By Ian Ha, Shakir Haq, Lukas Kus, Mary Lee, Adrian Liu, and Yasmin Siddiqui
Job II: The Demon of Eternal Recurrence George Ignatieff Theatre
July 5, 7 p.m.
Rating: VVVVV
There’s only one question you can ask the two twenty-something masterminds who were the smash hit of last year’s Fringe with a hysterically funny and clever corporate take on the story of Job-what’s next? For Eli Batalion and Jerome Saibil, the answer was clear-Job II: The Demon of Eternal Recurrence, of course! This time, though, the two Brown University philosophy grads from Montreal, who both write and perform their own shows, have left Biblical tales behind for something closer to home. Nietzsche gone… hip-hop?
It may sound crazy, but it works. Donning do-rags and Adidas-style track suits, da boyz pick up exactly where they left off in Job I, with Saibil’s alter-ego, MC Cain, having shot his brother and partner in hip-hop, MC Abel (Batalion) in a fit of rebellious rage. With a hailstorm of ingenious rhymes and stick-in-your-head tunes, MC Cain runs from the cops, defiantly asserting his “every man for himself” views at every turn, while MC Abel wakes from a coma to find himself kidnapped by Fred, a rhymester determined to resurrect the world of hip-hop by turning Abel into an Uber-Rapper.
Batalion and Saibil are consummate performers, balancing impeccable comic timing with high energy and remarkable onstage unison. The two actors are absolutely in tune with each other from start to finish, each playing numerous characters and swinging from voice to voice, speech to song and dance, without a hitch. Few shows at the Fringe manage to fill houses and garner standing ovations-Job II did both, and deservedly so.-YS
The Ugly Duchess Robert Gill Theatre
July 12th, 8p.m.
Rating: VVVVV
Reminiscent of heroines like Margaret Lawrence’s Hagar Shipley, The Ugly Duchess is an absolutely wonderful monologue written in the voice of Margarethe, 14th Century Princess of Bohemia, reputed to be the “paragon of ugliness”. Paul Terry’s performance is a remarkable portrayal of an intelligent, lonely, embittered woman who longs to be loved by her husband and her subjects but is only greeted by revulsion and mockery. The writing takes the audience through an intelligent plot involving politics, history and intrigue. Margarethe responds to her world with bitterness, wit, humour, and finally acceptance. Though the theme of beauty runs throughout the play (props include a looking glass and a dressing table), the writing and direction refrain from turning this personal story into a social study on beauty and consequently it has a far greater impact on our ideas of beauty, goodness, and humanity. The story is well-written, portraying the world’s reaction to Margarethe and later, her own response to ugliness. The direction and lighting are simple but effective, transporting us from the Duchess’ bedroom to the cold dark passages beneath the castle. Through excellent acting, direction and writing, The Ugly Duchess finally finds love at the Fringe.-ML
IncoheRANT St. Vladimir’s Theatre
July 9, 6:30 p.m.
Rating: VVVVv
IncoheRANT is as absurd as its title would suggest. The play concerns the story of a pair of homeless friends who awake one day to find themselves enclosed in a giant box with no means of escape. As they attempt to resolve this situation, a pulsating purple light appears before them and informs them that they have been recruited for a new job: they are to be God. As this mysterious heavenly messenger explains to them, God has decided to quit and they are to take His place. Truly a modern-day Waiting For Godot, the rest of the play involves a series of philosophical rants as the characters attempt to come to terms with their predicament. Geoffrey Ewert and Aaron Talbot are hilarious and seem to feed off of each other’s energy on stage. Their childish playfulness and highly physical acting make for a truly captivating performance. Moreover, the pair seems very comfortable interacting with their audience, making the show feel cozy and intimate in the small St. Vlad’s space.-LK
The Seducer’s Diary Glen Morris Studio
July 11, 2 p.m.
Rating: VVVV
This theatrical adaptation of Soren Kierkegaard’s The Seducer’s Diary takes a controversial tale of seduction to the next level. It intertwines two plotlines, one set in the mid-nineteenth century and the other in the present. Johannes and Joanne, the two protagonists in each time period respectively, explore the limits of seduction imposed upon their prey.
