With 216 shows on offer, it can be a bit overwhelming to choose what to see at the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival. Fortunately, we binge-watched a pile of shows this weekend and here are the shows we enjoyed. Whether you feel like laughing at a comedy or learning from a drama, you’ll find a show to fit your interest in our recommendations below!
Anatolia Speaks
Genre: Drama
A Bosnian woman gives a Power Point presentation about her new life in Canada (and how much she loves her job at Superstore) to her ESL class. As the questions become more personal, Anatolia reveals more about her life in Bosnia and what drove her to Canada. With light moments of humour, this memorable show may also have you holding back tears by its conclusion.
Venue 39: L’Unitheatre (8627-91 St.)
Curious Contagious
Genre: Family
Fresh off the success of their innovative hit “Caws & Effect” from last year’s Fringe, Mind of a Snail Puppet Co. are back with a new surreal tale featuring their stunning shadow puppetry magic. A business-obsessed unicorn suffers through the consequences of battling to build his Donut Palace while fighting off a viral infection. With clever handmade graphics and layered projections, “Curious Contagious” is a treat for the eyes and mind.
Venue 39: L’Unitheatre (8627-91 St.)
Erik de Waal: Head in the Clouds
Genre: Comedy/Drama
As a child growing up during the Apartheid era in South Africa, skilled storyteller Erik de Waal offers a unique perspective on the racial tensions during that time. Beginning with his confusion over segregation and leading up to his activism later in life, de Waal blends in touches of humour to the horrifying and insightful tales that shed light on the violent tendencies in humanity.
Venue 13: Old Strathcona Public Library (8331-104 St.)
God Is a Scottish Drag Queen IV
Genre: Comedy
Fringe veteran Mike Delamont is back with his much-loved character, God, who just happens to be a Scottish man in a woman’s power suit. Fans of previous iterations of this show are sure to love God’s usual outrageous insights on politics, celebrity news, and other current events. Due to his many converts over the years, this show is quick to sell out, so it’s best to get your tickets sooner than later!
Venue 30: Princess Theatre (10337-82 Ave.)
How Does that Make You Feel? Tales of Sex, Life, and Lies
Genre: Comedy
The stories of three couples’ complicated sex and personal lives intertwine inside and outside of the bedroom. Written and performed by local talent, this skillfully layered show will keep you engaged ’til the end and guide you to reflect on the problems in your own life.
Venue 16: St. John’s Institute (11024-82 Ave.)
Is Everyone Ignoring Me, Or Am I Just a Ghost?
Genre: Sketch Comedy
After a rough break-up, Sam spends eight months in his room recovering with Netflix. Once he rejoins society, he can’t figure out why his overly helpful friends seem to be ignoring him every time he speaks. Between scenes of his guardian angel helping him sort out his life, the audience is treated to outrageously humourous sketches, including two fishing buddies who try to ignore their true feelings despite a narrator’s intervention.
Venue 29: El Cortez (8230-103 St.)
James & Jamesy in the Dark
Genre: Comedy
Performed entirely in the dark with only a lamp set on each actor’s head, this fantastic show is unlike anything else you’ll see at the Fringe. As James and Jamesy try to figure out “where” they are and how to get to the “next stage,” they involve the audience in wonderful stunts that will make you giggle and snort. “James & Jamesy in High Tea” is playing at Rutherford School in case this show has you craving more from this impressive, physical-acting duo.
Venue 39: L’Unitheatre (8627-91 St.)
Jon Bennett: My Dad’s Deaths
Genre: Comedy
Made famous for his show, “Pretending Things Are a Cock,” Jon Bennett shares stories about his father’s near-death experiences and how Bennett’s comedy and acting career has affected their relationship. Bennett’s vulgar humour will have you bursting with laughter throughout the show, but the tales of his dad also culminate toward a heart-warming moral.
Venue 40: Suzanne Thibaudeau Auditorium (8627-91 St.)
The Late Night Cabaret
Genre: Variety
A staple of the Edmonton Fringe for many years, this variety show is a guaranteed good time! Improvisers Amy Shostak and Julian Faid host an evening of live music, interviews, and previews of Fringe shows. You won’t know what to expect when you tuck in to your seat, but you can be assured a night filled with crazy antics and laughter!
Venue 2: Backstage Theatre (10330-84 Ave.)
Little Orange Man
Genre: Comedy/Drama
The premise of this magical show is something that could only exist at the Fringe. A young girl, Kitt, invites everyone in the audience through an ad on Craigslist to help her interpret a recurring dream. Throughout the show, Kitt creatively retells the violent versions of traditional Danish fables using food from her lunch kit. You’ll feel every emotion as you root on the hero and are drawn into her quest!
Venue 4: Academy at King Edward (8525-101 St.)
Mind Games
Genre: Variety
Prepare to have your head messed with at mentalist Jeff Newman’s latest incarnation of his Fringe shows from previous years. As you witness him pull up audience members to participate in his “mind games”, you may feel like you can guess how he does his first few tricks, but your brain will break if you try to understand the complex final ones.
Venue 20: Billiard Club (10505-82 Ave.)
Never Swim Alone
Genre: Drama
Strongly performed by local actors, “Never Swim Alone” follows two men in an abstract competition about who is the better man. Refereed by the pair’s shared love interest from long ago, the competitions’ stakes are continuously raised throughout the show. This dark comedy explores masculinity and social expectations in surprising and tense ways, leaving viewers on the edges of their seats as it unearths the men’s tragic secrets.
Venue 41: Rutherford School (8620-91 St.)
Off Book: The Musical
Genre: Musical
A frequent hit at the Fringe, a talented team from Rapid Fire Theatre improvise a live musical with an accompanying pianist after asking the audience for a location they’ve never seen a musical set in before. Though several plots get started and seem to go off in different directions, the actors always manage to tie them together and conclude the show in a surprising and uplifting way — with many memorable and funny tunes!
Venue 17: The Roxy on Gateway (8529-103 St.)
The Magic Negro and Other Blackness
Genre: Comedy
Back in Edmonton after a successful run during the Improvaganza festival in June, Mark Kendall brings his hilarious sketch show on race to a Fringe stage. His smart commentary will not only have you laughing, but also force you to confront racial biases you may not realize you have. Top sketches include a look at racial intersectionality using a leprechaun and a song that draws interesting parallels between the mistreatment of sharks and black people.
Venue 7: Yardbird Suite (10203 Tommy Banks Way)
Til Death: The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Genre: Comedy
An impressive acting feat, Tara Travis masterfully moves between seven characters in this one-woman show. After their deaths, the six wives of Henry VIII (from the prideful Catherine of Aragon to the dimmer-witted and promiscuous Kathryn Howard) bicker in limbo over who will accompany the king to Royal Heaven (which is much, much nicer than Regular Heaven). As they recount the stories of their loves and deaths, they begin to realize what will actually make them happy in the afterlife.
Venue 40: Suzanne Thibaudeau Auditorium (8627-91 St.)
We Were Dancing
Genre: Comedy
With a live piano accompaniment, these two short plays from Noel Coward are superbly acted by some of Edmonton’s top actors, including Belinda Cornish and John Ullyatt. In the first part, a young woman must convince her husband and his indignant sister that her feelings for her recently met lover are sincere. While in the next ridiculous situation, a couple down on their luck must come up with a clever way to pay back the thousands of francs they owe their friends.
Venue: Varscona Theatre (10329-83 Ave.)
The Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival runs until August 21. To purchase tickets for any of these shows, visit the website, call 780-409-1910, or visit the box office in the ATB Financial Arts Barns (10330-84 Ave.).
