Monthly Archives: August 2017

A new adventure, fringe-style: two young actors are turning director at the Edmonton Fringe

Posted on August 15, 2017 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca One of the durable strengths of the Edmonton Fringe — something that sets it apart from the legion of fringe spin-offs across the continent — is its organic rooting in the theatre community here. It’s not … Continue reading →

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Fringe review: Ain’t True and Uncle False

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Ain’t True And Uncle False (Stage 4, Academy at King Edward) Here’s a new concept in horticulture: “implied garden.” It’s Will Perjure’s creative Eden of upside-down wine bottles and painted cups, handles skyward, with the sign … Continue reading →

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Fringe review: Staycation

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Liz Nicholls

Staycation (Stage 2, Backstage Theatre) By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca The good thing about being a career conspiracist with a specialty in apocalypses is this: it just takes one. The downside: being right and getting vindicated has a major built-in glitch.   … Continue reading →

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Review: SwordPlay: A Play of Swords

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Liz Nicholls

SwordPlay: A Play of Swords (Stage 37, Suzanne Thibadeau Auditorium, La Cité francophone) By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca With SwordPlay: A Play of Swords, the Toronto comedy troupe Sex T-Rex delivers live theatre with something everyone secretly wants: a video game on … Continue reading →

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Fringe review: Drunk Girl

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Liz Nicholls

Drunk Girl (Stage 13, Old Strathcona Public Library) By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca “Carpe diem!” beams the high-spirited woman before us, presiding over a selection of bottles.  In the well-stocked repertoire of cautionary tales with sadder-but-wiser chasers, Thea Fitz-James’ solo show isn’t … Continue reading →

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Fringe review: Prophecy

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Prophecy  (Stage 31, Strathcona Baptist Church) “Ignorance can be bliss, but knowledge is not power,” Prophecy tells us in this vivid meditation on a violent male world seen through the eyes of women. They see destruction … Continue reading →

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And on my summer holidays … I went to the Winnipeg Fringe

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Liz Nicholls

This is just a little note to tell you that I’m about to start posting 12thnight.ca reviews of shows I saw on my excursion last month to the country’s second-largest Fringe festival, in Winnipeg. They’re 16 of the shows you … Continue reading →

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No stars for the star rating system of Fringe reviews

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca To star or not to star. There’s a question that’s been debated in beer tents, box offices, and press rooms since Hamlet gave director’s notes to the travelling players. There are arguments to be made on … Continue reading →

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All in the family: Ryan history is onstage at the Fringe

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Something big and important, something you could call life-changing, happened to Kate Ryan 31 years ago. And it sheds light, both the theatrical and the personal kind, on why her theatre company, The Plain Janes, is … Continue reading →

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Edmonton Fringe 2017: a selection of hit return engagements

Posted on August 13, 2017 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca True, the unpredictability factor is built into the 220-show edition of the Edmonton Fringe that opens Thursday. But hits do have a way of showing up again. Will they be back in buffed-up, revised, re-muscled, enhanced … Continue reading →

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