Timmy’s Sexual Adventures

Following the sexual career of young Timmy, from his nascent kindergarten encounters with icky girls, through to his sexual peak as a university student, this one-man show takes a good, often quite funny look at the relationship between a boy and his penis. The penis often wins. While sexual diaries have often been the domain of female writers and performers, writer/performer Brad Curtin offers a fresh take on how the male libido—here personified as a macho, closeted superhero wearing only briefs and suspenders—gets the better of the male mind, with consequences that end in self-loathing and near mutilation. (Venue 6, CFCF Stage, 3997 St-Laurent) » Patrick Lejtenyi

Walking Back to Brooklyn

This true story, written while collaborating with Mark W. Travis of A Bronx Tale fame, is L.A. criminal lawyer Mark Meyer’s playwriting and performing debut. Armed with two chairs, a stool and a spotlight, Meyer plays Murray, a grown-up character who recounts the tales of little Murray’s dysfunctional family and their move to Montreal in 1957. Frustrated that “Montreal stinks on ice!” the 12-year-old packs some tuna sandwiches, five bucks and begins the long walk from Snowdon to Brooklyn. Illuminating a time when the Main was a “Pepsi neighborhood” where “Maudit Juifs” were roughed up en masse, Meyer’s transition from character to character and from past to present is seamless, funny and truly entertaining. (Venue 8, Bain St-Michel, 5300 St-Dominique) » Kristen Larocque

Never Surrender Saves a Baby!

Ace lip-synch trio Never Surrender and their arch nemesis Corporate Commander return with all the wacky, cheesy, slightly homosexual and sonically horrendous makings of another great adventure, but this isn’t Never Surrender’s Greatest Adventure (last year’s thus far aptly titled show). Maybe the script fares better minus all the opening night’s technical problems, which were reportedly resolved by the second performance, but the soundtrack really needs more rock and fewer early ’90s ballads. Still, every man, woman and child should probably see Never Surrender once in their lifetime. (Venue 6, CFCF-CTV Stage, 3997 St-Laurent) » Lorraine Carpenter

Les Sylphides

When a woman with a cloaked head silently handed me a program before the show, I knew this was not going to be your run-of-the-mill production of Les Sylphides, the almost century-old romantic ballet. In this version, Christophe Garcia of Marseille’s Les Ballets de la [parenthèse], ditches tutus and classical ballet form, opening with knock-kneed dancing women who hobble about with cramped-up feet. Against jarring juxtapositions of Chopin melodies, he tackles stereotypical female images such as coquette, bride and mother with a gaggle of flying baby dolls. Meanwhile, at the shrink’s office, a whore dolls up as she dishes out first sexual encounters. It’s clear enough that women are not sylphs in Garcia’s eyes. (Venue 2, Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui, 3900 St-Denis) » Marites Carino

The Reefer Man

A well-written, and very well-acted, tale about a young Montreal lawyer with an affinity for marijuana, this one-man performance takes on the ridiculous nature of current pot laws and the unnecessary criminalization of hundreds of thousands of Canadians. Actor Russell Bennett plays half a dozen characters with equal parts humour and honesty, from his overbearing Jewish parents to a senile, babbling judge. With manic energy and a knack for voices, Bennett’s performance is outstanding. Timely, powerful and hilarious, The Reefer Man is not a performance to be missed. (Venue 3, Geordie Space, 4001 Berri) » Patrick Lejtenyi

The Harvey Christ Medicine Show

A four-piece Montreal troupe known as the Church of Harvey Christ Redeemer has satirized evangelical Christianity for over a decade with a CKUT radio show, CDs, comics and various live events. Unfortunately, their Fringe act was clunky and awkward, and even though incomprehensibility is part of the joke, their 40 minutes of hymnals and hit-and-miss testimonials (fraught with flubbed lines and bad timing) said less about the Church than the scraps of info I found online, which were also funnier. As singers and musicians, though, they’re pretty tight. (Venue 9, Mile End Cultural Centre, 5390 St-Laurent) » Lorraine Carpenter

