell.  Sometimes they’re riveting, sometimes they’re disturbing, and sometimes, as in the case of Al LaFrance’s The Quitter, they’re fine.

This is Al’s story – about how from a young age, he quit.  Anything.  Everything.  A gifted child gone awry in a small town.  Al tells a story quite well – the donut society, and that one unforgettable night at the fast food restaurant… He seems nice enough – a genuinely likeable guy.  Genial, well-spoken, and while I wasn’t blown away by his recounting of his tale, I did find it enjoyable enough.

It’s just… there are so many personal monologues out there.  The Fringe festivals are practically glutted with them.  And juxtaposed against some of the very talented monologuists on the Fringe circuit, this show is merely all right.  Al is no actor.  He doesn’t purport to be.  And the story follows the customary personal monologue structure, complete with life-changing moment 45 minutes in.

This isn’t a story that needs to be told, or needs to be heard.  It is, however, a pleasant hour.  And there are a few extremely funny moments to be had.