Fringe artists are especially adroit at selling themselves.
They have to be – the Fringe Festival does no direct marketing for the artists, and the only way they make money is if people come to their show (out of 107 other shows...).
Which might be why, based on their compelling descriptions alone, my long-list of picks swelled to 27 shows deep.
A hearty vetting and some tough decisions later, I’ve narrowed it down to the absolute must-sees, the instinctive best bets, and the most wonderfully weird (it IS the Fringe after all).
Fire in the Meth Lab
Melbourne, AU
Nervy and acclaimed Australian storyteller Jon Bennett uses his brother’s drug addiction and incarceration as the vehicle to explore the siblings’ fraught relationship. Expect to laugh at inappropriate times.
The Middle of Everywhere
Portland, US
Nine-time Best of Fest winners the Wonderheads return with their larger-than-life masks and captivating wordlessness, taking you on a cosmic journey back to before the Big Bang.
The Exclusion Zone
Brooklyn, US
Gonzo storyteller Martin Dockery (The Dark Fantastic) journeys to the very heart of irradiated Chernobyl in search of a legendary room.
In Search of Cruise Control
Toronto, CA
I'm always leery of out-of-town reviews, but stars are following James Gangl’s true tale of giving his nephew the sex talk he’ll never forget by the fistful.
God is a Scottish Drag Queen II
Victoria, CA
After selling out theatres across North America, “Vancouver’s favourite deity in a power suit” returns to skewer everything from Mormons to Scientology. Nominee for the 2014 Just For Laughs Best Comedy Award.
The Birdmann in Momentous Timing
Queensland, AU
Melbourne Comedy Fest darling and Edinburgh Fringe nominee for Most Original Comedy, this ingenious one-man art-house experiment features a man searching for love in a stiletto.
Camel Camel
California, US
David Lynch meets Abbott and Costello in this sublimely absurd comedy starring The Camel Sisters, born from “the surrealist poetry of Ukranian prisoner Oleg Navolska”.
Nashville Hurricane
Portland, US
Go see anything with Chase Padgett and his finger-picking fury in it.
Peter n’ Chris Present: Here Lies Chris
Vancouver, CA
Ditto for three-time Canadian Comedy Award-winners Peter n’ Chris.
The Inventor of All Things
Camberley, UK
Jem rolls explores hidden history through the true story of forgotten peacemaker, physicist and genius Leo Szilard.
Love is for Super Beasts
Vancouver, CA
From Dexter to Criminal Minds, modern audiences are obsessed with portrayals of murderers... but how accurate are they? Join a panel of media and academic experts and meet two serial killers in love.
Shake the Sheets!
Vancouver, CA
The story of a couple exploring the power of words, featuring music by Vancouver’s Jordan Klassen and a cameo by a different Fringe celeb every night.
James & Jamesy in the Dark
Vancouver, CA
Thirteen-time Best of Fest winners James & Jamesy (High Tea) turn the spotlight on themselves in their Godot-like playground of discovery and imagination. Some of the circuit’s best physical storytellers – an absolute must-see.
Blackbird
Vancouver, CA
Aenigma Theatre tackles Blackbird, named one the best British plays of the decade by the Chicago Tribune. Inspired in part by the crimes of sex offender Toby Studebaker, Blackbird depicts a young woman confronting a middle-aged man 15 years after they had a sexual relationship, when she was 12.
Grandma's Dead
Toronto, CA
Canadian Comedy Award-winner Sam S. Mullins (creator of Fringe hits Tinfoil Dinosaur and Weaksauce) brings you this heartfelt and hilarious tale of two siblings en route to a funeral in rural Saskatchewan.
Meanwhile, if you miss out on any hot tickets, there’s still hope! Pick of the Fringe brings back the festival’s most popular shows Sept. 23-27. Selections are announced at Awards Night Sept. 20.
