Theatre reviews: More humour, bedazzlement, and solo strength from 2022's Vancouver Fringe Festival
Far From Beds rocks; BOOKMARKS evokes a life well lived; and ver·i·si·mil·i·tude blends speculative fiction with horror
Danielle Leger.
Vancouver Fringe Festival runs to September 18 at various venues and online
Far From Beds
Continues September 14 at 8:45 pm, September 15 at 7 pm, September 17 at 3 pm, and September 18 at 7 pm at Arts Umbrella
Donned in a bedazzled cowboy jacket, Danielle Leger (pictured at top) takes to the stage in Far From Beds, an Americana song-cycle documenting the adventures and misadventures of her solo travels. With a Dolly Parton-like charm, Leger shares the story of a personal choice that many might wish they were bold enough to make: quitting her job and hitting the road. Strumming her guitar and sprinkling in humour, Leger has a sweet and twangy voice that takes viewers on a trip through her life as a drifter, from hanging out at a hippie commune to crashing in dirty motel rooms to missing home. Far From Beds is a humorous and romantic memoir of a woman who hasn’t figured out where she's going, but boy, she sure enjoys the journey.
ver·i·si·mil·i·tude.
ver·i·si·mil·i·tude
Continues September 13 at 3 pm, September 15 at 10:40 pm, September 17 at 4:15 pm, and September 18 at 6:45 pm at Waterfront Theatre
A Metaverse-era cautionary tale about the dangers of virtual reality and modern AI, ver·i·si·mil·i·tude, written and performed by Jill Raymond, is a follow-up to Direct Theatre Collective’s successful HYSTERIA. Here, the artist dives into a world where a new VR technology allows consumers to live in a perfect world while their physical body remains in isolation. Blending speculative fiction with horror, ver·i·si·mil·i·tude warns the audience of the downsides of this perceived perfect world, reminding that the joys of the earthly realm cannot be replicated. The engrossing piece submerges viewers in a universe that can easily be imagined as the all-too-real near future, and leaves people asking: Are we already in too deep?
BOOKMARKS
Continues September 13 at 4:45 pm, September 15 at 4:45 pm, and September 18 at 8:35 pm at Carousel Theatre
In this spoken memoir of a life lived between pages of books, BOOKMARKS is Juno-nominated singer-songwriter Corin Raymond’s sequel to his hit 2011 monologue, BOOKWORM. BOOKMARKS details the most intimate moments of Raymond’s history, from the death of his mother to his closest relationships, and conveys how books have been a great comfort through his life. Fringe vet and close collaborator TJ Dawe (Blueberries Are Assholes) has stepped in as Raymond’s understudy; the writer had to cancel his appearances due to illness. A dear friend of Raymond’s for many years, Dawe is a faithful narrator, his voice swelling with passion and his eyes welling with tears as he depicts the peaks and valleys of Raymond’s life. Presented at the Carousel Theatre for Young People on Granville Island, the performance takes place in a small, intimate venue, where viewers can have face-to-face contact with the narrator and hear sighs of other audience members who find themselves captivated by Raymond’s story. BOOKMARKS is a profound documentation of the joys and losses of life and all the small, quiet moments that fill the spaces in between.
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