Bad Guys Finish First is a one-man show being put on by Backyard Spaceship Productions at Theatre Passe Muraille’s Mainspace. Normally, I tend to steer clear of one-man shows, but seeing as it’s the Toronto Fringe Festival I thought, why not. This show is written by and stars Gavin Williams as Baxter Bentley and let me tell you, this man’s compelling performance had me hooked immediately.
The piece is set up as though you are at an advice seminar being taught by Baxter Bentley. Bentley is a man who is going to help you fix all of your problems. He advises us to throw out all of our efforts to be good people and to just go for it, be evil.
The premise of the plot sounds a bit harsh and quite frankly it is, but in the best way possible. Bentley is a British man in a very dapper suit. He has the entire audience laughing at his dark comedy quips, his dry humor and the brutality of his words instantly.
While Williams charms the pants off of you, he is also casually insulting you, while letting his inner conceit shine. Even though the words coming out of his mouth are evil, I would inexplicably still describe him as a huggable man, someone you would want to chat with over coffee.
During the performance/seminar, our delightfully mean man comes right out into the audience, making the viewers shift uncomfortably in their seats. While off the stage he asks about our dreams and fears. He singles out someone in the audience to really dig into the subjects as uncomfortably as possible. Thankfully the entire thing is all in good humor and we all had a lot of fun with him.
As someone who is not always a fan of audience participation or one-man shows, Williams kept me completely amused the entire time. I recommend you don’t miss this gem.
Details:
Bad Guys Finish First is being performed at Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace (16 Ryerson Avenue).
Performances:
July 05 07:30 PM
July 06 12:30 PM
July 07 09:15 PM
July 10 06:00 PM
July 11 08:45 PM
July 12 12:30 PM
July 14 02:45 PM
Tickets:
- Individual Fringe tickets are available at the door for $10 ($5 for FringeKids), cash only. Late comers will not be permitted.
- Advance tickets are $11 ($9 + $2 service charge) are available online at fringetoronto.com, by phone at 416-966-1062 ext 1, or in person during the festival at the Festival Box Office in the parking lot behind Honest Ed’s (581 Bloor St W).
- Value packs are available if you plan to see at least 5 shows
Photograph featuring Gavin Williams.
You’re right, brilliant show! Too bad the review was so poorly written.
Dear Kerr Wise,
I think your comment about how this review was written is completely unfair and unnecessarily cruel. Most importantly, it does nothing to further the conversation around the merits of the show. In my opinion, your negative attitude around the review completely negates your positive comment about the play.