By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)
When frequent Fringe theatre attendees can not get enough from one festival, thankfully those living in the Pacific Northwest can hop a ferry over to continue the fun. A few days is definitely needed to rest (thank god for Labour Day) to rest up before going from Victoria to Vancouver, British Columbia, performers included. This mainland side show starts September 7th and lasts for the same amount of days as the capital city.
Now if I can convince a relative to let me crash there for a week, the following are my picks of this show I feel are must see. I’m not repeating those I have seen already. You can click on this link to see my picks from the Victoria show — most of which are appearing in Vancouver.
Please click on the show titles for the show dates and to purchase tickets.
Chandelier-swinging, dastardly schemes and swordfights, swordfights, swordfights await as Sex T-Rex bring their signature cinematic style to the stage, dancing from The Princess Bride, to Final Fantasy, to Game of Thrones and dipping their rapier wit into all things sordid and sworded.
THE SECRET OF CASTLE ALPHABET NATURALLY
Mea happens upon a mysterious old castle unearthing the legend that one day, a true heir of the lost kingdom will return. This fantastical, imaginative story shows kids that each of them have the ability to change someone’s world by being the best version of themselves. Good fun for kids and adults alike! You can dress up in your best castle garb!
A David Lynch Wet Dream is a surrealist movement piece, a solo show following a character trying to find her place within a harsh and intangible landscape. The story of leaving the clutches of naivety and grappling with the ever-changing nature of identity. Making use of projection and an encompassing sound design, the show plunges the audience into a one of a kind sensory experience.
Join real life scientist (and writer) Mily Mumford for an interactive, ultra-funny, quite-wild, pretty-darn-sexy history of how women in science have been f*$%ed over for centuries.
Alastair Knowles (of Canadian Comedy Award winning James & Jamesy) and Stephanie Morin-Robert (five-time Best of Fest winner) stage their relationship with wide-eyed wonder and odd innocence.
I reviewed their 2016 show and thoroughly enjoyed their antics. I would definitely see them again!
THE ADVENTURES OF ROCKETMAN AND BEANO
Holy comic books, Beano! Watch as Maggie and Stuart reenact the “original” superhero saga with song, dance, and epic mishaps. Think Lucy and Desi doing Batman and Robin with a dash of Shakespeare. Cheer on and laugh at these superheroes (super idiots?) in their quest to avenge injustice!
In this darkly awesome future, Shoguns reign, vampires infest Brooklyn, and the world has gone grindhouse. After losing her lover to some undead hoodlums, Dewdrop gets herself a training montage and a sidekick and sets off for revenge. Soul Samurai—a graphic novel explodes on stage: multimedia action topped with zine-like homemade sweetness.
CITLALI: A FANTASTIC TALE ABOUT WATER BY A MEXICAN POET
Performer Brenda Muñoz leads a mythological tale about the origins of Mexico and the journey of a demigoddess on a search for water. This play looks very interesting. Sadly, no show dates are offered and it may be cancelled. Please check with the Festival offices for updates.
In this whirlwind 90-minute musical comedy, Chris Adams and Erik Gow play over 30 characters in this two-man spoof. A pair of aspiring playwrights perform a backers’ audition for their new project—a big, splashy musical about printing press inventor Johann Gutenberg.
CRY-BABY: THE MUSICAL
12 MINUTE MADNESS
Based on the John Waters film, Cry-Baby: The Musical focuses on Baltimore teenager Allison Vernon-Williams, who is drawn across the tracks from her 1954 finishing school background into a relationship with the orphaned Wade “Cry-Baby” Walker, the leader of a pack of rebel outcasts