Always a theatre lover Sam realized in middle age that there's more to Toronto theatre than just mainstream and is now in love with one person shows, adores festivals, and quirky venues make her day.
20 thumbs up! Oh, we don’t do thumbs up and even if we did, I only have two thumbs.
Did you see 2-Man No-Show at last year’s Fringe? If you did you’re probably already planning to see 2-Man No-Show-2 this year. If, like me, you didn’t see Isaac Kessler and Ken Hall last year make sure you see them this year.
I’ve seen the show described as vaudeville but I thought it was improv and sketch comedy. Bizarre, absurd premises. Very physical. Very very funny.
Kessler and Hall are brilliant. Not much else to say other than go see the show!
We’re here to help. Usually I get my Fringe buzz from people in line but that hasn’t happened yet this year. Two reasons:
I seem to have been running late for everything so I haven’t actually has an opportunity to line up
Today is just too hot to troll line ups
I was in the line forLucky 9 on Wednesday – right at the back – and ended up talking with Barry Smith (Me, My Stuff and I: A Multimedia Comedy) and Keir Cutler (Teaching Shakespeare) who were waiting to see Lucky 9. It seems to me that fringe performers waiting to see another fringe performer is a good sign. And Lucky 9 was terrific!
Here are the shows people are talking about on Twitter and in the comments on Mooney on Theatre.
I went to see Leacock Live! because it’s presented by Act 2 Studio for Seniors – a program at Ryerson. It’s good to see older actors on the stage, I think we need to see more. And in a wide variety of roles, This isn’t just because I’m ‘older’. Older people bring a depth of life experience to the stage that young actors can only achieve by living for a long time.
The audience at today’s performance was older than the usual fringe audience and – judging by the applause – they loved the show.
Prepare to laugh. A lot. Nose snorting, thigh slapping, stomach hurting, pee your pants laughing. What is The Carnegie Hall Show!? Very funny improv comedy. And improv piano.
Matt Baram, Naomi Snieckus, Ron Pederson, Chris Gibbs and pianist Jeff Raimondo present an hour of amazing improv. Starting with a suggestion from the audience they present a history of the greatest improvised scenes of that event or item. Of course there is no history. They just make it up. They’re very fast, sometimes so fast that they surprise each other – and make each other laugh. Or try to.
A walking tour of the Bloor and Bathurst area as a Fringe show? I had absolutely no idea what to expect. A small group of us assembled at the entrance to the Fringe Tent this afternoon at 5.30 and were led down the alley to meet Evelyn Reese. And so began Evelyn Reese’s Walking Tour.
I didn’t count, I think there were about 15 of us – maybe 20. Brave souls, being a moveable audience.
We walked from Honest Ed’s to Future Bakery, crossed Bloor and walked back to Honest Ed’s. Evelyn stopped frequently to tell us tidbits about herself and her life in a really loud voice. People stared. And did double-takes. Some laughed, some looked bemused.
20 thumbs up! Oh, we don’t do thumbs up and even if we did, I only have two thumbs.
