Final Edmonton Fringe 2023 Reviews, feat. Freewill Shakespeare
Several shows take on new life after Edmonton's Fringe Festival
You are well within your rights to ask why I bother writing Fringe reviews when the festival is already over. Edmonton’s 42nd Fringe Festival concluded over a week ago and the holdovers are long gone at this point, too. Some may even consider this endeavor useless, just as they would theatre diplomas. I’m here to tell you otherwise.
There are two main reasons why I do what I do here. Chiefly, this is fun. I like this. My capacity for creative, meaningful writing is limited as of late, which means I must write when opportunity and inspiration at last collide.
Secondly, late reviews may not help you or me, but they can do a lot for shows that carry on to other festivals or their own independent runs. I would consider the time I spend writing reviews worthwhile if even one remarkable artist can use my honest thoughts to promote their work and earn the recognition they deserve.
I hope I’ve convinced you to read about the following shows and keep an eye out in case they return to Edmonton. I’ve included the holdover shows as well as a bonus round of Freewill Shakespeare reviews at the end.
Lesbihonest
Laura Piccinin delivered the best standup storytelling of Edmonton’s Fringe Festival with Lesbihonest. I think the real key to Piccinin’s show was the emphasis on contradictions, especially when it came to talking truths beyond the jokes. Like, yes, there shouldn’t even be a national day of coming out, it’s ridiculous, and if anything we should turn it ‘round and make heterosexual people come out instead—but it is equally true that coming out is a life-changing and life-threatening ordeal for so, so many of us, and it is therefore our duty to embrace those who make that leap with a loving net of open arms… especially if they come out over and over and in multiple ways. This playful treatment of the seemingly at-odds shows Piccinin is as learned as she is witty and gay.
Immaculate
I’m going to be totally honest: Immaculate started off really slow. In fact, after five or ten minutes, I thought we were in for a horribly boring monologue. But then Marya Folinsbee made out with a mop and I was hooked. It turns out the slow burn is actually hot air, and Immaculate takes off like an untied balloon once Folinsbee’s character is unshackled from the banality of stay at home motherhood. I found myself fully invested as the show approached its climax and lost my mind during a washroom waltz. Writer/performer Folinsbee’s show is a work of art, and I recommend Immaculate to anyone with a sense of humour and an appreciation for jokes that take some time and thought to pay off.
ParaNorma PI
My friend Chelsea Butler wins first prize for best 2023 Fringe Festival recommendation. I managed to squeeze a sold-out showing of ParaNorma PI into my schedule based on Chelsea’s review and I am so glad I did. The premise is simple: the audience is a class of Paranormal Investigation trainees and ParaNorma is our instructor. What sets ParaNorma apart from other PIs is that she is half-demon, able to investigate ghoulish goings-on at the source. This was the best show I saw at the Sewing Machine Factory, where the small, intimate stage made it work all the better. See it on any good after morning noon.
The Merkin Sisters
Ingrid Hansen is a master of physical comedy. Full stop, no notes. I don’t think I really needed any convincing after seeing her other show, Epidermis Circus, but this duet with Stéphanie Morin-Robin leaves no room for argument. Do not see this show for plot or character; see it for spectacle, for the surprising, terrifying, and amazing things the human body and a little creativity can do. Ultimately, I think I want to like The Merkin Sisters more than I actually like it, but that in no way takes away from the fact I was on the edge of my seat throughout this deeply weird, whimsical routine.
Edgar Perry
Edgar Perry lived up to its billing. This play is the third of a trilogy, and I feel I missed out by not seeing the previous installments. That said, once I determined there really are two Edgars in this story—not just the OG goth kid talking to himself, which you must admit is a fair assumption—I got on board as any ornery orangutan might. Edgar Perry steered us through middling waters until, finally, we reached a truly arabesque finale. It may not wow or shock or surprise, but this show gave me what I wanted from a tale inspired by Edgar Allen Poe.
Scooby Doosical
I previously wrote that Krampus was the “must-see musical of this Fringe Fest,” and past-me’s opinion holds up. That said, this show is a deserving runner-up. Scooby Doosical captures the fun you had watching Saturday morning Hanna-Barbera cartoons, including the deliberately unfocused asides and deeply unserious villains. Andrew Cormier stole the show as said unserious villain, and Bella King stood out as both Scoob and L’il Stinks. I award extra points for dropping an F-bomb in the face of a front row nine-year-old as well as best use of a trampoline in a Fringe production. Scooby Doosical is hilarious and subversive.
