There is only one question that needs to be answered in the premiere of Monster Theatre’s Who Killed Gertrude Crump? at the Toronto Fringe Festival, and I’m sure we can all guess what that is. Speaking from beyond the grave, puppet master Agatha Christie, played with delightful madness by Tara Travis, unravels an unpublished murder mystery from her early days.
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The case is hardly opened and closed in Adam Squared Productions’s Baker’s Dozen at the Toronto Fringe Festival. In fact, this production feels like it leaves too much out of the play for a full verdict.
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If I had to sum up Great Battles in History by Mark Shyzer at the Toronto Fringe Festival in one word, I would call it an experience. This touching, hilarious, one-man show tells the story of a failed collaborative project that examined great historical battles from a futuristic perspective. Without giving much away, the story of the steadily declining production crew coupled with historical tidbits about past warlords reveals the significance of individual losses.
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The double bill Left Hander in London: The Earthquake and The Get Happy Hour with Judy at the Revival Bar are two very different performances with a lot to unpack. One is an examination of the significance of diversity, while the other is about the joy of celebrity nostalgia.
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A Clown’s Life in 2 acts, playing at the Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse, sets a hard goal for itself. A tragicomedy following the lives of a clown (Christian Glas), an agent (Rocky Keller), and a starlet (Lauren Goodman) in the world of show business where a small mix up changes the course of their lives. The production is inspired by the absurdist plays of Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ionesco, and the comedy troupe Stella—tough acts to follow.