Contributor Kat Karpoff goes on a tasting tour of the Vancouver Fringe Festival, picking highlights of fest with a female lens. Here are her reviews.
By Kat Karpoff
@KatKarpoff
Lots goes on in ‘Going On’
One-woman show at Fringe Fest Enlightens Audiences with Humour and Insight
Going On, a play written and performed by Elizabeth Richardson, is one of Vancouver Fringe Festival’s one woman shows. A witty and energetic play, Going On is about a young budding actress getting her “big break.” The show follows her time performing with Peter O’toole, and later her struggles with Buddhism, while on a three-year meditation retreat after a rough divorce. Going On was thoughtful, relatable expertly played.
You are exactly where you should be in ‘The Middle Of Everywhere’
A silent physical comedy that warms your heart and enthrals your mind
The Middle of Everywhere by The Wonderheads, out of Portland Oregon is physical theater at it’s finest. The story takes you through space and time with three delightful characters. Nine-time winners of Best of the Fest, The Wonderheads has brought another exhilarating and creative play to the Vancouver Fringe.
God, re-imagined in ‘God is a Scottish Drag Queen ll’
God pontificates in this hilarious first person narrative as God, who is now FYI, a scottish drag queen.
A hilarious stand up show by Mike Delamont from Victoria, BC. A 2014 Just For Laughs Best Comedy Nominee, Mike brings back his show from 2012 in the second instalment of God is a Scottish Drag Queen. He discusses everything from Mormons to Scientology to his drinking problems, all the while guzzling gallons of wine. Another Fringe must see.
‘A Story of Os’ is a real turn-on
A true story of human connection told through the perspective of a phone sex operator
“This is a piece on the need for human connection and love,” said Tonya Jone Miller of Portland Oregon, of her show, A Story of Os. Miller, a sex phone operator for over 12 years, unveils her clients pleasures and pains, illuminating her own journey on the job. One of the biggest lesson? Love yourself, because somewhere out there, you are somebody’s fetish.
A lot of Lust and a Little Marriage in ‘Lust and Marriage’
A story of polyamory and self-discovery
Written by Eleanor O’Brien and produced by Dance Naked Productions out of Portland, Oregon. Lust and Marriage was to slow start, quickly became engaging. The play follows Emily, a woman who is in search of her true love. She finds soul mate at Burning Man and the couple eventually marry into an open relationship. Lust and Marriage follows Emily as goes through the challenges of an open marriage.
Nine women recount their years of turmoil as Saturn came full circle around the Sun
What is a Saturn Return? It’s those years between 28-32 that Saturn is making it’s way back to the place it was when you were born. It’s the years of turmoil and questioning that most people go through in their lives. Saturn Returns, by Whitehall Entertainment Inc. was written by the ensemble cast of incredibly talented women that live in the lower mainland, B.C. They share their personal stories of turmoil and triumph through their years of their Saturn return. The cast, both moving and present, brought the audience to both laughter and tears.
Kat Karpoff is a modern hippie, actress, writer, and lover of all things creative.
