Uncalled For Presents: Today Is All Your Birthdays
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2009 Fringe reviews - T-W
★★★ Take You With Me - (Venue 5: Victoria Event Centre) “If you haven’t noticed, this is not a play,” says singer-songwriter Aspen Switzer at the opening of her Fringe show Friday night. We noticed—Take You With Me is actually more of a made-for-folk-fest concert. However, this performer’s intimacy with the audience creates such a strong emotional resonance that a narrative is not hard to find. The seemingly no-big-deal preamble to her songs contrast with the quiet intensity of her baby-sweet vocals. Unfortunately, campy rhymes in the spoken word interlude don’t measure up to the majority of the performance since Switzer sings at the ease most people speak with. “Subplots” to the show also include a charming acrobatic routine and momentary partial nudity—entertaining, sure, but the real highlights of the hour are with Switzer and her guitar, keyboard or banjo (specifically, the banjo). This might not be a play, but it’s not just a concert, either. —J.D.D. ★★★ Transcanada ‘69 - (Venue 9: A Channel) Seeing this show at the Fringe is like drinking a glass of chocolate milk at a wine tasting; while it may be enjoyable, it’s sure no merlot. Similarly, Transcanada ‘69 isn’t a piece of theatre; it’s a straight-up concert of some mighty fine Canadian music (Leonard Cohen, Glenn Gould, Joni Mitchell, Oscar Peterson) as interpreted by talented solo guitarist Colin Godbout. While there’s a wheatstock-thin through-line about following the 1969-era trans-Canadian rail line from Montreal to Vancouver, don’t go expecting any sort of overarching narrative. This is a one-hour concert, pure and simple, and while Godbout is an enjoyable performer, this collection of iconic covers and some originals (which only point out the strengths of the classics) still seems oddly out of place here. Alas, while comfortable, the last-minute TV-studio performance space doesn’t really help the show, only reinforcing the Tommy Hunter-ness of it all. Early ‘70s CBC watchers, this one’s for you. —J.T. ★★★★ Tuesdays With Morrie - (Venue 4: St. Andrews School) While the idea of watching a 90-minute dramedy about a slightly jaded American sports journalist reawakening to the true meaning of life via the world-wise philosophy of his long-estranged-but-now-dying sociology prof may sound a bit too sincere for the Fringe, it’s hard not to like this production. Despite a somewhat unnecessarily theatrical presentation (enjoyable co-star David MacPherson performs with script in hand, as per the show’s intentional workshop stance), there’s an unmistakable charm and sincerity to Antony Holland’s performance in the title role. Of course, it helps that he’s earned a 2006 Jessie Award for playing this role in Vancouver—and that Holland is old enough to truly pull it all off (which is a great joy in a city where young actors play old more frequently than the old act their age). And there’s a lot of great things you can say about Holland’s performance, the most telling of which is that he offers the audience a money-back guarantee before the performance begins . . . and you’d have to be pretty damn hard-hearted to even think about asking for your $9 back. Even if you’ve already read the book and seen the movie, it’s worth spending 90 minutes with this surprisingly engaging and sincerely insightful Morrie. —J.T. ★★★★ Uncalled For Presents: Today Is All Your Birthdays - (Venue: 4: St. Andrews School) Be forewarned: You are a baby, and today is your birthday. And hey, didja know you were birthed from a rift in the space-time continuum? Prepare for a dizzifying ride with Uncalled For Presents. This show explores the universe from what seem to be the perspectives of two 1950s science-fiction space explorers. Their ultimate objective is space. All of it. Uncalled For’s electrifying presence and down-pat timing will take you to the Fringetastic universe and beyond. There are ferbies, there are Facebookless babies, there are hundreds—yes, hundreds—of stars. This is a fresh sketch comedy that doesn’t rely (too heavily) on crude humour to draw a laugh, so bring the youngsters out for a theatrical treat. In fact, there were a handful of kids in the audience Sunday afternoon who were graced with some (surprise, surprise) birthday cakes. Parental warning: Your children may go home sugared. —J.D.D. ★★★ Virtual Solitaire - (Venue 3: Wood Hall) Nathan is the future’s equivalent of a video-game tester and virtual-reality junkie who is trapped in a virtual-reality game unlike any he has experienced before. Two scientists—one a game programmer and another sent from corporate HQ—try to find out what has gone wrong. True, this solo show—where Vancouver actor Darren Boquist portrays over 30 characters—is at times