Urban Vancouver

My Early Picks for the 2005 Vancouver Fringe Festival

By Darren Barefoot on September 8, 2005 - 9:55am

Cross-posted from my site.

Last night I went to the Fringe Preview Gala. Not only did I see excerpts from a bunch of shows, but I also grilled artists and staff alike for their favourites. Here's a quick run-down of what looks promising:

• The TJ Dawe Box Set - A Fringe veteran, and one of the most entertaining and talented performers I see every year (disclaimer: he's an old classmate of mine). He's doing a 'best of' his shows from the past decade. I wouldn't hesitate in recommending his shows to anybody, from theatre noob on up.
• Three Chicks in a Tub - This is a Bring Your Own Venue (BYOV) show that's not on Granville Island. It's in a bathroom in the West End, and features 30 minutes of comedy with 3 women in a tub. What's not to like?
• The Pajama Men in "Stop Not Going" - I don't know much about this show, but the early buzz has been very positive.
• Cosmic Banditos - I haven't seen this show, but the creators are good friends of mine. They're both smart, talented and experienced performers, and the show's got a cool premise. They should have written a better blurb, though. Next year, guys, get me to write your blurb.
• Live Group Sex Therapy II - I saw an excerpt from this show, and it was something funny, raunchy stand-up comedy. If you actually attended "Just Jack", Jack's theatre show on Will & Grace, it might be a little like this.
• The Fear of Going Down - I helped out with this show, so I'm unable to give an unbiased account. Disappointingly, not about oral sex.
• Boy Groove - Again, haven't seen it, but hear very good things about it.
• The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine - If you're looking for a well-performed, straight-up play that won't scare you (much), this is for you. It's a well-written surreal comedy, and the performances looked strong in the snippet I saw.
• Ricardo Garcia's "Flamenco Flow" - I was blown away by the excerpt I saw of this show. I just felt privleged to be in the room with such a great guitar player. This isn't theatre per se--it's music and dance. It's got a very globalized groove. Part of the excerpt I saw combined flamenco music with hip hop dancing. It sounds dodgy, but I thought it worked.

Bonus top tip for the locals: The Fringe Silent Auction is going on throughout the festival at Performance Works. Currently, there are some amazing deals to be had for weekends away, jewelry, yoga stuff, rowing lessons and all manner of other fineries. Seriously, this stuff is super-cheap at the moment. I don't know how 10 days of the Fringe will affect prices, but if you're on Granville Island, I'd recommend wandering over. Thanks again to everybody who contributed.