Some acts need to be seen live, and when Sticks and Stone is billed as talented percussionists with a purpose, I had to check them out. They have been performing since 2017, and I had certain expectations when I saw Superhero Percussion: All the Hits! was coming to the Victoria Fringe Festival and they are playing at the CCPA Performance Hall. This group has a solid reputation for drawing crowds, but showrunner Stephen Stone was hoping some children would attend the 8 p.m. show. Unless you are a parent, there is a reason no one under eight was there.
The long weekend also offered plenty of reasons for people to be outdoors. Turning a busking spirit into a seated Fringe experience takes an ability to read the room and adapt on the spot, and the trio did a great job at adjusting. Had it been dialed up another notch, I’d say we would’ve been treated to a true tribute.
Elsewhere, I’m sure local theatre-goers were still racing from show to show while others slowed down. This hour-long set was good fun, especially when the trio transformed well-known rock tunes such as “Eye of the Tiger” and “Thunderstruck” into bright marimba arrangements. Their take on the former lingered with me afterwards, which sent me back to Billy Joel’s “Leave a Tender Moment Alone.” Those who have followed my Fringe reviews will understand why that is a compliment.
This Edmonton percussion trio centres its act on the marimba, an instrument billed as the “Piano of the Jungle.” They have performed at concerts, community events and festivals since 2017, and their 2020 debut album, Marimba Around the World, transformed folk music from 15 countries into something different. Rock- and jazz-style moments help turn their music into something audiences can dance to.
As for their act, seeing three adults dressed as generic superheroes says something. It is not a gimmick, but a statement. Stone’s planned leap over the enormous $25,000 musical instrument becomes an amusing source of suspense. One bad landing could hurt a performer and damage the instrument’s rosewood bars, and the joke works because everyone knows exactly how much is at stake.
The production’s main snag is its superhero framing. The costumes supply a playful visual, but the show rarely connects them to the music or to a larger comic-book world we all know.
A few more screen, cartoon or superhero themes would have made the title feel earned. I kept hoping for the 1960s Spider-Man theme, and a set list built around that sort of pop-cultural recognition could take the premise from cute to genuinely celebratory. When their drummer appeared to be dressed as Alan Scott, the Golden Age Green Lantern, I had to grin and wonder if the theme song to The Green Hornet might get played. It is a deep cut I would have appreciated, even though not everyone recognizes that tune. It is not as familiar as the iconic 1960s Batman tune.
Still, the trio are performers, and their warm, vaudeville-adjacent interplay keeps the room smiling. The Victoria Fringe Festival performance has the loose charm of a Sesame Street segment, complete with the kind of musical silliness that can make a marimba feel magical. Adjust expectations away from a tightly scripted theatre piece and toward an upbeat live act designed to connect with a crowd, and for the right audience, Superhero Percussion: All the Hits! can still score a bullseye.
3½ Stars out of 5
Superhero Percussion: All the Hits! at the Edmonton Fringe Festival 2024
For where this show will play next and more songs,
please visit the official website.
