Fringe Festivals Round Four (B) : The Potvin Perspective

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The taste of last night’s St-Ambroise Apricot still lingers in my mouth as I crawl out of my twisted sheets for yet another day of independent theatre. The chime of the 13th Hour is still ringing in my ears as I rise like a vampire from a tomb, my hangover giving me a distinctly parched appearance that is frightening to young children and to the aged. I drag-ass out of bed and into a Kitt+Jane t-shirt from last year and I prepare my body and soul for the wringing out that it will experience today. I anticipate that today will a grand day for Fringing and I have learned over the years to trust my instincts about these things, as opposed to my instincts about street sale t-shirts, which never really fit the way that you want them too.

Bar Kapra the Squirrel Hunter
The show is still in workshop at this point, but it’s very interesting. What I like about this show is that there are a lot of nice things to look at. The squirrel puppets are some of the cutest things that you will ever see, and the costume design is very well done which is not something that you usually see in a fringe show. The performers are great and from the likes of Johanna Nutter, France Rolland and Howard Rosenstein, I expect nothing less. I guess my issues with the piece is that the message is a bit muddled at this stage and the language gets confusing, which is part of the point, but still makes certain essential plot points harder to follow. I don’t understand what we learned from all of this, and why we were here. There is a LOT of potential here though and I really look forward to seeing how the script changes in the next iteration of this production. AP

Playing at Théâtre la Chappelle

Peter’n’Chris presents: Here Lies Chris

Peter and Chris are, as usual, hilarious. They are essentially doing the same show that they did at Sketchfest. Peter accidentally kills Chris and spends the rest of the show searching for a replacement Chris in alternate universes. Sprinkling the journey with some of their greatest hits, you will have the chance to revisit such classics as the Medieval Battle Sketch and The Drummers in addition to their newer work. Pleasure has never been a dirtier word. Check this out while you still can get tickets. AP
Playing at Theatre Ste Catherine

Snack Music
Snafu Theatre delights with their signature energetic style. This physical theatre troupe uses the audience’s stories to feed the show, using vegetables and random household objects to bring personal stories to life in a way that is both simple and simply brilliant. Not to be upstaged, they also make it a point to share personal stories from their own lives as well in an effort to create a lovely community that lives for at the minimum one hour, and at its most aspirational, forever. This is a great experience and as it is partially audience dependant, this show will change every night! AP
Playing at the MAI

Obscura
This is my pick of the Fringe to date. Christian Cagigal isn’t just an exceptional magician, but is also a master storyteller and this show showcases his various talents. As he himself states from the start, this is a different kind of magic show. This is a show that involves the telling of tall tales, and pits you against the very King of Lies himself. This was the fastest hour that I have spent at the Fringe. While his magic dazzles, his storytelling lulls you, transporting you into a world where every stranger might be hiding a devil’s face, a world infinetely more interesting that your own. AP
Playing at Montreal Improv

As I race the dawn back to my bed, and I rinse the sweat and stink of the 13th Hour off of my exilerated body, and I revel in the fact that the St. Laurent street sale will end and that we can rule the streets as freaks and geeks without interference once more, I sign off, saying goodnight, and Happy Fringing! Until tomorrow….

The Montreal Fringe Festival site can be reached HERE. For more Fringe Festival reviews here are our reviews Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, and Round 4 part A.

Photo by Gerrard Harris. His instagram is HERE.