The two actors playing Johannes (Daniel Chap.m.an-Smith) and Joanne (U of T Drama grad Darrah Teitel) were not only convincing and enjoyable as sadistic seducers, but when the time period shifted, they played the innocent counterparts with equal tenacity, drawing sympathy from the audience. Credit must also go to supporting cast members Tracy Fuller and Natalya Ratner who added to the play’s fluidity and offered much-needed comic relief in such a dark show.
The most splendid moment in this show was during one Johannes monologue, where the three women underscored the dialogue by singing a motet-inspired work and would burst out in a choral ‘Amen’ at appropriate breaks in the monologue.
The play definitely pushed the theatrical envelope with its explicit sexual content- Darrah, who both wrote and starred in the production, said in an interview: “I wanted to do an adaptation [of Kierkegaard’s work] that would examine the misogyny and look at seduction from a feminist perspective.” With this Fringe offering, Teitel certainly achieves her goal.-SH
Shakespeare’s Gladiator Games Trinity College Field,
July 6, 2 p.m.
Rating: VVVV
Shakespeare translated to a rugby field, Shakespeare gone soccer-crazy, and Shakespeare in gladiator games style-such are the wild and wacky ideas of Chris Coculuzzi and Matt Toner, the brains behind Upstart Crow Productions’ successful Fringe series of comedic Bard-ic twists. Last year, Upstart Crow transferred Hamlet, King Lear, Othello and Macbeth to the soccer field to duke it out for the title of Best Shakespearean tragedy; this year, they’ve chosen a gladiatorial setting, a natural fit to spoof the Bard’s Greek and Roman plays.
A mammoth ensemble cast of over thirty actors romped through a witty script with few miscues, referencing everything from The Lion King to American Idol amid slivers of actual Shakespearean text. While the constant switching from play to play did get confusing at times and was complicated by numerous actors playing multiple roles, the play was, for the most part, energetic and highly entertaining. The ‘sports night’ set-up, led by three UCSN (Upstart Crow Sports Network, a play on ESPN complete with a snazzy imitation logo) sportscasters (Rob McKee, Stephen Flett and Seamus Dudley), helped give the production coherence and filled in gaps in the action as cast members ran across the field for costume changes.
Overall, Shakespeare’s Gladiator Games managed to capture the spirit of its gladiatorial setting, presenting a fast-moving spectacle of words that held the audience’s attention right through to the final act. The Bard would be proud.-YS
Double Team Supreme Artwood Theatre
July 12, 7:30 p.m. Rating: VVVv
Double Team Supreme is a hilarious and true look at the nature of friendship, family, and embarrassing grade-school moments. Performed with wit and insight by two Second City veterans, Tamara Bick and Rachel Hamilton (The Hey Hey Girls), the play starts with Hamilton reminiscing about moments from Grade 7. Especially good are her spot-on dissections of young female jealousy; her hilarious caricatures of grade school teachers and principals (cigar-holding, veins-a-popping) made everyone laugh. Bick’s piece, which takes over the second half, is more forlorn, but no less funny, as she performs her monologue on a stationary bike, recounting a seven-day road race across California for her dying friend John, who has AIDS.
Rather than relaying a string of bit pieces and bad jokes, The Hey Hey Girls instead infuse their dialogue with a seriousness and sadness that adds depth. Bick’s running of the race brings funny moments, especially of her fellow cyclers, but also a chance to explore her relationship with John in all its complexity and guilt. The same goes for Hamilton, where behind the pathetic attempts at conformity lies a deeper hurt and exasperation at the petty cliches that make up life at school.-IH
Mardi Bra Artword Theatre
July 9, 9:30 p.m.
Rating: VVVv
Mardi Bra is based loosely around a topic that concerns us all: women’s breasts. In this sexually-charged hour of comedy, comics Renée Percy and Jen Radomsky have mixed together an hour of skits, songs, and video pieces that are as ridiculous as they are amusing. A highlight of the show was the huge cardboard breasts that the actresses stuck their heads through, pretending to be a pair of nipples conversing with each other. Some other good moments included a variety of colourful and intricate costumes, a James Brown lip-synch number that featured Percy singing to a chocolate brownie, and a piece called “Welf Air” about an obnoxiously vulgar stand-up comic hired as the entertainment on a cheap-rate airline. The show also poked fun at local politics and riffed on the SARS and mad cow crises as well as the upcoming Rolling Stones concert. Although at times some of their jokes fell flat, Percy and Radomsky’s creativity, rambunctious enthusiasm, and wackiness were enough to keep the audience entertained.-LK
Star Wars Survivor Factory Studio
July 12, 9 p.m.
