For this year’s fringe-a-thon, MONDO is sending two writers on a theatrical whirlwind tour of the city’s stages. Keep an eye out for reviews from Matt McGeachy and Daina Valiulis as the event progresses. The Toronto Fringe Festival runs from July 2-13.
The Movies (abridged)
By Elan Wolf Farbiarz
Presented by Wolf Productions
Featuring Elan Wolf Farbiarz, Joshua Levine, and Rob Gee
Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace
Reviewed by Matt McGeachy
The Movies (abridged) is three men’s comedic love story to independent film and a warning against the mass distribution of Hollywood trash.
When Farbiarz, the employee at a Bigbuster video chain responsible for cleaning the condoms out of the DVD return slot, is slated to be promoted to store manager, corporate headquarters sends over an educational film to teach him about all the movies Bigbuster carries.
From potshots at Lindsay Lohan in The Parent Trap and the never-ending series of Die Hard films with the same banal plot, to an “act off” between Robert DeNiro and Daniel Day-Lewis, Farbiarz, Levine, and Gee have an encyclopedic knowledge of film and all the clichés of Hollywood.
In a meta-twist at the end, it is revealed that the corporate film was actually made by Farbiarz, Levine, and Gee, who used to operate an independent video store across town, but Farbiarz was in an accident and lost his memory. Subsequently recruited by Gee to work for Bigbuster — Gee “went over to the dark side” after the accident — his memory is jogged, and in a scene of Jerry Maguire-esque intensity, he returns to independent film.
This was a very funny production, but was marred by occasional lapses in timing. If the actors had jumped on their cues — and on the audience’s — the show would have been the better for it. Better timing would also help to highlight the ironic use of Hollywood’s own devices to show how awful they actually are. Certainly worth seeing this year.
The Faith Show!
Conceived and performed by Madeleine Donohue and Benjamin Clost
Presented by Down N’ Out Productions
Factory Theatre Studio
Reviewed by Matt McGeachy
Religion is funny, and we’ve known that since the first drunkard told a joke beginning with, “A priest, a rabbi, and a monkey walk into a room…” Religion is also hard to present on stage without lapsing into cliché and banality. Unfortunately, The Faith Show! does just this.
Laden with stereotypes of the religious and non-religious, this show was banal, despite a few bright moments. Donohue and Clost play Samantha and Peter, an engaged couple planning their wedding. Samantha is Catholic, and her religiosity seems to have intensified as the “big day” approaches; Peter seems to worship at the altar of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Because he loves her, Peter has consented to being married in a church. What he didn’t expect were the pre-marital classes, the silent monastery retreat, and the ever-encroaching influence of Jesus in their lives. By seven minutes in, I expected Robin Williams to come out playing the priest in a reprisal of his role in License to Wed.
There are moments where comedy (which is what the play purports to be) prevails: Samantha’s inner monologue outwardly expressed during yoga class does the trick. But on the whole, the chemistry needed between the performers, and the comfort they needed from the audience to exploit the humour in this cliché, was absent. It certainly shook the faith of those of us for whom the closest thing to a religious experience is going to the theatre.
Casa de Los Fantasmas
Performed and presented by The Canadian Space Opera Company
CIUT
Reviewed by Matt McGeachy
At one time, radio plays were the form of entertainment for millions of people in North America, and there have been some truly great ones. Some, like Orson Welles’s War of the Worlds, were so brilliantly done that they had the air of reality. Casa de Los Fantasmas has all the characteristics of a classic radio drama except wit, charm, and talent.
When American newlyweds Duke and Emily Dane decide to honeymoon at the Hacienda de la Hoya, they encounter a zany cast of characters, including a harlot who once graced the stages of Europe, a Moldavian nobleman/possible vampire, and a mercenary American soldier. It soon becomes apparent that something is afoot at the Haciendaor; as the soothsayer tells the Danes upon arrival, something is amiss at the Casa de Los Fantasmas (House of Ghosts). A real vampire is on the loose, and it turns out it isn’t the Moldavian count.
The execution of this great idea is what does it in. The timing was off, and the characters lacked earnestness, which is exactly what makes radio dramas so funny to us. Playing everything as tongue-in-cheek makes it seems as if the actors are mocking radio dramas instead of presenting one. While this could have been extremely funny, it totally misses the mark. The only redemption was getting to see the bowels of CIUT, which will soon be razed to the ground!
The Pharmaceutical Affair
By Hugo Kitching, Terry Myers, Alex Derry
Presented by Thin Edge of the Wedge
Featuring Terry Myers, Alex Derry, Dana Fountain, Hugo Kitching, Eric Benson, Tim Butters, Mike Stacey, Peter Gorman, Joe Mottola, Andrew Webster, Jessica Chan, and Ash Catherwood
Robert Gill Theatre
Reviewed by Matt McGeachy
Have you ever wondered if perhaps Tintin and the Captain were a little gay? Did it ever occur to you that the Professor might be incontinent? Did you dream of vacationing in Venice, even though you appear to be only eight years old? If so and if you were a fan of the Tintin adventures as a young child but thought you had outgrown them, you’re in luck. Writers Kitching, Myers, and Derry have cooked up a slightly adult version of Tintin to satiate your appetite.
The Pharmaceutical Affair is a very funny concept with talented actors to back it up. Alex Derry as a sauced and somewhat horny Captain and Terry Myers as a pre-pubescent Tintin had hilarious homo-chemistry on stage. Tim Butters as villain Hanz Von Sanchez was bombastic and a pleasure to watch, and Peter Gorman as the francophone narrator/DJ provided constant amusement with his commentary on the five “chapters” of the play.
The major fault was that the timing on many of the jokes was slightly off — and I do mean only slightly — and it made a large difference in the overall quality of the show. I have every hope that the performers will continue to tighten their act before the Fringe ends. Of course, even when the timing improves, the show is only so funny; it offers a hearty chuckle and respectable performances all around.
We were aware that our timing was off on the Thursday show (as well, that night we were minus our piano player). We do play it tongue-in-cheek style on purpose; we’re playing up the comedic elements of the style of show as an homage, but not mocking it.