What a fun first weekend at Ottawa Fringe. I’m so happy to be back again in these venues with all of these artists! Over the weekend, I was able to see 13 shows out of 60 shows, hopefully this week I can bring that number up to at least 20. I’m taking a small break to unwind my brain, but I’ve got a lineup ready for Wednesday. Here are the shows I saw, in no particular order. 

I have a dream in Chinese:

What an absolutely evocative and emotional piece of theatre. It’s such a sad reality that a lot of Asians face similar issues with identity: are we our Asian name or are we our English name? Why do we have to sacrifice part of us to assimilate and be more “marketable” to a world who will always demand some kind of proof of us. I resonated a lot with this show and I think it’s a show that you would enjoy if you like those same themes. I also loved the use of projections in this show: clever and fun! 

Check out the show if you want a show with heart and passion. 

BELT

Funny, witty, and a lot of heart: I laughed a little too hard at times with this performance. Improv is already incredibly difficult, great improv is even moreso, but now add the element of making it a musical on the spot, you must have some rapid-fire thinking to pull this off. I’m no stranger to improv musicals thanks to a well-known gameshow, “Game Changers” where they had a special improv musical. This kinda led me down a hole of improv musicals. So my expectations were already high and I felt satisfied when I left. The show had some really hilarious moments that made me laugh a bit too hard; however, there were some moments where the awkward silence felt like the performers were struggling. That being said though, I think the most important part of this show is everyone looked like they were having fun and I think that’s the first and foremost rule of improv. 

Check out this show if you enjoy musicals. 

“One small step for you, one giant leap for me!”

All Fall Down: An Improvised Murder Mystery

I left this show in absolutely stitches from laughing so hard. This show takes the classic Clue formula and improves it with improv. The performers are clearly extremely experienced in this art, as everyone seemed to have such razor sharp wit and tongues to match. My only gripe, that’s not how you hold nor play a french horn. 

Check out this if you love improv and murder mysteries and want a good, hearty laugh.

Rainbow Conceptions

Who doesn’t love a small attack on how women are treated in medicine, let alone queer women? I enjoyed the show to a degree; however, I have to recognize I don’t think I was the right audience for the material. I’ve learned that I’m not one for shows that are camp: that kind of humour isn’t something I find enjoyable most of the time. This show fills a certain niche of both making fun of queer stereotypes and breaking them down. 

Check out this show if you love campy, queer humour.

Schrodinger’s Lottery Ticket

Oh god I absolutely hate this thought experiment, more than I hate the early seasons of The Big Bang Theory (honestly just all of it). You have one male protagonist mansplaining math/science for most of the time. At points felt self-aggrandizing and truly made me hate the male protagonist at points. Now, does that mean I hate the show? No. I think this show was quite witty and the humour is fast. Both performers played really off of each other and it was an enjoyable watch.

Check out this show if you’d like to learn a bit about experimental physics and probabilities. 

The Persistent Stain

If you’ve been to punk concerts, this show is for you. If you have sensitive hearing, they have earplugs available, but I loved listening to it without them for an authentic experience. There is always that ever-looming fear about what kind of lasting impact we have in this world and this show explores that idea: combine that with the ever-evolviving and ephemeral nature of art, it’s something artists all fear.

Check out this show if you want to be reminded of your youth in dingy bars, headbanging to music that fans the flames of rage in your heart.

Crabs! The Musical

Funny and silly, with a giant pinch of violence. This musical is funny at times with excellent costumes and some memorable tracks. I do have to say, this is firmly in that campy area which I don’t enjoy as much; however, I did enjoy this performance. I think my only gripe is that the story felt rushed and didn’t really flow. If I were to see this in the future, I would love to see a more refined and defined plot. 

Check out this show if you love a campy musical with excellent costuming. 

How to Love a Fascist

Cassie is absolutely hilarious, for being an advanced placement student (this coming from an advanced placement student as well). Taking game theory to explain one of the most insane moments in her life is incredibly brilliant. We’ve all probably had a toxic relationship in our life before where we were always giving, but never receiving in return: Cassie connects with our hearts and helps us heal with her humour.

Check out this show if you want to get a cramp from laughing so much and so hard.

Inhuman Resources

Okay, so this was one of those art shows that absolutely left me more confused than I was at the beginning. It definitely is a wild ride about choices and, weirdly enough, the human condition, like what would you do for a promotion? There are so many interpretations of this show, but one of my favourites is that the fish represents the forbidden fruit. I don’t think I fully understand the show at its core, but I think that’s okay.

Check out this show if you like thought-provoking theatre and more of the artsy side of things. 

Rat Academy

I love taking an idea like a rat free Alberta because of a provincial program and creating a clown performance of how to survive as a rat in that world. I’m absolutely terrified of clowns and never truly enjoyed clowns; however, this show absolutely changed my perspective on that. A lot of audience participation mixed with the performers lightning-fast reflexes to make unscripted jokes, like when a child randomly starts crying. This is a must watch and watch again if you can. I still hate clowns and they terrify me (I should not have sat near the front because one of them sat next to me and my skin was crawling the entire time).

Check out this show if you love Pinky and Brain, but chaotic and eclectic. 

Aberration

So I love period pieces when it comes to classic American Gothic Horror and Aberration delivers on that very well. Though the plot may be a bit contrived and overly predictable, I think what made this play shine was Thomas Clay as the titular Aberration. Such incredible acting and truly created an air of eldritch mystery. 

Check out this show if you love a little bit of horror. 

A Little Death

I can’t get over this musical. I was lucky enough to see two previews of this show: once at the GCTC and another at Club SAW. A lot of polish and work went into this show and created such a solid show filled with head-bopping R&B vibes. We’ve all slept with a snake at some point in our life, ignoring our friends and family. This musical empathizes with us and delivers impressive lyrical writing. The titular song “A Little Death” is an absolute banger and I can not wait for a recording.

Check out this show if you love R&B music and stories about love and betrayal. 

Gander Euphoria: A Pretty Gay Goose Play

So… I’m definitely not the right audience for this one, but I still appreciate the niche it fills. Very camp and informative about both queer history and current events. There were moments of light, hilarious brevity mixed with the serious reality we are still facing today. 

Check out this show if you want to support queer theatre and love geese being campy. 

Overall, here are my recommendations for shows that you must go see. Some have already sold out their first few performances, so go now!

• How to Love a Fascist
• Rat Academy
• All Fall Down: An Improvised Murder Mystery
• A Little Death
• The Persistent Stain