Rating: VVVv
The title says it all: It’s Star Wars set on a fictitious island in the South China Sea as contestants on Survivor. Pitting those of the “Rebellion” tribe against those of the “Death Star” tribe, the Star Wars characters are altered into the archetypes and scripted into the patterns often seen on such reality TV shows. The Emperor-Darth Vader alliance, Han Solo as the macho leader, Leia and Luke as the dumb, good-looking ones, and Lando Calrissian as “the black guy,” are among the featured stereotypes. Although we don’t get to see many immunity challenges (who wouldn’t love to see Leia eating some live cockroaches?), we do get those personal aside moments (done with a spotlight) where everyone gets to say what they’re really feeling.
The actors had the completely packed house eating out of their hands with their witty assortment of Star Wars-based humour ranging from Vader calling Skywalker “a little whiny bitch, just like his mother” to the Emperor claiming responsibility for Mel Lastman, Ernie Eves, and SARS. There were times when the show lacked momentum, but with the high-energy audience, the show ultimately soared despite lacking much of a plotline.-SH
Happy Velvet Underground
July 6, 8:30 p.m.
Rating: VVV
You know you’re in for a different kind of theatrical experience when the pre-show entertainment can be spotted half a block away. A cast of scantily-clad girls were stopping traffic at the intersection of Queen West and Augusta-flashing some leg here, catcalling drivers there. They then stormed the stage inside, yelling at the audience and muttering sexual come-ons. This kind of role reversal was the theme of Happy, a quirky monologue about the not-so-distant future where men will become extinct. Whether it’s in-vitro fertilization, political correctness or something as simple as the power suit, the play voices the greatest fear of modern man: the rise of Womyn. Most ironic of all is that the male lead, Happy, is played by a woman, Victoria Goring, who also wrote the play. Set in the gothic interior of The Velvet Underground, Goring’s delivery comes across like a confidential barroom chat. Alternating between self-deprecation (“I’m just a guy, what do I know?”) and sarcasm (“Don’t mind me, I’m just doing guy stuff-y’know, killing, raping, watching sports”), Happy is more tongue-in-cheek than serious drama. But by probing issues of identity and gender politics, the play carries a message for men and women alike.-AL
Teaching Witchcraft Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse
July 8th, 10:30 p.m.
Rating: VVV
Fringe fave Keir Cutler returns as a 15th-century priest delivering a 45-minute tirade against the evils of witchcraft. While Cutler draws chuckles from the audience by poking fun at the medieval arguments supporting the existence of witches, he avoids focusing on the heart of the matter: how the church and state led a campaign against innocent people, the majority of whom were women, for hundreds of years. Despite the fact that our Inquisitor is responsible for the brutal torture and deaths of numerous women, Cutler’s performance likens him more to a misguided village idiot, rather than a sinister and dangerous illustration of hate and power. The material is well-researched and the writing is good, contrasting the religious relics of the church with the magic tools of the damned. However, these props receive little attention from Cutler and lay idle on stage for most of the show. Nonetheless, Teaching Witchcraft is a thought-provoking and entertaining play and Cutler makes a fine attempt at tackling the issues surrounding this interesting and grave historical period.-ML
The Interview Factory Studio
July 10, 9 p.m. Rating: Vv
Anne, a confused young woman who left her last job in a fit of discontent, answers an ad placed by Dan, a government contractor. She is met at the door by Dan’s recalcitrant secretary Thelma, who is haunted by recurring dreams of suffocation. What follows is an interview process that strives to unearth each character’s true self, but never with satisfaction. Dan’s spiels about proper lawn care and Thelma’s speeches about her inner demons feel contritely banal. The play’s fixation with a broken toaster oven cries out for symbolic interpretation that is lost in its cryptic script.
By the time the play finally settles on an interesting theme, the boat has already sunk. Dan’s sexual feelings for Anne and their ensuing violence seem unrealistically choreographed (Dan and Anne have just met), and feel emotionally hollow. Dan’s feelings are hinted at, but Shawn Newman’s portrayal is too subtle and fails to project the character’s true emotions. As a result, all three characters partake in a cathartic scene of violence that appears random and out of place, especially Anne’s, whose cool observance to the scene belies her fragile nature.-IH
