Times Colonist reviewers Amy Smart, Adrian Chamberlain and Cory Ruf are covering the Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival, running to Sunday. All critiques use a five-star grading system.
What: Burnt at the Steak
Where: Langham Court Theatre
When: Aug. 30 to Sept. 2
Rating: **** 1/2
Carolann Valentinos one-woman musical-comedy Burnt at the Steak throws into sharp relief what should already be common knowledge: While dining out, never mistreat your servers.
In addition to spitting on your foie gras, disgruntled waiters, many of whom moonlight as creative types, might later roast you in their art.
Valentino has done just that. Burnt at the Steak recalls her time as a highly paid manager at an elite New York steakhouse, a job she held while pursuing her dream of performing on Broadway.
During the 75-minute romp, the Texas-raised writer, singer and actor oscillates between playing her beleaguered former self and 18 other personalities, most notably the cast of cretins she encountered during her tenure at the ritzy resto. The caricatures range from her greasy, dictatorial boss, to a randy, boozed-to-oblivion customer, to a coquettish Brit who had a taste for wearing short skirts and, perilously, no knickers.
Its remarkable how dramatically and how quickly Valentino shifts her voice, gait and facial expressions to assume each over-the-top impression.
Adding to the hilarity, she periodically belts absurdist show tunes about her former workplace. A fake instructional number about how to assess how well a cut of meat is cooked set to the melody of The Sound of Music sing-along Do-Re-Mi was a definite highlight.
A warning for sheepish theatergoers: Valentino occasionally ropes audience members into her gut-busting charade. If youre picked, shell embarrass you, to the audiences delight.
But unlike the lowlifes she skewers, youll at least have the benefit of being in on the joke.
Cory Ruf
What: Borg, Cranny, Delamont: Comedy Fun Pack
Where: Langham Court Theatre
When: Aug. 30 to Sept. 2
Rating: *** 1/2
As its name suggests, this soirée of standup comedy is a mixed bag, both in terms of the quality and the style of its acts.
Victoria-based comics Wes Borg and Morgan Cranny each purvey a distinct take on well-trodden comedic territory. While strumming his acoustic guitar, Borg sings satirical songs about the doldrums of relationships and the hypocrisy of self-righteous hippies. More closely resembling a classic standup routine, Crannys bit relies too heavily on comedy clichés, including his allegedly lacklustre sex life and the travails of raising children.
This isnt to say the two opening acts failed to inspire hearty laughs. They did, at times. But their sets paled in comparison to Mike Delamonts, the true highlight of the night.
Appearing comfortable and loose on stage, the now-Toronto-based funnyman is a master at weaving together weird, disparate topics from outmoded playground equipment, to his attempts to lose weight, to the popularity of wilderness camping together into a seamless comedic package.
Just how talented is he? Lets put it this way: If you think a treatise about which species of bear is most deserving of human protection is bound to be unfunny, prepare for Delamont to prove you wrong.
CR
What: Significant Me
Where: Downtown Activity Centre, 755 Pandora Ave.
When: Aug. 30, 31, Sept. 1, 2
Rating: ****
Cant find a suitable soulmate? Well, why not settle down with someone you truly love yourself?
This notion (reminiscent of Woody Allens famous masturbation quip from Annie Hall) is the comic premise behind Significant Me, a new solo show by Torontos Christel Bartelse.
Her character, Caroline, is a 1950s-style hostess with the mostest who, behind her bright and brittle exterior, seems a little lonely and lost. After a string of failed relationships, she decides to tie the knot with herself. Naturally, being a perfectionist, Caroline attempts to excel at married-lady-type activities, such as driving kids to school and making delicious meals for dinner parties which no one seems to attend.
The being-married-to-yourself idea does yield some comic fruit. Caroline, seemingly split into two people, often chides herself in the manner of one partner scolding another. When she gets drunk one night, she says: I asked myself where I had been. And I couldnt remember.
