The good, the buzz and the ugly

Hits and misses from the Fringe

by DAVID GOBEIL TAYLOR

In my seven years with the Montreal Fringe Festival, I have been an audience member, a volunteer, an actor, a playwright, a producer and now, in a sudden twist of fate, a journalist and critic. With all this fringing under my belt, I like to think that by now I have figured out what makes a good Fringe show. I have had dealings in several capacities with many people reviewed below, but I am casting these aside in order to give my honest opinions.

One of the best ways to separate the wheat from the chaff is by following the buzz. In the Buzz of the Beer Tent, audience members can anonymously review shows; their comments are then posted in the central tent for all to see. (The Mirror has also provided PlayPen, an online buzz)

The buzz is helpful, but suspect. After seeing a few raves about the same show in the same handwriting, one can only wonder if this is the work of a conniving cast member. There also seems to be an informal competition over who can write the wittiest buzz--and it's much easier to come up with a scathing one-liner than a laudatory one. A few examples: "I just saw Mary. Help me..." "[Play] is a good 60-minute show which would have made an excellent 30-minute show."

To help you on your Fringe journey, I have prepared a handy table of nine of the best and worst Fringe plays. The selection is obviously not exhaustive, due to limitations of space, time and sheer physical endurance--after eight shows in one day, all plays start to blend together. Say, didn't I just see The Free Fall Portico Grinders perform Immaculate SeeBobSpotting & ganoosh the Cellist?

The Fringe Festival continues to June 22. Info: 849-FEST

Art

Play/synopsis: Rick Miller of MacHomer fame gives us a series of vocal impressions culminating in a 20-minute rendition of The Simpsons do Les Misérables.

Result: The first part was good, if under-rehearsed. The Les Miz segment, however, was ill-conceived, incomprehensible, poorly memorized, inaudible... and just plain boring. Miller is talented, but those who trust his past success enough to shell out for a ticket deserve better.

Reaction/buzz: Extremely mixed. The audience gave Miller a standing ovation, though they were visibly dumbfounded, bored and, in some cases, asleep during Les Miz.

The Baumgard Cuckoos

Play/synopsis: A one-man show about a Saskatchewan family whose only escape from small-town life is professional hockey.

Result: A touching, intricate script and a mesmerizing performance by writer/director Patrick Goddard. Terry Allard's direction is extremely effective and, most importantly, invisible. The only show I'm confident to call a must-see.

Reaction/buzz: A rapt audience responded enthusiastically. Very little buzz, however--perhaps the play is too intelligent to inspire one-liners.

Danespotting

Play/synopsis: The characters of Hamlet and Ophelia are explored through a juxtaposition of Shakespeare, TV and movie references, choreography and music.

Result: A smart script, funny and serious at the right moments. Bites off a bit more than it can chew, however--too much material, albeit interesting, is introduced in too haphazard a fashion and 45 minutes is nowhere near long enough. Still provoking, despite its lack of focus.

Reaction/buzz: Enthusiastic audience, forgiving of the obvious opening-night sloppiness.

Letters

Play/synopsis: Five women read letters written to their sexually abusive parents.

Result: Surprisingly subtle and moving, not maudlin. The acting ranges from professional to rank amateur and they could have used a real stage director, but the result is refreshingly unpretentious and agendaless.

Reaction/buzz: "It's kind of like being hit by a bus. But in a good way."

MöcShplat

Play/synopsis: Four demented clowns retell Shakespeare's Macbeth in gibberish.

Result: A painful show to watch--you get cramps from laughing so much. The actors and direction are brilliant and even Shakespeare purists would enjoy the witty and hilarious script.

Reaction/buzz: "Aga nooki beadshtd FUN... ömkta kwingiö LAFF!"

Sorority Girls Slumber Party Massacre

Play/synopsis: A B-musical about a serial killer stalking three sorority girls during a pledge night prank gone wrong.

Result: Screamingly funny and well-performed. How can you go wrong with a song title like "There's a Severed Head in the Toilet Bowl"?

Reaction/buzz: "Even the corpses are singing and dancing." "I laughed, I cried... I just about wet myself."

Tintin Untold

Play/synopsis: A one-man show starring Tintin, who loses his virginity, discovers masturbation and has a homosexual experience on a journey from WWII Berlin to the moon to Montreal in 1970.

Result: Actor/writer William R. Young is an engaging storyteller, and his characterization of Tintin is perfect in this funny and often wistful script.

Reaction/buzz: The audience hung on every word, especially when they found out that Milou was the real kidnappee during the October Crisis.

Waiting for Gastritis

Play/synopsis: Nothing very intelligible happens to five poorly defined characters.

Result: A failed attempt to satirize Beckett. The existential becomes excremental and the absurd becomes abstruse. To quote the play: "Ceaseless. Indeed."

Reaction/buzz: Stunned bewilderment.

Whale Nation

Play/synopsis: A one-man show with no frills, giving a portrait of the psyche and personality of whales--along with a detailed manual of how to kill them.

Result: A subtle, moving and tenderly written script; actor Kevin Williamson is an absolute pleasure to watch and hear. This is not activism-as-art; it's simply well-done theatre.

Reaction/buzz: Mixed, but generally positive. From "Un-f$#%ing-believable!" to "Where was the acting? Video, dance, music, something! Theatre!"

Conflict of interest alert!

In order to be completely above board, I would like to list all of the potential conflicts of interest in this article. Danespotting: Matt MacFadzean performed in a play I wrote, Homo Alone, which was presented at the Fringe last year when I was the festival's producer. I have also bummed many cigarettes from him. He offered me a beer once, but I refused. Art: Rick Miller has performed in the last two Fringes, when I was on staff. I gave him a ride home once in my legally purchased 1980 Chevy Citation--it broke down the next day. MöcShplat: I once told the director, Al Goulem, to stop swearing so much. Actor Marcel Jeannin's fiancée used to work for me, and I will be attending their wedding on Sunday. My gift will be a fondue set. Waiting for Gastritis: Director Julius Chappel acted in my worst-ever-selling play, Reagan II. Writer Harry Crane wrote a piece in last year's Fringe. Actor Sean Devine went to CEGEP with me and plowed my face into the ground many times during gym class. The Baumgard Cuckoos: Patrick Goddard has volunteered and performed in past Fringes, and used to be the receptionist at the Mirror. I particularly admired his skill at enunciating: "Intercom 101 is for David Gobeil Taylor." Letters: I bought a sandwich from one of the actors at 3:59 p.m. on June 13, 1997. So far as I know, I have never had contact with anyone from Whale Nation, Tintin Untold, or Sorority Girls... One of the sorority girls, though, looks like someone I briefly dated during a past life.