very confusing, but if you sit back and just let it wash over you, this is a wholly engaging play. Some of Boquist’s takes on characters are a tad too stereotypical for me (the uber-nerdy scientist, the cool-as-a-cucumber corporate cronie) and its 85-minute run time is a bit much for a one-man show at the Fringe, but Virtual Solitaire has a really great surreal, cinematic quality to it. Sure, you don’t get absolutely everything that is going on—but I don’t think you’re supposed to. If your favourite films are the Matrix, Videodrome and Blade Runner, this is a show for you. (Conversely, if you’re not at all into science fiction, you might want to skip this one.) —A.F. ★★★½ The War of 1812 - (Venue 10: St. Ann’s Academy) Last seen at this year’s Intrepid Presents series, this goofball comedy about a jaded schoolkid who is ushered through the river of time by Pierre Berton to learn about the time we kicked America’s ass is full of laughs. Granted, this opening-night performance was pretty rough around the edges, but these four actors are almost as funny when they’re trying to fill space or pointing out each other’s mistakes as they are when they’re on script. They’ve shaved quite a bit off the show since last time, but at time it still drags a bit (mostly when they guys on stage are stalling in order to let one of the four performers have a costume chance.) Still, expect lots of good prop and sight gags, some truly interactive audience role-playing and a cameo from Pierre Berton himself—oh, and Morgan Cranny in a loincloth . . . and his underwear. (We’ll let you decide if that’s a good or bad thing.) —A.F.
According to John Threlfall Fringe theatre is analogous to wine, and a “concert of some mighty fine Canadian music (Leonard Cohen, Glenn Gould, Joni Mitchell, Oscar Peterson) as interpreted by [a] talented solo guitarist” is analogous to “a glass of chocolate milk” - or to country singer Tommy Hunter. Really.
The implication is that TransCanada ‘69 doesn’t fit in the Fringe Festival. How about Fringe regular Jem Rolls’ performance poetry, comedy sketches, dances, or two nude women who improvise dialogue with the audience (an Edmonton Fringe show)? What beverages might they be analogous to and where is their “overarching narrative”?
The Fringe offers a bit of everything and you never know exactly what to expect. Some may want their safe, predictable red red wine, but that’s not a very fringe drink is it?
A Channel studio is an amazing venue. Festival director Janet Munsil went way beyond the call of duty when cycling around town on the first day of the Festival to secure the venue, and Amanda graciously offered the space on the spot. Lighting technician Rosco voluntarily created a great lighting design just for the Festival. The door staff have been very welcoming. A Plank Magazine reader calls the venue “a lovely setting”.
Therefore it’s baffling to find the editor of Monday Magazine (which is, in theory, out to help rather than hinder local artists) extend his bizarre criticism of a local artist (see analogies of TransCanada ‘69) to a criticism of an obviously awesome venue. J.T., what’s your beef?
I know it’s my third comment, and I’m supposed to let reviewers think for me, but I’ve been thinking about Threlfall’s last sentence in his review of TransCanada ‘69: “Early ‘70s CBC watchers, this one’s for you.” Because the venue is a TV studio and the music is from the late ‘60’s.
If I carry this logic further, the show, 2 to Django, in the same venue, is for 90 year old fans of French TV. And a show I saw last year in Vancouver, Gutenburg the Musical, is for deceased Germans. Likewise, neither an exhibition of Renaissance art nor a Mahler symphony are for the living.
I like to think that art transcends time and space and that it speaks to the human soul. In fact, the overarching narrative of TransCanada ‘69 is the integration of the human soul, but no reviewer in my entire tour seems to have picked up on that. Too many reviewers follow Threlfall in painting a show with a broad brushstroke and erasing nuances in the process.
I suggest people ignore mindless reviews, take in a show, and think for themselves. That would make for a real Fringe Festival.
It’s insightful to compare three views of original songs in TransCanada ‘69.
“The biggest treat of the evening was one song which Colin had written as a tribute to Lenny Breau - not to be missed.”
London
“As someone who would be more interested in a TransNorthwest ’91 show, I found the original compositions more engaging than the covers.”
Calgary (I’m sure she means my take on the covers, not the classic songs themselves)
“Some originals...only point out the strengths of the classics.”
editor of Victoria’s Monday Magazine
Wow, dude, get over it… it’s just one person’s review. I heard that your show was great, so relax.