This is a guest review by David Johnston.
We’ve all been there. You have a lovely, taut Fringe show, and then overnight—bam!—theatrical bloat strikes like a Mack truck.
Say you’re an actress named Colleen Brow. By your own admission, your storytelling comedy about motherhood has been gestating so long it’s now discussing middle age. En route, your once-supple production has sagged, gaining 20 minutes beyond the listed program time.* Your show has literally prolapsed.
What’s a performer to do?
Consider chucking some of the staler material. Phone-obsessed hipsters? Complicated Starbucks orders? Is that run about Gwyneth Paltrow promoting steamed vaginas really necessary?
An overhead projector is an excellent performance-enhancing aid, but it demands precision. Perhaps streamline the slides to avoid so many technical hiccups.
After all, the innermost layers of your show are strong and hilarious, and the excellent features—such as a dry observational wit, a candid delivery, and a rockin’ tan pantsuit—will be better showcased if you tighten up the slack around the edges.
Remaining performances at Studio 16 on September 11 (5:25 p.m.), 15 (6:25 p.m.), and 16 (3:10 p.m.) > David Johnston
*Note: Due to a discrepancy in the printed program guide vs the online guide, the show was, in fact, within the allotted, scheduled time.
David Johnston is a Vancouver-based actor, aerialist, and writer, not in that order. He recently hailed from the Edmonton Fringe, where he saw many excellent shows and also ate a green onion cake. The green onion cake got three-and-a-half stars. David is a recent graduate of Studio 58, and is currently writing a script about reviews, so this should be a rather meta experience. He’s delighted to join FRESH SHEET for the Vancouver Fringe.
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