Pip's Picks of the Fringe - DAY 3

So, my Day 3 on the 'Fringe' was last night.  I saw two shows.  I had intended to see three, but it just didn't work out that way.

Show #1 - Kitty in the City

I liked this show.  Solo performer Jeffrey Frieders 'gets physical' and jumps and spins from a flighty gay man and cat lover who owns a day spa for cats, to a stern Russian dog owner, to an uptight 'racoon' of a neighbour as he tells the story of Ronney Bridestar, a man in search of success.  As someone who has dabbled in filmmaking, and who was obsessed with television as a kid, sometimes when I watch a fringe show like this one, where there are really no props and only one actor, I can see the bigger picture and imagine what it would look like if created for the screen.  I saw that with this one, especially in the montage when Ronney suddenly finds himself running around giving mani's, pedi's & facials to multiple cats on the same day. Hilarious.

And how could I forget to mention the moment when Ronney addressed Adrian Chamberlain and said, "I think you will have a wonderful literary journey", without even knowing he was the critic for the Times Colonist. That is actually a line in the play. Seriously, it is.

Remaining Showtimes - Sat Sep 4, 4pm & Sun Sep 5, 5:30pm - St Andrew's School


Show #2 - Gonads and Gametes

Now, I'll be honest, it was my friend who was more interested in this show than I was.  While I agreed at the previews that it was a clever concept - an army of sperm led by Captain Spunk trying to fight their way into a uterus in order to fertilize a sacrificial egg named Emily - it wasn't one of my top picks.  It certainly is now. Jeff Leard is an animated, physical actor.  This show is high energy, fast-paced, and had the audience laughing out loud from start to finish. I see an animated film in the future.

Remaining Showtimes:  Tonite at 8pm & Sat at 9:30pm  - Wood Hall


And the show I missed last night was Peter & Chris Save the World.  I saw Peter in the lineup for Gonads & Gametes (the show) and, as it turns out, they had had a full house earlier that night.  I do hope to catch this before it's over as I missed their show last year and hear nothing but good thing about this comedy duo.

Remaining showtimes:  Fri Sep 3 at 8pm & Sun Sep 5 at 6:15pm


Tonight, the plan is Wanderlust at 6, Ginger Ninjas at 7:45, and Die Roten Punkte at 9:30.


Pip