Toronto Fringe Review: Fucking Stephen Harper

by Sam Mooney

Rob Salerno in Fucking Stephen Harper The full title of this show written and performed by Rob Salerno is Fucking Stephen Harper: How I Sexually Assaulted the 22nd Prime Minister of Canada and Where It Got Me.

Rob’s production company is Ten Foot Pole Productions – Ten Foot Pole Productions is a theatre company dedicated to telling stories about subjects that polite people wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. I wish I’d thought of that.

So, first a warning – if you’re homophobic and/or a big C conservative you’ll be offended by the show.

It was an inauspicious start.  We were waiting for the house to open when they announced that there was a slight delay due to technical difficulties.  A few minutes later the doors opened and we were asked to fill the seats from the front to the back because the projector wasn’t working and Rob was going to have to use the laptop.  The poor man. Can you imagine having to do your amazing power point projection using a laptop – just the laptop, no projector?

Candy Simmons of Afterlife to the rescue!  She fixed the projector and the show went on as planned.

Fucking Stephen Harper is a funny story well told.  Rob’s presentation reminded me of the guy (it was always a guy) who came second in the Grade 12 public speaking contest.  Funny, a bit titillating, with a non-mainstream slant on a topic that meant no matter how good he was he wasn’t going to win.

And the projector was integral, it just wouldn’t have been the same without the visuals.

Worth seeing.

Picture of Rob Salerno by Jenna Wakani

Details:

Cast: Rob Salerno
Audience: General Audience
Warning: May offend federal Conservatives
60 min

– Fucking Stephen Harper is playing at the Glen Morris Theatre (4 Glen Morris Street)

Sun, July 5 1:30 PM
Tues, July 7 6:00 PM
Wed, July 8 10:00 PM
Thu, July 9 3:30 PM
Fri, July 10 7:00 PM

– All individual Fringe tickets are $10 at the door (cash only), or with interac and credit at the advance ticket box office at the Fringe Club (292 Brunswick Ave)

– Advance tickets are available by phone (416-966-1062) or at http://www.fringetoronto.com/fringe09/advance_tickets.html , there is a $2 service charge for these

– Several money-saving passes are available if you plan to see at least 5 shows