While Grand Salto Theatre’s Szeretlek: A Hungarian Love Story might have the most difficult title to pronounce (spoiler alert: they teach you the proper pronunciation in the show and it’s actually not that hard), it’s also one of the most endearing stories. Inspired by the true events that led creator-performer Zita Nyarady’s grandparents to fall … Continue reading “Szeretlek” is Sweet Like Candy
Regular patrons of the Ottawa Fringe know that there are two storytelling legends you pretty much always need to see should they happen to grace our city with their presence (and, luckily for us, they usually do): Jem Rolls and Martin Dockery. You can read our reviews of both Jem’s work and Martin’s work so … Continue reading Dockery Digs Deep with “Delirium”
Underneath it All, written and performed by Hannah Gibson-Fraser and Jodi Morden, is a dark and fragmented look into the lives of two women and how their conceptions of love and monogamy are affected by experiences of abuse and mental illness. It’s a truly harrowing tale that is, tragically, a reality for many women living … Continue reading “Underneath it All” is a Brave New Work
Movin’ Melvin Brown: A Man, A Magic, A Music! is a unique opportunity to see a performer from the golden age of rock ‘n roll who has honed his gifts over the years. Even though he turns 72 this year, Melvin Brown still sings and dances his way through this one-man cabaret in a performance … Continue reading “Movin’ Melvin Brown” is a Truly Impressive One-Man Cabaret
One of Fringe’s hottest duos, James & Jamesy, is back at the 2017 Ottawa Fringe with High Tea: Another British Comedy and it is absolutely steeped in hilarity. Riding the momentum from last year’s 2 for Tea, this production is almost guaranteed to sell out in Ottawa again so if you want tickets buy them in … Continue reading Have a Perfectly ‘Tea’-riffic Time with James & Jamesy
Rich Potter’s God! The One-Man Show is a bit of a jumble of stand-up, magic, and clown – all of which are fun and enjoyable types of performance, but when combined in this production it somehow falls a bit flat. God is about to create the universe (not this one, he just gets bored sometimes … Continue reading “God! The One-Man Show” Falls a Bit Flat Despite Talented Performer
Clowns have been getting a lot of bad press lately. From the creepy clown sightings that popped up across the United States in late 2016 early 2017 to Andrés Muschietti’s downright terrifying remake of Stephen King’s classic horror novel It (slated to come out in September of this year, but the promo material is pure … Continue reading Clown Around with “Incognito: in Wishy Washy”
Bessie-Jean’s Executing Justice is a timely examination of the direction Canadian society and its laws could go based on their current trajectories. Writer/performer Bill Pats goes a bit beyond the “social warning” nature of the show to explore the characters he’s created in more detail, and though this does muddy the basic intent a little … Continue reading Bill Pats Brings Some Much Needed Drama in “Executing Justice”
Rag and Bone’s The Doll’s House makes excellent use of a Brechtian staging that works extremely well as a children’s show but could very easily be adapted into a fantastic horror show. A small collection of dolls owned by two little girls live in a shoebox, longing for a proper dollhouse. When the girls inherit … Continue reading “The Doll’s House” is Fun for Everyone
Fiddleheads Musical Theatre’s Sparks Street Ballad blends theatre for young audiences with fiddle music, Canadian history, and the need to teach this history to young Canadians in a way that addresses the historical wrongs perpetrated against certain segments of the population. It’s an ambitious undertaking that they achieve with modest success. The story concerns Mrs. … Continue reading “Sparks Street Ballad”: An Ambitious Undertaking with Modest Success
