Julia Bueneman: “Combining skilled magic, 1930s grit, time travel, standup and audience participation, Dirk Darrow: Future Past Magic is a compelling and energized play that had me giggling, stunned and picking my jaw up off the floor.”
Gauthier and Caplan: “Whether you are well versed in Noël Coward’s work, or just recognize his name, this cabaret-style show will pull you into his life, his vast catalogue, and his impact on the world of theatre and pop culture.”
Brian Carroll: “Did your teenagers complain bitterly after the derecho ripped through Ottawa leaving 170,000 households without power? Take them to see Eleanor’s Story: An American Girl in Hitler’s Germany.”
Colin Noden: “Arthur Bampot and the Case of the Kept Man is a full assault on reason. Or… an enthusiastic defense of it. On stage with Detective Arthur Bampot, chaos reigns in a way which seems quite logical to him and his cast.”
Bruce Burwell: “The thing that keeps us engaged throughout is John Michael’s sincerity. You don’t run around a stage in your underwear holding a picture of your dead mother unless you really miss her. So we do believe that he needs her back.”
Barbara Popel: “I was expecting a less-than-polished coming of age monologue …. Instead, I got a polished, funny, touching story from a talented charming performer. Within a few minutes, she had the audience (yours truly included) in the palm of her hand.”
Brian Carroll: “These two delightful plays for the price of one are a real Fringe bargain … The opening night audience laughed heartily at Anton Chekhov’s The Proposal and they did the same for the premiere of Laurie Fyffe’s sequel, The Ring.”
Jennifer Cavanagh: “Despite the heaviness of the theme, the tempo and anecdotes keep the production light and moving. This is a best-of-fest contender and not to be missed.”
Gauthier and Caplan: “Macho competition, absurd immaturity, touching emotion, all displayed through incredible movements. This show stays with you—you’ll find yourself turning over moments in your mind hours or even days later. This is definitely another Fringe favourite for me.”
A British-style kitchen sink drama. Colin Noden: “Do you like British-style mystery movies? Do you like soap operas that teeter on the verge of melodrama and have you shouting, “Just do it already!” at the screen? Do you love both? Then congratulations, you are going to love this play.”
Julia Bueneman: “I can only imagine that this show will get all the more silly and precise as the Fringe goes on and no iteration will ever be exactly the same—it was lovely to witness their first show.”
Bruce Burwell: “Candice Fiorentino is outstanding as Anatolia. She projects honesty and vulnerability in a totally believable way … When she took questions from the other ESL students, I found myself turning my head to look in their direction—even though I knew they weren’t there.”
Gauthier and Caplan: “Civilized is a powerful and impactful show, but sitting through this production is not easy; it feels tense, uncomfortable, and oftentimes horrifying. But these are the ways art changes us, by challenging us to sit in our discomfort and listen to the stories and the history that needs to be told.”
Emmanuelle Gingras: “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Becoming a Woman is about breaking barriers; it’s about love; it’s about an ex-future wife, it’s about “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”—but mostly, it’s about unapologetically being your true self.”
Colin Noden: “whY! allows us to explore the question through amazing original music performances, poetry performance, skits, and dancing puppets being bell-chased by Aunty (I’m not sure that part was in the script).”
