In Ring A Ding Dong Dandy, Ryan Beil and Graham Clark narrate an hour-long curated collection of classic wrestling clips, combining encyclopedic knowledge of the sport with Mystery Science Theatre 3000-style riffing. Its been wowing audiences in Vancouver, and now you can see it at the Toronto Fringe Festival. (And you should!)
Tarot Live! is not a play. It’s a one-man show but it’s not about his story. It’s about your story. Jesse Stong is here at this year’s Toronto Fringe Festival to give you further insight and clarity into your life through the wisdom of numerology and the tarot.
Right off the bat, Goodbye To All That (playing in the Passe Muraille Mainspace at the Toronto Fringe Festival) has a great name going for it. It also sports some great dialogue and fantastic acting.
The show tells the story of a wayward man who falls in with a ragtag group at the Cabaret Voltaire in the midst of WWI. Through them, he learns of Dadaismas a form of expression. The show’s timeline is non-linear, but the plot is still concise and easy to follow. This play is a perfect example of dramedy, with an even balance of both the comedic and dramatic in it.
In Coyote Collective’s Like A Generation, a Friendly Giant-ish children’s TV host learns that his show will be coming to an end. Assisted by his two biggest fans, he uses his final episode to prove that he still matters: that his legacy is worth upholding; that his gentle, nurturing approach still has value; and that he’s ultimately been a force for good in the world.
But those adult fans are no longer the impressionable children they once were, and when they start talking back to Mr. Flowers — bromides about sharing and working hard don’t always cut it in the real world — Generation transforms itself into the darkest and most challenging thing I’ve seen on a Fringe stage this season.
The No Bull$#!% History of Invention, playing at the St. Vladimir Institute during the Toronto Fringe Festival, is a stylistic sequel of sorts to company The House of Style’sThe No Bull$#!% History of Canada. It’s a lighthearted lecture that takes the audience through some of our greater and lesser-known world-changing inventions, and the fascinating men and women who came up with (or stole) them. Unlike the brassiere or toilet, it’s probably not going to change your world, but like the telephone, it’s a perfectly nice way to spend an hour of your time.