That said, over 60 minutes the premise wears a bit thin. The script is clever and well structured, but not always outrageously funny. What saves the day are Bartelses superior performance skills. Her extensive dance training surfaces in Carolines wonderful physicality. The character is continually twirling, moving in a crisp, precise manner that jibes perfectly with Carolines June-Cleaver-esque aspirations. And Bartelse, a skilled comedian, is clever with facial expressions and comic timing. The shows look is also terrific, from her retro dress (decorated with seahorses!) to boldly painted props of martini glasses and mixing bowls.
Adrian Chamberlain
What: Jem Rolls: Ten Starts and an End
When: Aug. 30, 31; Sept. 1, 2
Where: St. Anns Academy
(835 Humboldt St.)
Rating: *** 1/2
As the audience waits under dim lighting for the action to start on stage, a voice booms from the back of the theatre: In the beginning, there was the word.
From there, Fringe favourite Jem Rolls unleashes an arsenal of proof that the word still runs rampant. Covering everything from never-changing cycle of intergenerational warfare, through a 100-kmh recitation of as many Canadian places as possible in the space of one minute, Rolls returns with his trademark high-energy performance poetry.
Theres no obvious theme unifying these 11 pieces of poetry among them is one about he bills as the nicest thing anyones ever written about Toronto, while another is about the worst birthday present he ever received. But there is some kind of post-modern self-awareness throughout. He injects the voice of a child into one piece: Mom? Whens he going to start? Hes just talking.
It can be a bit exhausting maintaining the consistent attention required to follow the web Rolls spins at rapid speed and the sometimes avant-garde nature of performance poetry means it may not please everyone. It also may not be the strongest collection that the cheeky Brit has offered to Victoria audiences, but it is nonetheless an imaginative one.
Amy Smart
What: Redheaded Stepchild
When: Aug. 30, Sept. 1
Where: St. Anns Academy
(835 Humboldt St.)
Rating: ****
Theres being bullied and then theres learning about a Facebook group called, Lets Beat Nicholas Like Hes a Redheaded Stepchild, with five of your classmates already confirmed to attack you.
Few people know the feeling of being a redheaded stepchild like Nicholas, who carries the title in a literal sense. The 12-year-old, performed by Torontos Johnnie Walker, is the kind of kid who wears Stratford Festival T-shirts, listens to Gilbert & Sullivan records and counts Rita Hayworth among his idols. He doesnt quite fit in. To cope, he turns to his fabulous alter-ego Rufus Vermillion, who is the kind of guy who uses words like boudoir, and after taking a bit sip from a juice box declares, Hair of the dog! Am I right? While the show is silly from the start, it develops a heavier weight as the root of the bullying is revealed and Nicholass make-believe confidence-boosters show signs of weakness.
The shows only real blemish is the similar way Walker performs each role Nicholas cigarette-smoking, track-suit wearing stepmother isnt too different from Vermillion or Nicholas himself, but for a gasping laugh. But the storyline is forgiving, since that may be attributed to Nicholas himself, rather than Walker he is the one assuming each role to tell his own story, after all.
AS
What: First Day Back
When: Aug. 30, 31; Sept. 1
Where: St. Anns Academy (835 Humboldt St.)
Stars: ***
In First Day Back, Torontos Rob Salerno takes an about-turn from the satirical humour of F***ing Stephen Harper and screwball comedy Big in Germany, by tackling the more difficult material of teen suicide.
Fourteen-year-old Ollie kills himself after enduring months of abuse from bullies for being gay. This story takes place in the safe space set up for members of a high school community looking for answers.
Salerno assumes the role of various high schoolers struggling with their own sense of guilt and confusion, as well as the art teacher leading the session with sensitivity. But his acting chops may be better suited for comedy, with characters such as self-promoting class president Joanna Fairchild carrying caricature-like qualities, despite the heavy material. That doesnt mean its funny by any means, just that it would be strengthened with a more confident move away from stereotypes.
While the truths revealed arent anything new (bullying often stems from pressures in the aggressors own life), the subject matter is important and Salernos choice to leave his characters without answers is an appropriate one. Its also timely. Though Dan Savages It Gets Better campaign continues to spread and we see more and more positive representations of gay characters in pop culture, the war on homophobia isnt over.
AS