All Fringed out

>> >>Wrapping up a wild and wacky festival

by AMY BARRATT

Thank God that's over. I don't know how much longer I could have gone on, seeing good theatre day after day. It's wearing. By now we all know who won the Frankie awards at the 10th Annual Montreal Fringe Festival, but just as a reference, the winners are listed at the end of this article.

Susan Jeremy's P.S. 69, apart from being hilarious and touching, was probably the most polished, professional thing I saw at the fest. It is deserving of its spot in Just for Laughs and the run at Centaur in the fall. Still, you can't help feeling bad for the companies--many of them local--who generated so much excitement during the festival but walked away empty-handed at the awards. I sincerely hope we haven't seen the last of shows like girls! girls! girls!, Arrhythmia, Mad Dash and Tripping Through Oz.

Meanwhile, is anyone else still puzzled by what exactly M.A.C Cosmetics was recognizing with its award for "expression"? If they meant "expressiveness," the large screaming actresses in Les Reines certainly had that. As for the other winner, Eric Miles of Dance Proje/c/t Danse, he has a great face, although those who saw him dance may have been oblivious to the fact. This guy didn't have to move a muscle to have every eye glued to his magnificent torso. Maybe that is the essence of "expression."

In other news, someone fell asleep at the wheel of the Fringe Web site, where a Top 10 list of best-selling shows, purporting to be "updated daily," remained unchanged from day three on.

Battling tushes

I went to see Mari Osanai's hollow place and Shakti's Swan Lake back-to-back this year. Now, it isn't really fair to compare these two because what they're trying to do is so different (and I don't claim to be a dance critic), but from the point of view of theatre, give me Shakti anytime. Osanai infuriated me with her turned-in energy and her dingy lighting. Shakti's style is on the vulgar side, no question, but at least she connects with the audience. When Osanai, in see-through black tights, repeatedly mooned me during her show, I felt it would be rude to notice; Shakti's tush, on the other hand, was practically a character in its own right.

High-fives to everyone who went out and saw shows, making this, from the point of view of ticket sales at least, the most successful Fringe ever. As I live around the corner from Parc des Amériques, where the Beer Tent was located, I thank the organizers for keeping the noise levels really reasonable, especially after 10 p.m.

Shows I'm sorry I didn't get to see: Thanks for the Mammaries, Woody, Elucubrations feminines, On Deaf Ears. Shows I would like to have seen a second time: Arrhythmia, Mad Dash, P.S. 69, 52 Pick-Up.

Frankie Winners: Wyrd Productions (Rick Miller's company); Award for Best Multimedia: Dialogue avec Persephone; Chapters Bookstore Best Text Award: 52 Pick-up by Rita Bozi and T.J. Dawe; M.A.C Cosmetics Award for Expression: Marie-Hélène Beaulieu of Les Reines and Eric Miles of Dance Proje/c/t Danse; Centaur Theatre Showcase Award: P.S. 69 (runner-up: girls! girls! girls!); Just for Laughs Best Comedy Award: P.S. 69; Outstanding Volunteer Award: Summer Elliott, Jesse Gryn and Albert Moore; Spirit of the Fringe Award: the guys from Dweezil Underwood and the Perfect Date. :

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