I’m not sure what I’m going to do with myself this week, I’ll have to re-learn what life is like with the luxuries like sleep. But, I’m here to tell you, sleep is a small price to pay for the excitement of Fringe.
With the end of the 20th Toronto Fringe Festival I thought I’d take a moment to provide you with a quick round-up of some of the highlights from this year.
Read on for a listing of each blogTO Fringe writer’s favourite show, and the listing of what shows are playing at Diesel Playhouse during ‘BEST OF THE FRINGE.’
(and yes, at some point I do intend to do a Mooney on Theatre overview that is specific to here, but for now I’m re-posting this)
So, the votes are tallied (okay, technically there are no votes – Patron’s Picks are based on which show had the highest attendance in that venue). The results are in. Keep reading for a list of shows you’re gonna get an extra chance to see on Sunday, and links to reviews of those shows:
Editor’s Note: In the review of Sherlock Holmes & The First English Gentleman by Sam Mooney she mentioned that she saw the show with "My 82 year old mother and 15 year old niece are fringing with me for three days" – Fredde Clarke is the 82 year old mother she was referring to.
I came from Eastern Ontario to see 4 plays in the Toronto Fringe Festival – The only one I specifically chose that I really wanted to see was A Girl Named Ralph. I certainly was not disappointed.
The piece was so obviously true life. Makes one feel both happy, and a little sad. It was not a long play, but a most enjoyable one.
The fade outs could have been much shorter, either just a dim out, or stop action while Ralph came in to speak. I enjoyed the players and have no real criticism of any of the acting.
Review by Lauren Hatchard (Megan Mooney’s 15 yr old cousin)
A deep plunge into the pool of laughs and hysterics. Teaching the Fringe goes into and analyses a letter from an appalled fan.
Using voices, facial expressions and twinges of words and irony, the show satisfies your laugh craving. The only thing I didn’t like about this play was that it was a tad drowned out. Otherwise, a must-see for those who are looking for an amazingly timed, easy laugh.
Editor’s Note: In the review of Sherlock Holmes & The First English Gentleman by Sam Mooney she mentioned that she saw the show with "My 82 year old mother and 15 year old niece are fringing with me for three days" – Lauren is the 15 year old niece she was referring to. And now, without further ado, on with the review (see how that rhymed? pretty cool eh?)…
From the perspective of three generations, this play could have been worse, it could have been better. Sherlock Holmes & The First English Gentleman has potential, but also a broad area with room to improve (including cutting the painful chant at the beginning.) It also had a plethora of humorous moments.
