Monthly Archives: August 2018

Flying too near the sun: Scorch. A Fringe review

Posted on August 22, 2018 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Scorch (Stage 28, The Playhouse) This absorbing, moving little solo play, by the Irish writer Stacey Gregg, was inspired by a real U.K. court case in which a teenager was found guilty of “gender fraud” for … Continue reading →

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Surveillance and the modern corp: Contractions, a Fringe review

Posted on August 22, 2018 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Contractions (Stage 13, Old Strathcona Public Library) What makes this chilling tightly-wound little Brit two-hander so horrifying is its smooth plausibility. At every step of the way, it sounds exactly like like the kind of corporate … Continue reading →

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A gentle, playful musical folktale for little kids: Fossegrim & Nøkk, a guest 12thnight Fringe review by Todd Babiak

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Liz Nicholls

Fossegrim & Nøkk (Stage 6, Strathcona Community League) An adventurous little girl named Saga is burdened by an unadventurous mother. All Saga can do is sing to herself, at night, about the magical world outside her bedroom window. Until a … Continue reading →

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Answering the siren call: Atlas Theatre’s Sirens, a Fringe review

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Sirens (Stage 12, Varscona Theatre) It is understandable if the prospect of a comedy about a middle-aged couple off on an anniversary cruise to revive their stale marriage fills you with a certain dread. Even if … Continue reading →

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“Ludicrously entertaining” and at the heart of Fringehood: Gordon’s Big Bald Head, a guest 12thnight Fringe review by Todd Babiak

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Liz Nicholls

Gordon’s Big Bald Head: New World Hors d’oeuvres (Stage 12, Nordic Studio Theatre) It’s mysterious why Edmonton and its promotional machines have not sold the Fringe Festival more passionately outside the city’s borders. This local invention is the biggest and … Continue reading →

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The fun of deduction in the theatre: 2 Sherlock Holmes Mysteries, a guest 12thnight Fringe review by Alan Kellogg

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Liz Nicholls

2 Sherlock Holmes Mysteries (Stage 14, Holy Trinity Anglican Church) Don’t want to be a grouch, but among other things, the Fringe is supposed to be a theatre festival, remember? And sometimes it’s more than satisfying to simply witness a couple … Continue reading →

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Violent, sexy, shocking (and fun): Macbeth Muet, a Fringe review

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Macbeth Muet (Stage 9, Telus Phone Museum) Imaginative, ingenious, startlingly powerful: that’s the high-impact 50-minute version of Shakespeare’s Macbeth delivered to us by Montreal’s La Fille du Laitier. In one way Macbeth Muet (mute), the co-creation … Continue reading →

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What is theatre all about? Stephanie Morin-Robert Performance Society: Bushel and Peck, a guest 12thnight review by Todd Babiak

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Liz Nicholls

Stephanie Morin-Robert Performance Society: Bushel and Peck (Stage 4, Academy at King Edward) Audiences can be so demanding. Before a piece of perfectly absurd performance art you can almost smell the question roasting in their brains: “What does it mean?” … Continue reading →

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“Peculiar and unusual beauty”: a unique “multi-threat talent” strikes again in Balls of Yarns. A guest 12thnight Fringe review by Alan Kellogg

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Liz Nicholls

Balls of Yarns (Stage 2, Backstage Theatre) Rummaging through my Fringe-necessary man-purse, I happened upon a small piece of blue yarn. I was about to huck it in my ever-bulging waste paper basket, when I stopped. It’s now safely draped over … Continue reading →

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Touching and tuneful: Sweethearts of the 49th, a guest 12thnight Fringe review by Alan Kellogg

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Liz Nicholls

Sweethearts of the 49th  (Stage 39, CKUA Performance Space, Jasper Ave. downtown Edmonton) With a provenance including the bright lights Andrea House (playwright), Davina Stewart (director) and Erik Mortimer (musical director) the chances are excellent that a smart and entertaining production … Continue reading →

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