Friday and Fringeability

Dear Readers,

I am sorry to have been so remiss in writing the past few days. In between performing, watching shows, volunteering and some family obligations; blogging fell to the bottom of the list.

I am feeling happy with how things are going. I have been getting some lovely Beer Tent and Net Buzz. I also ran into a woman while attending another show who recognized me and told me how much she enjoyed it!

I had shows on Tuesday and Wednesday, they were smaller houses, but very supportive and responsive – A great deal more giggling at the humourous bits and a goodly amount of smiling faces. I even received one of my greatest compliments after my Wednesday show: my 20-year-old brother, admittedly “prejudiced” against all things Jane Austen said he really enjoyed himself!

On Wednesday night / Thursday morning I was also invited to be on The 13th Hour – The Fringe’s 1 a.m. live talk show. Since I appeared on the “Fast Show” I only had two minutes to use. I chose to (humourously) summarize the morals of all of Jane Austen’s novels in under 45 seconds. (I earned quite a few laughs with that bit!)

I have been putting in some shifts at the advance box office and at Fringe HQ. I do it because it’s fun and a great way to meet people. (Seeing shows for free is nice, too!) A huge festival like the Montreal Fringe needs it volunteers to keep things running and to help keep prices affordable. (Are you interested in volunteering this weekend? Contact Volunteer Coordinator Nadege at benevol@montrealfringe.ca or 514-849-0069 - and she’ll find you a job!)

I also managed to squeeze in a few shows, of course. (Not as many as I would like, but isn’t that always the way?).

So far, I’ve managed to catch:

Misadventures of a Massage Therapist – Every job can have its wacky stories. Massage therapist seems to be a magnet for the wacky, however. The show is an amusing hour of stories, but not for the very squeamish.

Wide Load – A brainy, sassy cabaret with songs, dance and free cookies – Works for me! Boston’s Big Moves returns to Montreal with a show about breaking down societal biases and fostering body acceptance – They make it fun, of course. (Please note, the show advisory is no bluff, you will indeed see a lady in the altogether.)

The Further Adventures of Antoine Feval – Chris Gibbs returns with more laughs as he plays Barnaby Gibbs, a slightly dim gentleman who narrates his adventures with the “great” detective Antoine Feval. Probably the most laughter-filled show I’ve seen so far.

Fruitcake – A poetic, funny and sad look at being a psychiatric nurse: Meet the patients and the staffers who try to their best under very difficult and sometimes ridiculous circumstances.

Farewell, for now, I am going to sit down and finish scheduling the rest of my weekend. (So many shows and volunteer shifts - so little time!)

Cheers,
Tali