Jem Rolls’ Charm Offensive

Fans of incisive Brit wit, rapid-fire rhymes and explosive verbal diarrhea will surely dig this one-man Fringe favourite. From revisionist history to noxious foot odor to the horrors of tourism to the hard-luck story of a yob named Porky, Jem Rolls jumps from funny observation to melancholy anecdote to interesting trivia to inspirational chatter at high speed, eyes darting, face distorting and spit flying all the while (thankfully not at the audience). (Venue 4, Mirror Stage, 4247 St-Dominique) » Lorraine Carpenter

Hip-Hop 4 Dummeez

The multi-talented Sable & Batalion introduce five simple lessons in hip hop, as taught by their alter-egos, MCs VowelMovement and Bushman of the Grafenburg All Stars (their real hip hop act, as heavily plugged throughout the show). Focusing largely on vocabulary, from southern sl-urrrr-ing to the (blank)+ass+bitch/ho formula for the ladies, the duo kept it broad and superficial for all (unhip hop) audiences, winning most laughs with funny voices, clever freestyle yucks and a dash of white awkwardness. (Venue 1, MAI, 3680 Jeanne-Mance) » Lorraine Carpenter

Upstream and Blurred Shutters

It’s a treat to see dance pieces that leave me wanting more, and the solo excerpt I saw from Upstream and Blurred Shutters, called “the greater the weight” by choreographer Dana Michel, had exactly that effect. Bounding on stage to a driving soundtrack, Michel, an excellent mover, shared a dynamic performance and showcased precision in her creative sequences. The entire Upstream, a collection of choreographic shorts by Teoma Naccarato, Louis Turcotte and Rachel Robertson, can be seen at Bain St-Michel June 24 and 25. (Venue 1, MAI, 3680 Jeanne-Mance) » Marites Carino

Start Your Own Religion in 6 Simple Steps

Kristian Reimer as Brian Teitleman à la Anthony Robbins is charming, with great energy. According to him, religion is a franchise-able structure and he’s going to show you how to run your own company and make money—he’ll even give you a free, simple, six-step kit. When Reimer is focused, and not searching for the next idea, you want to listen, laugh and support him. His easy, straightforward delivery has just the right tone and the visual aids are silly enough. But there’s just not enough meat in the sales pitch to make this a must-see. Rumour has it someone called to protest the play’s title/concept, but having seen this I can assure they have nothing to worry about. (OFF A, Theatre Ste-Catherine, 264 Ste-Catherine) » Janis Kirshner

Mosaïk Transistor

Dance teacher and choreographer Amélie Lévesque Demers likes to use the Fringe to experiment. This time, she invited 20 students to dance and partly take over the choreography of Urban Teenagers, a contemporary dance piece that addresses youth issues. Watch for an impressive, sombre solo done with untied pointe shoes. In the second half of the show, O Vertigo dancer and movement creator Mélanie Demers makes waves with Transistor. Here, three women play with chance as a dancer spins the dial of an old-style radio like the Wheel of Fortune to land on random tunes and broadcasts that are used as choreographic soundscapes. (Venue 10, Théâtre LaChapelle, 3700 St-Dominique) » Marites Carino

S.M.I.L.E. While You D.I.E.

Theatre Serendipity’s first show of their cross-Canada Fringe-circuit tour didn’t exactly go off without a hitch. Telling enough was performer Rachelle Fordyce rolling back her eyes and sighing with a smile after the bow. But despite several technical/timing difficulties, she pulled it off. The multimedia show presents scenes from conception to utter destruction, a morning radio DJ foreshadowing the world’s impending doom, corporate despotism… All this prompts the charming “Blue Skies”-singing character to morph into a frustrated lunatic clown by show’s end. Still, Fordyce’s character, enslaved by her call centre job, must keep reaching for the stars. (Venue 4, Mirror Stage, 4247 St-Dominique) » Kristen Larocque

More Fringe reviews...

>> Stage Listings