Sad Girl Songs
Gwen Coburn is very funny. Her show will make you laugh, but it also reveals what horrible things can happen behind the scenes, even the improvised ones. Appropriately described as when #YesAnd meets #MeToo, Sad Girl Songs employs inventive flashbacks and on-the-nose original music to rope you in with comedy and then crush your spirit with reality. This show was good, but not a highlight for me.
Forest of Truth
Liane Faulder from the Edmonton Journal wrote a joyless, ok-boomer-tier review for Forest of Truth, and it pains me to think of how much she cost Osaka Japan’s Theatre Group GUMBO at this year’s festival. Would it kill the mainstream media to send reviewers who understand and appreciate the spirit of Fringe? Not just theatre, but Fringe? That’s what this show is: the fringiest of the fringe. Every fault Faulder found with Forest of Truth within me found delight. In fact, I was one of the gleeful audience members “who were dragooned into participating in embarrassing, sexualized skits”—an afflicted victim Faulders apparently “felt for.” Anyone who missed Forest of Truth missed a crazy good time, even if I personally preferred their other show, Are You Lovin’ It?
HOLDOVERS
I had already seen two of the four holdover shows this year, Anatomica and Rat Academy, which both earned top marks from yours truly here (Anatomica) and here (Rat Academy). However, as we shall see, the remainder of the holdover shows were not so straightforward to review.
Tiger Lady
I was not sure what to expect from Tiger Lady. I had heard good things about it, and a handful of friends said it was on their list to see, but that was all I had to go on. Let’s start with the positives. Tiger Lady employs A+ costumes, choreography, props and puppets, as well as moments of clever audience participation. That may sound like an excellent time overall, and I’m happy if you loved Tiger Lady, but for me that’s where the show’s positives and Fringiness ends. In all other respects, Tiger Lady felt like an ordinary play, and when a limited runtime and predicable story hold you back, you come off as somewhat less than just another ordinary play. I’m afraid Tiger Lady did not live up to the hype.
This Won’t Hurt, I Promise
This Won’t Hurt, I Promise is much more than a standup comedy show. Elena Belyea of Tiny Bear Jaws theatre company invites us to laugh at everything that makes life difficult, especially those things that emerged or were exacerbated by the pandemic, and does so with engaging, relatable storytelling. Belyea knows good art makes us feel uncomfortable, and she is not afraid to make us a little uncomfortable, but she also knows ‘uncomfortable’ is not synonymous with ‘attacked.’ She calls out comics who delight in denigrating marginalized and vulnerable people for nothing more than who they are while making jokes at her own expense, which work because of who she is. Belyea’s show is smart and gratifying, a joyous production that shreds what ails you to pieces, literally.
BONUS Shakespeare Round
Romeo and Juliet
Edmonton’s Freewill Shakespeare Festival’s production of Romeo and Juliet was an incredible experience thanks to the Cristal Palace Spiegeltent. Members of the Free Will Players Theatre Guild raced atop, throughout, back and forth across the theatre, which made the streets of fair Verona—including the bloody, fatal fights—as dynamic as ever. The staging and costumes were the highlights of this show, including Christina Nguyen as Juliet, who served Jenna-Ortega-as-Hopelessly-Romantic-Wednesday realness. I consider Romeo and Juliet the most overrated of Shakespeare’s plays, but this production was a treat. I only regret not getting tickets for Twelfth Night before they sold out.
Something Wicked
House of Hush Burlesque made my night at the Spiegeltent with Something Wicked. This show differed from their Fringe production, Shakespeare’s Sirens, but Nikki Hallows remained star of the show as our host, here inspired by the Bard’s tendency to employ the supernatural. My favourite dance was performed by Jezebel Sinclair, who knew exactly what she was doing with that rendition of Black Sabbath’s War Pigs. This group puts on the best burlesque in yeg by my estimation, and are offering classes for anyone with the spirit to join their talented ranks.
I guess that’s it for this year’s Fringe Festival. The next show on my list is SIX at the Citadel. See you there.