By Amber Landgraff
When picking shows to see at this year’s Fringe I tended to gravitate towards comedies. I can always do with a good laugh and Everybody Panic!, presented by Apocalypse Later, was a comedy after my own heart.
The four-person cast featuring Jocelyn Geddie, Marcel Dragonieri, Ann Pornel and Brandon Hackett, was strong all around. They knew how to play off of each other and had great energy. The audience was laughing from beginning to end.
The show begins with four friends leaving their university graduation ceremony with high expectations for a bright future. When they are offered a glimpse into that future they realize that it’s not at all what they expected and not all that it’s cracked up to be. From bad jobs to bad relationships, Everybody Panic! pokes fun at the way that life never works out the way that you might hope.
I particularly enjoyed Brandon Hackett’s performance. He was hilarious as the disapproving boss, the boyfriend who doesn’t understand talking dirty, and the guy who goes around solving people’s problems through reference to bad movies that may or may not actually exist.
Ann Pornel was great as the inappropriate funeral guest showing her grief through bad nineties rap and renditions of Spice Girls songs. I also particularly enjoyed the sketch involving proof that faking your own death to get out of having to go to work is not as good an idea as you might think it is.
Being able to laugh at the bad things in life can make them seem less upsetting. Ultimately the moral of the show is that even though the future is going to suck there are some things that we can still look forward too. At the very least, Cora’s apparently does a very nice brunch.
Details
– Everybody Panic! plays at Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse on St George St, South of Harbord
– Playing Thu, July 1 8:45 PM, Sat, July 3 3:30 PM, Mon, July 5 9:00 PM, Wed, July 7 5:45 PM, Fri, July 9 11:00 PM, Sat, July 10 5:15 PM, Sun, July 11 Noon
– All individual Fringe tickets are $10 ($5 for FringeKids) at the door (cash only), Online at www.fringetoronto.com, by Phone at 416-966-1062, in person (June 30 – July 11 only) at The Randolph Centre for the Arts, 736 Bathurst Street (Advance tickets are $11 ($10+$1 convenience fee)), and $5 for FringeKids (no convenience fee for kids tickets).
– Several money-saving passes are available if you plan to see at least 5 shows